Team size: 74

Key team members: Patrick Figiel-Kibsgaard, group general counsel and assistant general counsels Henrik Fastholm (corporate); Marc Stuesser (dispute resolution); Michal Malicki, (property); Alan Leggett (Americas); Philip McDougall (Europe West); Paulina Ochman-Smolinska (Europe East and MEA) and Jens Triebel (APAC and ISC)

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

In 2023, a significant amount of focus was put on establishing a joint venture with NEOM Company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The partnership will provide a full suite of transport and logistics services and support the development of the ambitious projects taking shape within the NEOM territory in northwest Saudi Arabia. These services include end-to-end supply chain management, development and investment in transport and logistics assets and infrastructure, transport and delivery of goods and materials.

It is an exciting project for the DSV Group, as it is an opportunity to be part of an epic journey to create something that has never been done before. At its peak, the joint venture will employ up to 20,000 people.

The process went from the negotiation phase over necessary regulatory approvals to the incorporation of the joint venture corporate structure as well as the creation of a legal and compliance foundation to support the joint venture organisation. Everything is being built from the ground up.

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry?

It is the absolute necessary understanding of the business that you are within. Furthermore, the legal team must have a clear understanding of where the business wants to go and how you can facilitate the journey towards those goals. By having this innate understanding of the business, the legal team can assist in navigating the various pitfalls as well as paving the road for a smoother process.

How have you fostered a closer collaboration between the legal department and your business counterparts?

We have put much more focus on improving communication between legal and the business. It sounds simple, which is not always the case. It is important to focus on ensuring that the message that is being given to the business is as clear to the recipient as it is to the sender. Secondly, the message must be imminently useful. The feedback must be in a form which allows the recipient to act on it.