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

I would have to mention two different transactions. The first being a co-investment alongside an infrastructure fund. Unlike our usual co-investments — where we first make a commitment to the fund and carry out an extensive due diligence of the manager at that point — in this situation, we had no such prior relationship with the manager so, within a short timeframe, we had to complete a detailed due diligence of both the manager and the asset simultaneously. In addition, we had to negotiate the transaction documentation and ensure satisfactory governance and reporting rights. It put a lot of pressure on the team, but we managed to agree on terms and take part in a successful closing.

The second being an investment in Denmark’s largest provider of mortgage credit. The transaction was the largest unlisted equity investment by institutional investors in Denmark at that time. The majority owner of the target company was openly carrying out a dual-track process with an IPO being the other option. There was a significant amount of deal uncertainty in a compressed process where we had to carry out a comprehensive due diligence but also agree on terms with the majority owner and the other consortium partners on complex governance issues and minority protection rights.

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

Overall, from a transactional perspective, the qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer is the ability to provide holistic and pragmatic advice that goes beyond the law or the legal issue in question in a fast-paced environment, the advice that considers the dynamics and the commercial and strategic aspects of a transaction. Having said that, working for a regulated institutional investor also requires attention to detail. The real challenge here is here to strike the right balance.

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

In my experience being accessible and taking part in the investments from the very beginning – also if the legal issues at that early stage may be less prevalent – and until the very end, fosters a closer collaboration. Ideally, my business counterparts should consider me an integral part of the team which builds trust and caters for an open and transparent dialogue between the business and the legal department.

Do you have a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you are passionate about?

I am passionate about infrastructure investments within renewable energy, especially with climate change becoming an even more defining factor in the long-term risk and return considerations of investors. Having a sustainable- and climate-integrated portfolio has rightfully become a priority. The most obvious route towards such a portfolio is through renewable energy investments (offshore wind, solar power, advanced biofuels). To be able to participate in these investments which assist in transitioning the global economy into a net-zero emissions scenario is a true privilege.