Team size: Corporate legal (five), legal transactions (25)

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

2023 focused on not only the general business of providing top tier legal advice in connection with the guarantees, loans and investments provided by EIFO, but also on a consolidation of the merger that created EIFO in the beginning of 2023.

All’ of the legal functions in EIFO now refer to EIFO’s general counsel, which will further the cross-department knowledge sharing and provide better career opportunities for the employees.

The legal transactions area is headed by Christoffer Ring (associate general counsel) in close collaboration with Martin Rudbæk Nielsen (legal director – team lead, investment) and Line Støving (legal director – team lead, SME).

Primary areas of focus recently have been to provide legal advice in connection with EIFO’s involvement in financing the re-building of Ukraine. Also, EIFO’s product offerings within the defence area and quantum technology have been of high importance. All areas require our legal professionals to be front and centre in the documentation and negotiations.

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

EIFO is a state-owned financial institution supporting SME’s and Large Corporates in Denmark.

As an in-house lawyer in EIFO, you need to be able to understand the duality between working for a state entity and providing financing and investments on commercial terms, while acting in a national and international context. Very few companies in Denmark provide in-house lawyers with this unique cross field of mindsets. If you can balance those various interests – both commercial and political – you are set for success in our industry.

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

We work closely with the rest of the business daily, which makes it possible for us to continuously make sure that we provide relevant and up to date legal advice. Knowledge sharing has a huge focus in the legal department, and we provide regular awareness classes on various regulatory topics.

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

EIFO focuses on helping Danish SME’s and Large Corporates in Denmark when moving their business across the border and into the world. We are passionate about accelerating Danish businesses, but we also have a huge focus on helping the green transition – not only in Denmark but globally. Working for this purpose at EIFO is of great significance, and it is why we are proud of what we do.