About

Euro Cargo Rail (ECR), a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn and the first private railway undertaking in France, appointed Agnès Bardel as head of legal in 2009. Having begun her career as a lawyer for four years in private practice, she moved in-house with publishing company Le Figaro in 2003 where she remained legal counsel for five years. Now at ECR, she first implemented the legal department upon her arrival, organising the necessary internal processes and training. She excelled in her first mission and dramatically downsized the monetary expenditure on external law firms by securing the handling of all legal matters in-house, excluding litigation. This was the product of comprehensive training, process management and operational understanding. In 2012 Bardel was attributed for her work against the French state-owned railway utility SNCF for its abuse of dominant market position, an award granted by the French Competition Authority (FCA). The potential success of this case was doubted by many in the industry owing to the difficulty in justifying the abuse. ‘It has been a surprise for everybody and a great satisfaction for myself’, Bardel says. Her efforts in litigation presented before regulatory authorities have opened the gates of the rail freight market to competition and have formed a strategy that defends the rights of new entrants. Making headlines in the industry, finding practical solutions, avoiding risks and saving several million euros for ECR are just a few of Bardel’s notable points. Bardel has recently changed roles to join Id Verde as the head of legal.