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

In 2022, we worked in the acquisition of the global high-performance plastic parts business of Mann+Hummel, a segment with approx. €500m in revenue, which comprises products other than filtration and separation solutions, such as air intake manifolds, high pressure air ducts and fluid reservoirs. As part of such transaction, Mann+Hummel’s production facilities in Germany and France, with approximately 1,500 employees, were transferred to Mutares. Such transaction has been one of the largest private equity transactions seen in Germany in 2022 so far and is of high complexity comprising several asset and share deals in Germany, France, India, Brazil, the U.S., Japan, South Korea and China.

We expect significant synergies with other portfolio companies which gives the opportunity to grow the combined portfolio companies to a Tier-1 automotive supplier with more than €1.3bn in revenues. Since my last listing in the GC Powerlist: Germany 2019, despite a more difficult environment during the pandemic, as well as due to today’s political and economically tightened situation, we have successfully performed regular M&A transactions on both, buy- and sell-side, in addition to extending the team and extend our internationally footprint. In total, I have been able to be in the lead of approximately 15 to 20 transactions since beginning of the pandemic, following the last GC Powerlist: Germany listing.

How do you feel the pandemic has changed the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel?

The pandemic obviously changed the intensity of using electronic software and communication tools compared to the times before. Conduct of negotiations changed a bit due to increase of online negotiation, compared to negotiations in person. Even nowadays, after the pandemic, such trend seems to still exist and continue in a slighter form, which results for hybrid situations and a mixed environment comprising both worlds, the electronic teams meeting, as well as in person meetings.

How much influence do you, as a general counsel, have on the diversity and inclusion policies of your organisation?

To improve diversity and inclusion remains and will remain a task to be worked on, whereby from my perspective, everybody’s own influence is often limited to their own decisions and would not be covered by influencing abstract policies.