General counsel, chief compliance officer and chief people officer | Nikon SLM Solutions
Head of regulatory, IT and data privacy law | Aachener Grundvermögen
Rising Star
General counsel DACH, Nordics, CEE | Jones Lang LaSalle
General counsel and managing director | DDB Germany Group of Companies
General counsel, head of legal, chief compliance officer and proxy holder | Mainova
Head of legal (vice president) | Jack Wolfskin Ausrüstung für Draussen
Assistant general counsel - catalyst technologies | Johnson Matthey
Chief legal officer and chief procurement officer (ad interim) | BVG
Senior legal director - Germany, A, CH, BeNeLuX, CEE, UK&IE, Nordics | Google
Senior associate vice president, principal legal counsel at Group Corporate and Commercial Legal | Deutsche Börse
Rising Star
Group general counsel and chief compliance officer | Securing Energy for Europe - SEFE
Group general counsel - senior vice president legal and audit | HARIBO Holding
Vice president legal, ethics, compliance and quality | Novo Nordisk Pharma
Group general counsel, senior vice president legal and chief compliance officer | HUGO BOSS
General Counsel, head of legal and group compliance, managing director | FMS Wertmanagement
General counsel, head of insurance and chief compliance officer | Progroup
In-house counsel | Die Autobahn des Bundes, Niederlassung West
Rising Star
General counsel and chief compliance officer | TAKKT AG
Rising Star
General counsel, corporate secretary and compliance officer | Toshiba Railway Europe
Group general counsel and chief compliance officer | Leica Camera
Group Vice President Legal, Audit and Data Protection | Amadeus FiRe AG
Vice President Global Field Legal Regional General Counsel Middle and Eastern Europe Head of Legal Department SAP Deutschland SE & Co.KG | SAP Deutschland SE & Co.KG
Group general counsel and chief legal officer | Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller
In-house counsel | Stadtbahn Entwicklung und Verkehrsinfrastrukturprojekte
Rising Star
General counsel and CCO, head of legal and corporate governance | Hyundai Motor Europe Regional
Director legal and compliance | Condor Flugdienst
Head of legal and compliance Central Europe | Atos Information Technology
Head of legal, compliance and data protection | Burger King Deutschland
Head of legal AFFAIRS | Konica Minolta Business Solutions Deutschland
Senior legal counsel | Carrier Global Corporation
Rising Star
Head of legal continental Europe | PGIM Real Estate Germany
Head of global compliance and integrity animal health | Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Center
Commercial and trademark attorney | W. L. Gore & Associates
Rising Star
Group general counsel, head of legal and governance Germany and international | Kaufland
Senior contact counsel | McKinsey
Rising Star
Associate general counsel | McKinsey & Company
General counsel and head of compliance | Hottinger Brüel & Kjaer
Vice president legal and corporate compliance, general counsel | Vetter Pharma-Fertigung
General counsel and vice president people and culture | WorkMotion Software
It’s been a true honour to work on the GC Powerlist Germany 2025 which celebrates the outstanding achievements of in-house legal professionals across a broad spectrum of industries in Germany. As part of our prestigious GC Powerlist series, The Legal 500 is proud to once again highlight the strength and expertise of the German in-house legal market. This publication showcases the remarkable abilities of legal professionals who are navigating complex regulatory environments while strategically supporting their businesses.
In an era of rapid technological advancements, regulatory shifts, and economic fluctuations, these legal leaders continuously demonstrate innovation, adaptability, and resilience. They are not only ensuring compliance and risk mitigation but also actively shaping corporate strategies.
The influence of these legal professionals extends far beyond Germany. Many play a critical role in facilitating their companies’ expansion across Europe and into global markets, expertly navigating diverse legal frameworks and cross-border challenges. Their ability to blend legal acumen with commercial insight makes them indispensable players in today’s interconnected business landscape.
Beyond their corporate responsibilities, many of the professionals featured in this edition are dedicated to fostering legal education, mentoring emerging talent, and driving initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion within the profession. Such contributions reflect the profound and lasting impact these legal leaders have both within and beyond their organisations.
It has been our privilege to keep researching and engaging with this dynamic market. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the distinguished professionals featured in the GC Powerlist Germany 2025. Your dedication and expertise set a benchmark for excellence in the global in-house legal community, and we are delighted to celebrate your success.
Sara Maggi Deputy Editor – The Legal 500 GC Powerlist Series
Margherita Birri Research Editor
On Thursday 20th March, Legal 500 returned to Frankfurt for the 2025 edition of the GC Summit: Germany. The event brought together some of the leading legal minds in the country for an afternoon of engaging panel discussions and interactive sessions. The agenda spanned a range of topics, current in today’s dynamic market and tailored to in-house counsel.
Vanessa Westphal, Head of legal services group at Merck, opened the programme with a keynote speech, in which she touched upon the importance of embracing uncertainty. In a market where the ways in which in-house counsel operate is rapidly changing, from the resources available to transactions themselves, Westphal advised how the legal industry can strengthen both its legal and non-legal ‘backbone’: in-house teams should focus not only on legal prowess, but also improve cultural and management expertise to ensure smooth operations across the organisation.
The first panel of the day, sponsored by Seitz, discussed the crucial role that labour law can play in times of crisis. Dr. Kathrin Bürger and Dr. Stephan Pötters of Seitz were joined on stage by Prof. Dr. Marlene Schmidt, partner at Apitzsch Schmidt Klebe Rechtsanwälte, Ralph Wangemann, managing director of human resources and labour director at Opel Automobile, Dr. Tom Gellrich, partner and managing director at AlixPartners, and Olaf Möllenkamp, chairman, Conciliation boards. In light of the election process in Germany, the panel discussed the ever-relevant topic of labour law and examined how the current environment does not make for a classic crisis: various different factors, from digitalisation to ESG aspects, come together to create a complex type of crisis that requires a more nuanced approach to labour regulations.
Ashurst took to the stage for the second panel, considering the influence that environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures and artificial intelligence (AI) can have on joint ventures. Dr. Alexander Duisberg, Marina Arntzen and Dr. Stephan Hennrich, partners at the firm, discussed the hot topic with Maler James, head of the centre of competence for strategic business units and finance at compliance at Volkswagen, Philip Nicolai, general counsel commercial and technology at Schaeffler Group, and Thilo M. Tern, managing partner at Silvester Group. The experts analysed how these elements can be utilised to make joint ventures successful and more sustainable – and ultimately act as dealbreakers or dealmakers.
Following a short break for coffee and networking, experts returned to the stage to discuss how to navigate today’s challenging M&A market. Dr. Christian Traichel and Dr Marco Hartmann-Rüppel, partners at Taylor Wessing, were joined on stage for the firm’s panel by
Carsten Burger, managing director at DC Advisory, Viktor Strauch, partner at Borromin, and Alexander Deicke of Körber. The panel considered how to manage transactions, taking into account risk, uncertainty and regulation.
The final panel of the day brought fresh perspectives on the age-old question: to litigate or to arbitrate? Nicole Boehler, Director of legal operations Europe at Autoliv, engaged in lively debate with Horst Daniel and Dr. Eveli Lume of Squire Patton Boggs, weighing up the pros and cons of litigation and arbitration. The panellists discussed factors such as bias, confidentiality, costs and recoverability. The interactive panel saw plenty of involvement from the audience, with questions from attendees touching on international mediation and third-party funding.
In a true show of the relevance and significance of the panel topics, delegates continued their animated conversations and debates over final networking drinks.
On behalf of Legal 500, we extend our gratitude to our expert panellists, sponsors, and all attendees for coming together for such a productive, engaging and successful event.
