Team size:   Six FTE

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience? 

In times of general instability or crises, big corporations need to focus even more on strict (and at the same time clear and easy to understand) processes to ensure compliance with legal requirements across the organisation. The legal function by nature is playing a substantial role in developing, monitoring and enforcing these processes. My team is living up with these requirements, but – at the same time – we and the Legal function as a whole need to be creative in a positive sense when supporting the business in a very challenging market environment.

Balancing out the requirements of strict compliance with processes and regulations at the one hand and – within these limits – being creative in supporting the business in its efforts to deliver best solutions for our clients on the other hand is absolute key to be positively recognized as a Legal team.

In times of uncertainty, clear, timely and honest communication is crucial. What is true for the broader institution is also true for the individuals and their teams. Only when the people feel treated with respect and taken seriously, will they be self-confident and feel empowered in what they do and how they act. This, again, will enable them to speak up if things are not right and will – at the same time– encourage them to use their creativity when tackling problems.

What are the main cases or transactions that you have been involved in recently?  

Covering the legal aspects of all real asset transactions for UBS Asset Management in EMEA and Switzerland, our focus has been on a high number of transactions in the various asset classes within a fast changing and sometimes negative market environment (coming from an extraordinary positive and bullish market environment).

In addition, the UBS group is undergoing constant change, also considering merger with Credit Suisse. We have worked and continue to work on our end supporting the group’s integration efforts and respective teams on this exciting and unprecedented journey.

What do you see as the major legal challenges for businesses in Germany over the next five years, and how are you preparing to address them? 

With Germany – as many other markets – potentially facing economic headwinds in the near and mid-term future, I do expect the regulatory landscape to change even faster than in previous years.

It will be important to keep an agile mindset and to stay in close contact with all internal and external stakeholders and specialist functions and people. Furthermore, national legal initiatives need to be always put in context with EU and other international regulations.

Finally, regular, focused and tailored training for the business on these regulatory initiatives needs to be fostered. In the hustle of daily work, arranging for those things tends to be forgotten. But only with this proactive approach can the legal challenges be positively assessed and by doing so potentially even generate possibility for growth and advantages vis-à-vis competitors.