What are the projects that you are most proud of working on over the past 12 months?
Successfully advising on the structuring and launch of new alternative investment funds (AIFs), especially with the private equity and real estate strategies; developing and implementing strategies to market AIFs across multiple jurisdictions while navigating EU passporting rules and third-country distribution challenges; enhancing internal policies and fund documentation to comply with new regulatory requirements such as SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation) and ESG-related investor expectations; providing legal support on secondary transactions, fund restructurings, or co-investment deals, ensuring smooth execution while mitigating risks; leading negotiations with institutional investors on fund terms, services agreements, and regulatory considerations, balancing investor demands with fund objectives; strengthening internal governance frameworks, including updating policies for AML-CFT, SFDR, and fund distribution, ensuring alignment with regulatory developments; and, successfully managing regulatory inspections, audits, or supervisory interactions with financial regulators, ensuring a favorable outcome for the AIFM.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?
At the beginning of my career, I worked as a lawyer in one of the most renowned German law firms in the field of commercial criminal law and tax criminal law. We defended well-known companies or personalities in criminal matters. What was particularly interesting here was to achieve an end to the proceedings before any press reports about them appeared in the media.

What do you think sets you apart from other in-house counsel?
Since I am also part of the management team, I always must pay particular attention to the company’s economic aspects. In addition to my legal skills, I have commercial awareness and problem-solving skills, which are very important. My aim is always to proactively identify risks and opportunities that align with the fund’s business goals.

How can general counsel foster a corporate culture that supports ESG principles and compliance across all levels of the organisation?
One of my personal principles, which is also the culture of our company, is “lead by example”. As a senior leader, you should champion ESG values in decision-making and communications, demonstrating that ESG is not just a regulatory requirement but a core business priority.