What are the projects that you are most proud of working on over the past 12 months?

The Darling Ingredients group (over 100 companies worldwide and listed on NYSE) helps the world move toward a more circular economy. We repurpose material from the animal agriculture and food industries, and we also fuel the world with renewable energy. Our company has grown and been quite active in the international M&A field in the past year(s). I was lucky to actively partake and contribute as the in-house legal team member in multidisciplinary acquisition teams. Of course, the last 12 months have been focused on successfully integrating these acquired companies into our international group of companies and achieving a successful blend on business level and corporate and cultural approach. I am proud of how we respectfully and professionally handled the M&A processes and achieved multiple acquisitions and integrations from different backgrounds in a successful way.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

The time when I was part of the corporate in-house team of ABN Amro (2006/2007) when it was taken over by a consortium of banks still stands out to me as an interesting time, from many angles. The in-house corporate team at the time had to render top notch creative legal support and advice in a very challenging environment. During this time, I was lucky to be the in-house legal coordinator of one of the most interesting corporate litigations I have ever seen. That case, the approach we chose, and the judgement in that case still provides leading corporate case law that remains relevant in the corporate world these days, decades later.

What do you think sets you apart from other in-house counsel?

I focus on successfully combining various experience-based perspectives, both as in-house lawyer as well as external (interim) attorney and arbitrator, to find and apply the most practical and business aligned approaches for the company and the business. My motto therein is: how can I (or the team) help the business achieve what they aim for, within the borders of possibilities, rules and regulations. I try to think and advise on opportunities and like to make these happen, rather than thinking of legal hurdles standing in our way. I think I am very business oriented and a flexible team player with a strong client focus. An approach much appreciated by the people I work with (as they tell me).

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on that you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful of?

A lot of focus has been vested on AI and introducing AI in the legal profession. I am extremely curious to see what AI can bring to our profession. I think it is extremely important to do a lot of research and trials before one digs into acquiring a certain tool. Because if you have chosen and you are “married” to such tool – it better be the right one. Otherwise, it will be difficult (and expensive) to change to the tool you wanted to begin with!