Team size: 8

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

MSD has sold a manufacturing site in the Netherlands to Organon, which was a complicated transaction with a big impact for MSD and MSD employees in the Netherlands. Furthermore, MSD was able to secure access to certain life-saving treatments for patients in the Netherlands. This was a cross-functional team effort to which the legal function contributes as well.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

MSD’s former General Counsel that subsequently became the company’s CEO, Ken Frazier, taught me that as an attorney in a law firm you need to know a lot about a little. As an in-house counsel, you need to know a little about a lot. This appeared to be very true. A good in-house has a profound knowledge of the business of the company and is able to identify situations that require legal input/review or risks.