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Shifting the legal department from ‘reactive to pro-active in the years following a financial crisis in the banking industry in Denmark, has been a great challenge’, explains Svend Ulrik Riis, general counsel at Handelsbanken. He met this challenge head on and attained, in return for his efforts in leadership, a legal department that is easily able to navigate the constantly changing waters of legislation while incorporating the importance of the business’ understanding of the legal actions. Ulrik Riis’s robust leadership skills are prominent as he works with a five-strong team, developing them into a core unit that is appreciated and respected for their business minded legal solutions. Over his years of experience he successfully pilots the ‘many different angles on the legal aspects you encounter in a bank’. One external lawyer is quoted saying Ulrik Riis is a ‘pleasant individual’ who is ‘easy to work with’ and he is further praised as a ‘talented legal practitioner, [who] at the same time displays a matchless capability to apply the law in a highly business-oriented context’.