GSK Stockmann appoints female lawyers to all firm committees

At the virtual partners’ meeting held on 23rd/24th April 2021, GSK Stockmann appointed female partners to all firm committees. With this initiative, the firm continues to promote diversity and women in leadership positions.

“I am very pleased that we have come closer to achieving our goal of partnership-based, equal leadership and responsibility in the firm through the admission and election of successful female partners to all our committees”, stated Bernhard Laas, partner at GSK Stockmann. “This initiative emerged from the middle of the partnership and is a reflection of the general conviction that companies led by both men and women operate more successfully, as confirmed by various studies.”

GSK Stockmann had already sent out a signal during the last internal promotion round last November: with the promotion of five female attorneys, well over 30 percent of those promoted were women.

The following partners were elected as members of GSK Stockmann’s internal committees:

Katy Ritzmann specializes in digital matters and technology with a focus on venture capital, IP/IT and data protection; she is admitted to the bar in both Germany and Israel. She regularly advises internationally operating VC funds with regard to their investments in the German market, e.g. most recently the investors Target Global and Princeville Capital in the IPO of AUTO1 Group. At GSK Stockmann, she is in charge of legal tech developments regarding future topics and focuses on digital transformation.

Alma Franke advises banks and commercial investors on complex financing projects, primarily with relation to real estate. Her main areas of expertise are large-volume share deals, project development and hotels. In addition to her law practice, she has also been active as a personnel partner at the Munich office for many years and is involved in the organization of the event “Women in Law“, a regularly held seminar for female lawyers, as part of the GSK Academy.

Oda Wedemeyer is an expert in project development, construction and architectural law, with a special focus and expertise in international plant engineering, in particular for offshore wind farms. She provides legal advice in the real estate project development and energy sectors. She was the first female Equity Partner at GSK Stockmann and has already acted as representative for the Berlin office on an interim basis.

“Diversity is not an issue solely relevant among partners”, stated Katy Ritzmann, Management Board member. “Our associates have clearly expressed their desire to work in diverse teams. As for our clients, diversity among advisory teams has become a criterion that plays a decisive role in the assignment of mandates. This step therefore aims to empower young female lawyers and show them that we offer them every opportunity for a successful career at GSK Stockmann.”

Her colleague Oliver Glück, Co-Managing Partner and responsible for HR issues in the partner’s circle, agreed with her: “Our attractiveness as an employer depends on the perspectives that we have to offer. Applicants measure us on our ability to prove that we not only promote equal opportunities, but actually live them at all levels. We will continue to implement further steps in the future to live up to this claim.”

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