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Webinar: Tech M&A and ESG
Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) criteria are a driving factor when it comes to attracting capital, thus need to be thoroughly considered and evaluated in detail in the course of a merger, or rather when identifying a target.
The good news is figures have to be made available by companies of various industries. As such the EU is constantly introducing new (parts of) laws that require companies to report on environmental and social matters whereby the reporting must be based on reliable figures so that the statements of the companies in this area are comparable and reliable. The overarching goal is to "force" the economy via finance (investors and providers of financial products) towards sustainability.
The challenge in the context of a merger is identifying a company`s ESG-strategy, what laws apply, how the target fits into or may even contribute to that profile and if not, what are the legal risks implied.
This Webinar will provide the audience with an introduction to the topic of ESG, focusing on the "E" in ESG, followed by a comprehensive overview of the current regulatory landscape. Both, legislation in the EU and a few examples of local legislation, will be outlined as well as the legal risks associated with insufficient compliance with these obligations. Finally, the challenges as well as practical tips for consideration and implementation of ESG criteria that arise in the context of tech mergers will be mapped out.
Speaker:
Paula Zimmermann, HÄRTING Attorneys-at-Law, Switzerland
Paula is a pragmatic data protection lawyer and political scientist with many years of experience as in-house counsel and DPO in diverse political institutions and international companies. She understands how to convey even complex topics of far-reaching regulatory scope such as Environmental Social Governance (ESG) in a practical way.
Paula Zimmermann is an attorney, specialized in Tech law and Data Protection and a political scientist. She studied political science and law simultaneously in Heidelberg (Germany), a combination of which has accompanied her through her professional life ever since. She initially worked in political and policy-related institutions such as the German Bundestag, the United Nations and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) which advises the German Bundestag and the German government as well as international Organizations.
For a good ten years, Paula then worked as an in-house lawyer in international companies and a wide range of industries, but always with a focus on tech and data protection, for example at Huawei and Terex Global and most recently as Data Protection Officer for EY Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Paula particularly enjoys the combination of technology and law and its reflection in current legislation with the constantly emerging challenges in implementation. Paula joined HÄRTING Attorneys-at-Law Switzerland in 2022 as a senior lawyer and in January 2023 she became a Partner. HÄRTING Attorneys-at-Law is one of the leading IT boutique law firms with offices in Berlin, Germany and Zug, Switzerland.
