Lieke and Sjoerd will form NautaDutilh's board of management together with Chris Warner, who was appointed in 2017. Our board does not have a chairperson.
Lieke van der Velden currently heads NautaDutilh's Corporate M&A group. She advises international and domestic clients on mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. In her practice, she focuses on the financial sector. Lieke joined NautaDutilh in 1995. She was seconded to a top-tier London firm in 1999 and became a partner in 2005.
Sjoerd Meijer advises on and litigates in the areas of class action insurance and professional liability law He also advises boards of financial institutions and insurance companies and intermediaries on matters related to supervision. After an academic career, Sjoerd was admitted to the Amsterdam bar in 2004. He joined NautaDutilh in 2008 and became a partner in 2014. He currently heads our Dispute Resolution group.
Chris Warner has been one of our managing partners since 2017. He advises Dutch and international clients about the tax aspects in complex matters, including in the context of listed M&A transactions, public-private partnerships and corporate reorganisations. He joined NautaDutilh in 1997 and has headed the firm’s Tax practice since 2006. He was based at our New York office from 2002 until 2006.
Chris Warner: “Congratulations to Lieke and Sjoerd on their appointment. They are both leaders in their fields and genuinely nice people with a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for our firm. I very much look forward to working alongside them to lead NautaDutilh towards its 300th anniversary in 2024. I would also like to thank Petra and Jaap Jan for their excellent job and the great cooperation over the past five years."
Lieke van der Velden says: "I am grateful to Jaap Jan and Petra for the excellent job they've done. Their focus on the power of the collective and their personal approach enabled us to continue to grow as a firm and to broaden the excellent relationship we have with our clients. I am also grateful for the trust the partners have placed in Sjoerd and me, and I look forward to taking up this new role, together with Sjoerd and Chris."
Sjoerd Meijer adds: "The resilient, adaptive and forward-looking mindset of our firm's lawyers and business support professionals has always been a source of inspiration to me. I look forward to providing our ambitious and highly skilled talent with further opportunities to continue to develop into outstanding professionals. I am excited about working with Lieke, Chris and all our colleagues to further strengthen NautaDutilh's reputation as a leading Benelux law firm that delivers true solutions and added value to our clients."
Jaap Jan and Petra will return to the practice of law on a full-time basis, after having served on the board for five years.
Petra Zijp says: "It has been a privilege serving on NautaDutilh's board. It will also be a pleasure to work full time with our clients again, leading our Capital Markets team together with Antonia Netiv. I am proud to take up the new role of Inclusion Partner, together with Geert Raaijmakers. Furthering inclusion and diversity within our firm and the legal sector has long been a key priority of mine, not only during my time as a managing partner but throughout my career, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to continue to contribute to our efforts in this field."
Jaap Jan adds: "The past five years of shaping and implementing our firm's strategy certainly enabled us to broaden our perspectives, and working with Petra and Chris was a real pleasure. I look forward to returning to practicing law full time and to continuing to contribute to our firm's commercial success as a partner in our corporate Energy & Renewables team. With the energy transition a key priority for many of our clients, exciting opportunities lie ahead."