Michaëla Ulrici is currently the head of our Financial Sector team. She has extensive experience advising clients on finance transactions with a focus on setting up funding-platforms, advising on portfolio transfers, securitisations and other investment structures. She joined NautaDutilh in 1994 and became a partner in 2002. Between 2010 and 2014, she was also our firm’s managing partner.
Ruud Smits is an experienced M&A lawyer with a focus on the life sciences and technology sectors. He currently heads NautaDutilh’s Life Sciences team and has been a member of our supervision and advisory committee. He advises international and domestic clients on mergers and acquisitions, growth financing and joint ventures. Ruud joined NautaDutilh in 2007 and became a partner in 2011. Between 2011 and 2016, he headed the corporate practice of our New York office.
Lieke van der Velden says: “Congratulations to Michaëla and Ruud on their appointment. Both of them have a keen eye for our clients’ business needs and the opportunities that lie ahead for our firm. I wish them every success in their new role and look forward to working with them. The past years have been an incredible journey that enabled me to broaden my perspective and sharpen my focus, and it was a real pleasure to do so together with Sjoerd. At the same time, I very much look forward to getting back to practice full-time – the very reason I became a lawyer in the first place – and to working as leader of our financial corporate transaction team on the complex transactions that matter most to our clients.”
Sjoerd adds: “Looking back on the past three years, what stands out for me are the great things we can achieve when we work together. This includes contributing to an environment that enables everyone to develop and thrive – from strengthening our young parents policy to initiating AI training opportunities. A big thank you to Lieke for sharing the ride with me! I look forward to contributing, together with our Dispute Resolution team, to the solutions that help our clients move forward in an ever-changing legal landscape.”
Ruud says: “Many thanks to Lieke and Sjoerd for a job well done! I look forward to building on the strong foundation they’ve laid, with Michaëla and the talented teams in our offices across the Benelux, London and New York. Together we will continue to grow our cross-border practice and deliver as one integrated firm.”
Michaëla says: “There is an ancient saying that the only constant in life is change and that felt rarely more relevant than today. That’s why resilience and the ability to adapt swiftly are more essential than ever. We remain committed to staying closely connected with our clients and markets, listening and evolving together. As managing partner, I look forward to helping deepen the relationships we have with our clients and good friend firms, while fostering an inclusive culture, together with Ruud and the great teams at NautaDutilh.”
