Heading the ESG practice at DLA Piper in Germany, Ludger Giesberts is highly sought-after among leading global industrial and consumer goods companies to advice on ESG and green claims risk, EU sustainability regulation scope and implementation, and environmentally conscious planning procedures.
Giesberts is a key contributor to the sustainability discourse landscape. Alongside serving as a co-editor of the KlimaRZ climate protection law journal, Giesberts has authored insights into topics including the fundamental right to climate protection. Supporting the legal examination and discussion of sustainability issues, Giesberts is also a founding member of the Institute for Sustainability, Business Law and Reporting at the Faculty of Law of the University of Cologne.
José Giménez leads Linklaters’ public law and regulated sectors practice in Madrid, with a strong focus on ESG considerations within regulated industries.
Giménez is a key figure in shaping regulatory compliance programs that integrate environmental protection and assists major corporations in embedding ESG principles into their operational frameworks. Giménez’s practice also includes advising on significant renewable energy projects.
A recognised thought leader in the field, Giménez has authored and co-authored several pieces on regulatory developments impacting Spain’s offshore energy production framework and the country’s evolving hydrogen energy landscape, demonstrating his deep expertise in the local renewable energy landscape.
Jonathan Gilmour heads up the derivatives and structured products (DSP) practice at Travers Smith LLP with a specialisation in advising clients on carbon trading, green bonds, and other ESG financial instruments. Navigating the complexities of ESG-related financial products, he works closely with industry bodies to develop policy and regulation in this field.
Gilmour is actively involved in several key industry bodies: He is a member of the Governance Committee of the UK Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) Forum and participates in the UK Sustainable Investment & Finance Association’s (UKSIF) Green Taxonomy Advisory Working Group and Industry Development Committee. Additionally, he serves on the UK Board of the Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers.
Gilmour’s commitment to sustainable financial practices is also reflected in his dedication to pro bono work. He supports organisations such as the Impact Investing Institute, the Green Finance Institute, and the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI), helping advance the agendas of impact investing and green finance.
Singapore-based corporate specialist Timothy Goh spearheads Dechert’s ESG and sustainable finance practice in Asia, assisting private equity, venture capital, start-ups, multinational companies, and development banks on vital sustainable finance matters. He builds his sustainable finance offering around his expertise in green bonds, finance, and funds; climate change; sustainable equity investments; and ESG regulation and compliance.
Goh also takes a leading role within the firm’s sustainability strategy, helping influence its operational decarbonisation policies and decision-making as part of its global ESG steering committee. As a mentor in Temasek Trust’s amplifier programme, he furthermore helps foster innovation by providing support to impact start-ups which help build the green economy.
He makes a vivid thought leadership contribution, authoring insights into emerging green matters including the impact of the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Singapore-Asia Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance. He has led seminars alongside the World Bank Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency on how to protect decarbonisation investments in emerging markets and annually co-authors the Singapore chapter of the Sustainable Finance Law Review.
As chair of the global ESG leadership team at Herbert Smith Freehills, Silke Goldberg is a leading advisor to major listed and private companies on transition plans, climate- and nature-related reporting and disclosure, greenwashing risk, and EU sustainability regulation. Goldberg pairs this expertise with over 20 years’ experience on international energy and climate change matters, serving as the firm’s corporate law lead on low-carbon infrastructure and green hydrogen projects.
Goldberg is a key thought leader across the gamut of sustainability matters, offering insights on topics including the European wind power sector, green claims, and the legal and commercial implications of biodiversity due diligence and reporting regimes.
Goldberg also makes a leading contribution to the industry discussion on crucial green issues, co-authoring an analysis of the business and investment implications of the UK Labour government’s plans to achieve a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030. Reflecting her leading reputation across sustainability law matters, she spoke at the COP28 Sustainable Innovation Forum on the role of the carbon market in reaching net zero.
An expert in compliance and investigations, Sebastian Gräler at Hogan Lovells International LLP is a key partner to leading corporates, energy companies, and industrial sector clients on significant and complex ESG and environmental law mandates.
Focusing his practice particularly on regulatory compliance matters, Gräler regularly assists domestic and international clients in establishing and improving compliance management systems to meet the requirements set out by domestic and EU regulation including the German Supply Chain Act, CSDDD, EU Batteries Regulation, and EUDR. Gräler also helps clients conduct internal investigations in case of potential non-compliance issues with environmental or ESG regulations.
Gräler takes on a vital leadership role within the firm, leading its ESG Game Changer Webinar Series, founding its Green Deal Initiative, and serving on its Global ESG Core Team for continental Europe. Through these positions, Gräler engages with clients to improve their ESG engagements while also helping the firm manage its sustainability operations and explore climate neutrality opportunities. Gräler is keen to support sustainability-conscious organisations on ESG matters and provided an anti-deforestation non-profit pro bono advice on ESG claims and disclosure requirements.
Alongside his role as practice head of Von Wobeser’s environmental and natural resources departments, Edmond Grieger is also a member of the firm’s ESG practice and coordinates the energy and natural resources industry practice group. With over 20 years of experience in environmental law and a dedication to sustainable development and Mexico’s energy transition, he often acts for clients on major project and infrastructure developments as well as in environmental administrative litigation and arbitration.
Grieger’s commitment is further evident in his pro-bono activities for organisations such as the Nature Conservancy, WWF, and Pronatura. He is also a member of the Mexican Solar Energy Association.
A frequent speaker on energy transition, environmental and sustainability topics, he has shared his expertise at various national and international conferences and forums, including the ABA/IBA Environmental Summit of the Americas, the International Chamber of Commerce, and the Renewable Academy in Berlin. His articles on environmental and energy law have been published in The Wall Street Journal and Financier Worldwide, amongst others.
Simon Groneberg at McDermott Will and Emery Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater LLP is regularly entrusted by major multinational corporates and energy companies to advise on regulatory and public law matters concerning the permitting, grid connection, and commercialisation of green energy, hydrogen, and electricity infrastructure assets.
Groneberg is a leading contact on the regulatory and project aspects of renewable energy developments and power purchase agreements. A key client is Adidas, whom Groneberg is assisting regarding multiple projects that pursue its goal to become climate neutral at its sites by 2025. Within the mandate, Groneberg advised on the realisation of renewable energy plants and the negotiation of a Europe-wide financial PPA.
Groneberg supported a Bulgarian government-drafted law to promote offshore renewable energy, contributing legal subsidy insight based off the German offshore wind regime. Elsewhere committed to legal research in the sustainable energy space, Groneberg edited major legal commentaries on the German Energy Industry Act, German Combined Heat and Power Act, and German Offshore Wind Act.
Heading the German and co-heading the European ESG team at Linklaters, Julia Grothaus is regularly entrusted by clients active across the automotive, financial, consumer, energy, industrials, and technology sectors to assist in ESG due diligence and reporting, risk management, and disputes.
A key client is American multinational HVAC company Carrier, whom Grothaus provided with ESG, regulatory, and environmental law advice regarding its €12bn acquisition of Viessmann Climate Solutions. Within the mandate, Grothaus assisted with due diligence and compliance matters regarding environmental permits, the German Supply Chain Act, and EU ESG regulation.
Supporting the firm’s thought leadership offering, Grothaus co-authored articles on topics including climate protection and transition planning, supplier obligations under the German Supply Chain Act, and EU greenwashing rules as part of its ESG journal, which was published in conjunction with Der Betrieb. Carrying her engagement into industry events, Grothaus spoke at the Association of German Stock Corporations’ sustainability conference and the Association of Foreign Banks in Germany’s ESG forum.
Ingrid Gubbay is a distinguished litigator and campaign lawyer, focusing on environmental, human rights, and climate law. She leads the human rights and environmental team at Hausfeld & Co. LLP, and actively contributes to the Global Climate Litigation network. She also serves as a legal trustee of the Sea Rangers, a Dutch environmental enterprise focused on marine protection.
Having been appointed as a visiting research fellow at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), Gubbay teaches climate litigation, engaging in projects around corporate accountability and transitional justice. Her work on climate change litigation and championing the role of lawyers in tackling global warming have gained her wide-spread recognition.
A passionate advocate, she frequently delivers speeches and publishes extensively on environmental litigation, climate justice, and corporate environmental liability.
In 2002, Raúl Guevara joined Alta Batalla to form the firm’s environmental practice. Bringing a background in natural resource management and speleology, he advises clients on environmental law matters ranging from waste management, air emissions and soil pollution to environmental dispute resolution.
Guevara has shown a longstanding commitment to environmental protection, having worked on a number of conservation projects and founded Anthros, an NGO dedicated to the studies, research, and conservation of karst systems and caves in Costa Rica.
He is a member of the sustainability committee and the energy committee of UCCAEP (Federation of Chambers of Private Enterprises), coordinator of the energy committee as well as co-coordinator of the environmental and sustainability committee of the Free Zones Chambers, and a founding member of the Latin American Alliance of Environmental Law and Sustainability, among various other memberships.
Guevara has authored several articles and regularly participates as speaker at events, seminars, and workshops. He has recently spoken about the role of legal management in sustainability, sustainability in dispute resolution, and the impacts of EU ESG standards in Latin America.
Steve Gummer is head of net zero at Sharpe Pritchard LLP, where he spearheads the water, infrastructure, and energy team with a focus on regulated and net zero projects. Leveraging his extensive experience, he provides expert advice to investors, utilities, and government entities on complex projects across the nuclear and water sectors. He is particularly skilled in regulated asset base delivery models and regulated electricity projects, power purchase agreements, and various energy solutions, including solar PV, nuclear power, offshore wind, and hydrogen. Regulators and central government bodies including Ofwat, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Business and Trade have sought his advice.
Gummer is also the driving force behind the firm’s Green Goals campaign and GreenSteves project, which aim to highlight how public bodies can address the climate crisis and support them in achieving their net zero goals.
Additionally, he is a regular contributor to monthly articles and webinars and supports initiatives such as Net Zero Catapult by providing free advice on energy issues. His frequent speaking engagements cover a range of topics related to energy and sustainability.
Andreas Gunst, co-chair of DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach Rechtsanwälte GmbH’s global climate transition group, has over twenty years of experience advising on renewable energy, biogas, hydrogen, and sustainable aviation fuel-related matters. He is particularly noted for his expertise in greenhouse gas emission reduction projects and has acted for national governments on legislative reforms to implement carbon markets and renewable energy frameworks.
Gunst is also actively engaged in industry associations. He serves as a board member of the Carbon Markets and Investors Association, chairs the legal committee of renewable energy trading and certification organisation RECS International, and is a member of the Voluntary Carbon Markets Advisory Committee, among other affiliations.
ESG expert David Hackett has played a vital role in the establishment of Baker McKenzie’s compliance, environmental, climate and ESG practices. He has extensive experience advising major corporations and nonprofits on compliance, risk, environmental and sustainability matters, including the evaluation and development of effective compliance and sustainability programs. A key client is the UN Global Compact US Board, for whom he handles all legal issues, including advice related to the UNGC ownership role in developing content, standards and programs related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Among his many other NGO board memberships, Hackett is a founding member of the Senior Advisory Board of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Preparer Forum for Sustainability Disclosure and serves as board chair for WBCSD North America. He is involved in current WBCSD projects around ESG governance initiatives, soy sustainability standards, plastics programs and regulation, and sustainable finance, among others.
A frequent speaker on ESG, he has additionally published articles on ESG governance and ESG litigation.
At Gorrissen Federspiel, Christian Halskov Sauer offers standout expertise on the development, financing, commercialisation, and acquisition of wind, solar, biogas, and power-to-X projects.
In a landmark biofuel sector deal, Halskov Sauer is acting for Green2X regarding the development, construction, and offtake agreements of a biomass plant in Vordingborg, which will produce biomethane and carbon dioxide. Within the renewable energy segment, other key clients include leading utility HOFOR, whom Halksov Sauer assists regarding the contracting for its 145 MW+ Fjenneslev solar plant in Sorø municipality.
As head of the firm’s energy group, Halskov Sauer takes on a guiding role as part of its industry engagement, sharing the firm’s knowledge and best practice within associations including Green Power Denmark, the Danish Energy Association, PtX-partnership, and the Biogas Association.
Halskov Sauer regularly shares legal and energy sector expertise with clients and the public, authoring insights including an exploration into state aid matters within the end of Denmark’s open-door offshore regime. A keen thought leader in the space, Halskov Sauer also regularly delivers seminars and trainings on the decarbonisaiton of power systems and industries.
With 25 years’ experience in the field, Stuart Hammer leads Debevoise & Plimpton’s environmental practice. Private equity firms and corporations also seek his advice on ESG issues.
Dedicated to driving change also within the firm, he additionally chairs the firm’s Green Committee, advising on internal sustainability initiatives.
Hammer frequently speaks and writes on environmental- and ESG-related issues. He sat on the steering committee for Cambridge Forums’ inaugural Forum for ESG Legal Leaders in 2022 and again in 2023, where he has led many discussions on topics ranging from working with ESG consultants to the politicization of ESG, and ESG challenges and opportunities for private equity firms.
CMS’ head of energy & climate change Munir Hassan is a specialist advisor on low-carbon and renewable energy projects and transactions, assisting across M&A, financings, project development, regulatory issues, and disputes. He brings familiarity across all technology segments and is particularly active in the offshore and onshore wind, solar, and biomass project segments.
Hassan is a thought leader on legal and policy reforms concerning the UK grid connection process and electricity market operation and was a lead author of the firm’s global guide on the renewable energy market. Helping build internal knowledge on emerging green topics, he spoke at the firm’s global partner summit on the role of AI within the climate crisis.
A highly sought-after advisor on sustainability topics, Hassan co-led the firm’s pro bono legal support for the COP28 summit, assisting the conference to launch partnerships and intergovernmental collaborations on sustainable finance, corporate, IP, and reputational matters. He also facilitated the Energy Leaders’ Roundtable Dinner at COP28, sparking an industry discussion across funding, reskilling, the role of data, and the necessity of consumer engagement in the energy transition.
Heading the ESG and compliance offering at Arntzen de Besche, Sarah Haugvad Andresen assists domestic and international clients in navigating the emerging sustainability regulatory landscape.
Possessing an in-depth knowledge of ESG regulations, Andresen assists in preventative compliance, project coordination, and policy development matters which help clients meet EU regulation including the SFDR and Taxonomy, CSRD, and EUDR. Andresen is a notable thought leader in this space, regularly conducting seminars and workshops focused on greenwashing, the Transparency Act, and CSDDD.
Passionate about building future sustainability expertise, Andresen is the co-founder and vice-chair of the Youth in Sustainability network, within which she delivers keynote speeches on topics including regulatory frameworks and greenwashing, and leads consultation initiatives on ESG regulations. As part of the organisation, Andresen is leading a working group in developing a consultation response to the government proposal to set Norway’s 2035 climate targets in law.
Andresen also plays a key role within Skift – Climate Business Leaders, leading the network in education concerning green purchasing and compliance, due diligence assessments, and sustainability regulations and best practices.
Applying over 30 years of experience in assisting clients across a range of sectors with corporate and governance matters related to their operations in Mexico and Latin America, Yves Hayaux du Tilly leads Nader, Hayaux & Goebel’s sustainable transition working group, advising clients and boards of directors on the best ways to assess their ESG impact, manage climate emergency risks and transition into a sustainable economy from a governance, regulatory and compliance standpoint.
Hayaux du Tilly’s commitment to driving sustainability and the green transition reaches beyond his client work: He is a member of Chapter Zero UK (the Director’s Climate Forum), led efforts to launch Chapter Zero Mexico and now co-chairs its executive committee, and is an active member of the Governing Board of the Climate Governance Initiative.
He is also a recognised figure in the thought leadership space, having published and spoken about issues ranging from implementing effective corporate climate governance to the importance of nature connection for business, and ESG controversies in Mexico.
Playing a key role within Castrén & Snellman’s ESG and corporate sustainability team, Lia Heasman is a highly sought-after advisor across the sustainability and human rights landscape. Alongside a key focus on ESG risk identification and management, Heasman brings particular knowledge on how to leverage pressing and business-critical ESG trends to create value for stakeholders, particularly within M&A processes. In this space, Heasman counts major corporates, funds, and private equity players among her clients.
Heasman is a key contact for clients seeking to best meet the fast-moving ESG regulatory landscape, offering incisive expertise on the development of ESG strategies, navigation of sustainability reporting requirements, and conducting of supply chain risk assessments.
Building upon a long history of academic thought leadership on corporate responsibility, Heasman recently co-authored a Helsinki Law Review article on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. Elsewhere in the due diligence space, Heasman spoke at the Wind Finland event on the impact of European ESG regulation on the sector. Heasman has also conducted classes at the University of Helsinki on corporate sustainability and human rights.
