Marieke Plaisier

Company: Hogan Lovells
Job Description: Associate
Age: 31
Years of working experience in M&A: 6
 

Bio
Marieke holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in Law and Business from Utrecht University (2014-2016) and an additional LLM in Financial Law from Erasmus School of Law (2016-2017). She also spent a year studying at The University of Sheffield (2013-2014) and earned her Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Utrecht University (2012-2014).

Marieke has been with Hogan Lovells for over six years, where she started as a working student in 2018. She later advanced to Junior Associate in Corporate M&A and has served as an Associate in Corporate M&A since December 2021. In her role, Marieke focuses on corporate transactions and mergers & acquisitions, based in Amsterdam.

What are the specialties of this talent?
Marieke is a very talented transactional lawyer, known for her proactive attitude, sharp legal insight and dedication. She advises on various aspects of corporate law, focusing on cross border M&A and ECM transactions, reorganizations and investment screening matters.

Marieke is not scared to venture off the beaten path, and does so with confidence. Her talents, analytical excellence and enthusiasm especially unveil when she works on transactions with a high degree of complexity – whether that is caused by a complex transaction structure, the involvement and management of dozens of jurisdictions or pioneering in rapidly developing legal areas such as investment screening in the Netherlands as well as de-SPACs. She fully represents our firm’s values as a precise, dynamic and authentic lawyer, and leads by example for her peers and more junior associates.

Marieke has been closely involved in many complex cross-border transactions over the past six years, including advising:

• IBM on the global separation and reorganization of Kyndryl Holdings, Inc., its managed infrastructure services business, prior to the spin-off of Kyndryl into a separate publicly traded company, as well as various other M&A transactions
• Endemol Shine Group on the €2bn+ sale by The Walt Disney Company and funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. to Banijay Group
• EFIC1, a Euronext Amsterdam listed SPAC, on its business combination with digital entertainment and media company Azerion at an enterprise value of EUR 1.3 bn
• com and Vela Software on the acquisition of the Geosoftware Business of CGG S.A. in 10+ jurisdictions
• Tikehau Capital, a global alternative asset manager with a listing on Euronext Paris, on its acquisition of a majority stake in CReators of the Outside WorlD (CROWD), a pan-European leading provider of cycling infrastructure and sustainable street furniture, from i.a. Convent Capital
• Maguar Capital, a German sector-specific tech PE investor, on its investment in and strategic partnership with Effectory B.V., a SaaS provider of employee listening tools
• Hivest Capital Partners, an independent European private equity firm, on the acquisition of certain business units which design, produce and sell unit load devices (ULD) and trolleys for the aviation industry from Safran

Since the entry into force of the investment screening regimes under the Telecoms Act and the Dutch Investments, Mergers and Acquisitions Security Screening Act (Wet Veiligheidstoets investeringen fusies en overnames, the “Vifo Act”), Marieke regularly advises various clients in respect of Dutch investment screening laws and related filings, and has successfully obtained the relevant clearances on our client’s behalf.

How does the talent distinguish itself from its peers?
Marieke has strong analytical and project management skills, eye for detail, clear and effective communication skills, in combination with a pragmatic and solution-driven mentality. Marieke’s enthusiasm, dedication, knowledge and hands-on mindset easily earns the partner’s as well as the client’s trust, allowing her to take the lead in various (aspects of) transactions. As a result, she performs well beyond her actual years of experience.

Not only does Marieke have a strong track record and wide range of experience in cross-border M&A transactions, she further distinguishes herself by successfully engaging in various emerging legal fields. This adaptability allows her to navigate unfamiliar challenges with determination, ensuring she stays ahead of the curve and delivers results. Her swift learning capability makes her an invaluable asset in dynamic and complex legal environments. These are highly important skills for an ambitious lawyer like Marieke.

Marieke embraces opportunities to pioneer in rapidly developing legal areas. One example hereof, is the role she created for herself as the point person in our Amsterdam office for the Dutch investment screening practice. In this role, she offers pragmatic advice to clients, raises awareness for this topic within the firm internationally as well as with clients and trains junior associates in respect of this new area of law. Investment screening has increasingly gained importance in M&A transactions with a Dutch angle in the past few years, especially since the Vifo Act came into force in 2023. Marieke excelled in this developing area of law through self-education, building relationships with the new supervising authority and making effective use of the international investment screening expertise within our Hogan Lovells network.

Another example is her experience in advising on various de-SPAC transactions. She has also co-authored on an article “De klok tikt voor SPACs” that was published in Tijdschrift Financieel Recht in de Praktijk.

What impact does the talent have within the organization?
As a home-grown Hogan Lovells talent with extensive experience with cross-border transactions, Marieke has developed a stellar network within Hogan Lovells for someone with her level of experience. She is the go-to person for other associates within her team for international referral contacts, demonstrating her ability to make meaningful connections with her drive, enthusiasm and empathy.

Marieke plays a pivotal role in the education and development of student trainees and junior associates within our team. She not only manages the hiring process and the supervision of student trainees in our M&A team, but is also generous with her time and sharing expertise when mentoring student trainees and junior associates and providing hands-on guidance in relation to work-related matters and beyond. Her approachable nature and clear communication style foster a supportive learning environment where students and junior associates feel encouraged to ask questions and grow. By sharing her (legal) insights and best practices in an approachable and informal manner, Marieke helps cultivate the next generation of skilled, confident lawyers in the firm.

Her aforementioned qualities have not gone unnoticed, as Marieke has been selected to participate in this years’ cohort of Hogan Lovells’ global development programme for a select group of mid-level women associates from across Hogan Lovells’ Corporate and Finance practice groups who have demonstrated a commitment to their practice and who have been well regarded by their clients and team members and seen as performing at a high level. This programme is aimed at supporting talented and high-performing associates in the development of a successful career strategy. Marieke is excited to bring learnings from this programme  into practice and share her experiences with other (female) associates.

What impact does the talent have outside the organization?
Marieke’s impact extends well beyond Hogan Lovells through her active involvement in client trainings and thought leadership. She is (co-)writes insightful articles and gives external presentations on emerging trends such as investment screening and during the height of SPACS, de-SPAC transactions.

She furthermore regularly participates in Hogan Lovells’ citizenship and pro bono programmes, which are part of Hogan Lovells’ strategic priorities on responsible business, for example by educating high school students on the various career opportunities within a law firm and visiting schools to raise awareness regarding the United Nations sustainability goals.

To what extent does the talent makes the difference to clients?
Marieke definitely has what it takes to get deals over the finish line, with her grounded presence, strong problem solving and project management skills and can-do mentality.

She possesses an understanding of client’s needs beyond the legal necessities and risks, and is able to skillfully navigate the waters of a transaction. While doing that, she is very proactive, pragmatic and organized, ensuring that the client and the team feels that she is fully in control. Her thoroughness and effective communication style leave clients completely confident that their interests are being looked after.

Why does the talent deserves this nomination?
Marieke deserves this nomination because she is an exceptionally talented young M&A lawyer, not only due to her legal expertise, skills and capabilities, but also for her continuous commitment to personal and professional growth. She consistently strives to improve herself and shows dedication beyond just achieving professional results.

Marieke actively builds relationships with clients and peers, understanding that being successful as a lawyer goes hand-in-hand with trust, collaboration and a shared commitment to excellence.

This makes her perform well beyond her actual years of experience and an invaluable asset to our M&A team at Hogan Lovells.

Any references or recommendations from clients or (colleagues)?
Lead legal counsel M&A Europe at one of our global clients said: “I would like to specially thank YOU for your dedication, endurance, timely, speedy and first class support. I felt that you were always in control of things, unagitatedly ploughing through the various issues and challenges, laser-focused on our joint goal, and delivering your support in a highly professional, and at the same time empathetic, way. This is a special and powerful combination that you brilliantly demonstrated throughout the deal, and I wanted you to know that this did not go unnoticed.”.

Other clients said: “Marieke is a very bright associate who performed consistently way above the level one would expect at that stage – she will get far in the profession if she wishes to” and “Marieke’s support was always very helpful and critical.”.