The newly created Consumer Products and Services group focuses on providing comprehensive legal advice to clients in the retail, consumer goods, luxury, food and beverage, and hospitality and leisure sectors. The new leaders bring complementary skills and experience and different perspectives on the complex needs of operators in the sector.
Nieves Briz is a partner in the firm’s Corporate and M&A department and head of Dentons’ Barcelona office. She has more than 30 years of experience advising clients on M&A transactions, as well as on corporate governance and compliance issues. She has worked extensively with clients in the consumer goods, retail and hospitality sectors.
She will be joined by Babette Marzheuser-Wood, who is recognised as one of the world’s leading franchise lawyers, to lead the group in Europe. She has advised retailers, fashion and luxury brands, hotels, and restaurant groups in more than 100 countries on the strategic use of licensing and franchising structures to grow and expand their businesses in the global marketplace. She assumes this new leadership role in addition to her role as CEO of Dentons Franchise Advisory.
Wendela Raas is a partner in Dentons’ real estate practice in Amsterdam. In addition to her new role as head of the global Consumer Products and Services group, she is also a member of the Dentons Global Board. She advises hotels, retailers, and institutional investors on commercial leasing, transactions, and litigation, including landmark cases before the Dutch Supreme Court.
“The retail and consumer sector is in a state of disruption stemming from consumer demand, supply chain challenges, and, of course, online retail and digitalisation,” asserted Nieves Briz. “Our focus in Europe will be to bring quality solutions to help customers respond to these challenges,” she added.
Babette Marzheuser-Wood said: “Clients in the consumer products and services sector also need innovative strategies to help them globalise their business, protect their know-how and intellectual property, and ensure compliance in an increasingly complex regulatory environment. Dentons has a strong track record of helping clients with these challenges.
Finally, Wendela Raas said: “Dentons works with many of the world’s leading consumer brands. In my new global role, I will focus on working with our teams around the world to strengthen those client relationships, while enhancing and innovating our global service offerings to address the evolving needs of the consumer products and services industry.”
