Firm news | May 29, 2020

Roschier’s EU & Competition practice looks to the future

Long-time partner Christian Wik assumes the role of Senior Advisor at Roschier on 1 June 2020.

We are happy to announce that Christian Wik will continue in our EU & Competition practice in a new role as Senior Advisor, starting 1 June 2020. Having launched the EU & Competition practice at Roschier more than 25 years ago, Christian steps down from the partnership at the end of May as planned, but has agreed to continue to support the firm and the EU & Competition practice as Senior Advisor. This marks the extension of a 34-year career with the firm and secures the continuity of culture and experience.

For our Tier 1 ranked cross-border EU & Competition practice, this means that Ami Paanajärvi in Helsinki and Kristian Hugmark in Stockholm will continue to lead the local teams and act as co-heads supported by and in close cooperation with Christian Wik, who will continue to lend his expertise to develop the practice in both Sweden and Finland.

The EU & Competition team consists of 15 professionals in two locations and has consistently been top-ranked in leading directories, such as Chambers, The Legal 500 and WWL, whilst being recognized in GCR 100 since  the start of its listing of the 100 top competition practices worldwide. The evolution of the practice’s leadership will solidify and contribute to the strong future of the team, ensuring broad resources, unrivaled experience and the ability to take on work of the highest complexity, as well as assist our clients in important matters concerning competition, merger control, procurement, state aid, FDI and other related matters.

“For me, it is very important to contribute to the legacy of our EU & Competition practice, having founded the group around the time competition law was introduced in Finland in 1992 and having seen Finland and Sweden join the EU in 1995,” Christian Wik says, and continues: “It feels right to stay on in this new capacity to support the EU & Competition team and the firm, particularly in these unprecedented times of the  COVID-19 pandemic. Roschier has always aspired to be our clients’ trusted advisor when it matters, and we believe that everything will matter, particularly in the near future, be it transactions, investigations or enforcement proceedings for which we, as a large cross-border team, will be ready to serve our clients, in Finland and Sweden as well as on the EU level. Ami and Kristian are the perfect co-heads of our practice and I’m glad to take the next steps of my career with them and the whole team.”

“I could not be prouder of our team, and I am delighted to continue to work together with Kristian in further building our Nordic and EU footprint. Having been hired into the team by Christian more than 14 years ago, I’m beyond happy that he has decided to continue the journey with us as Senior Advisor. Having access to his experience is great news for our team and our clients,” Ami Paanajärvi continues.

“No other Nordic firm has established a top-tier competition practice in two countries. Keeping Christian on board amplifies our continued growth. You couldn’t find a finer competition lawyer and a more solid bridge between our cross-border practices,” Kristian Hugmark adds.