Helen Gornall

Counsel at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek

Speaker

Helen has extensive experience in all aspects of competition law, including merger control, cartels, dominance, vertical restraints and state aid. Helen joined De Brauw in September 2018, moving from her position as Director Competition Law at Akzo Nobel NV to align with the departure of Martijn Snoep (now chairman of the Dutch competition authority). Her clients include various multi-national corporations looking for cross-border competition law support, including DSM, Signify, DAF, Fugro, AkzoNobel, and Celanese. Helen regularly advises Takeaway.com and was lead competition counsel in relation to their acquisition of Delivery Hero in Germany and the merger with Just Eat, announced in August.

During her time at AkzoNobel, Helen was responsible for competition law and merger control matters globally across all decorative paints and performance coatings businesses. She advised Akzo Nobel on antitrust aspects of PPG's takeover bid in 2017 and on the sale of the Specialty Chemicals business to Carlyle in 2018.

From February 2002 to December 2014, Helen spent 12 years advising clients in the area of competition law at two international law firms, (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Clifford Chance) in London/Brussels and Amsterdam respectively. She has worked extensively with economists across a range of matters including Pfizer/Wyeth and Staples/Office Depot mergers and several behaviour matters including Pfizer/Flynn excessive pricing investigation and Tomra abuse of dominance appeal.

In 2007/2008 Helen was seconded to the antitrust team at Philips where she advised the healthcare, consumer lifestyle and lighting divisions on all aspects of competition law.

Helen is dual registered as a Solicitor (Law Society of England & Wales) and as an Advocaat (Member of the Dutch Bar). Helen splits her time between De Brauw's Amsterdam and Brussels offices.