At the end of 2023, Frederik Born took over as head of HELLA's legal department. The lawyer brings a lot of experience from companies and large law firms. Which "paragraphs" are important to him personally and why, he reveals here.

Tuesday 2024-02-20

§ 0 Constituent Facts

• Dr. Frederik Born
• 43 years old
• Married, 2 sons (10 and 7 years old)
• Place of residents: Lippstadt und Düsseldorf
• Since November 2023 General Counsel of HELLA at the Lippstadt site as successor to Detlev Bökenkamp
• Studied law in Bonn, Lausanne, Beijing, Singapore and Sydney
• Professional positions in various large law firms and companies, most recently as General Counsel of the railway technology group Vossloh AG
• Hobbies: travelling, golfing, surfing, mountain biking

§ 1 Nothing beats a broad education

"I decided early on that I wanted to pursue a career in law. It was important to me to have a broad, well-founded education. That's why I studied at different universities. At my home university in Bonn, I studied German law with a focus on business law. During various stays abroad in Lausanne, Beijing, Singapore and Sydney, I expanded my expertise to include international law and tax law. After graduating, I first gained experience in large international law firms. I then had the opportunity to work on a number of mandates in companies very close to the client's business. The last mandate showed me how much I enjoy the interdisciplinary cooperation with the various departments in the company. That's why I ultimately decided to 'switch sides of the desk' and work as an in-house lawyer."

§ 2 In-house lawyers have the more exciting job

"As a business lawyer in a law firm, you are a specialist in a field, for example mergers and acquisitions or joint ventures. You usually only get to know a section of the company on the client side. In the long run, this was too one-sided for me. Working in a company offers more variety because you have to deal with contacts from a wide variety of departments. As an in-house lawyer, you are closely involved in the business, can promote the company's interests and make decisions. Above all, however, you accompany topics from beginning to end. The legal department is responsible for ensuring that everything is correct from a legal point of view and that the company offers little scope for legal attack. Or you can use the legal toolbox to enforce the company's interests. Example: the annual general meeting. Here we are called upon in advance to ensure that resolutions of the Annual General Meeting cannot be challenged. Legal questions even extend to whether speeches should be broadcast to the toilet."

§ 3 HELLA offers a great working environment

"Even before I started, I was familiar with HELLA and the legal team. It enjoys an excellent reputation in the market. When I was faced with the decision to move to HELLA, I was immediately advised to do so by many people: Many emphasized that the atmosphere throughout the company is exceptionally good because of the people. I can already confirm this impression and I am happy to have found it so well. Because in the end, every new company is a "black box". Personally, I was attracted by other aspects too. In addition to the exciting corporate law environment and the stock market listing, these were above all the products. HELLA has inspiring and future-proof products. They quickly inspire and you come into contact with them in everyday life. When it comes to lighting, it's both technology and aesthetics. In addition, as a technology pioneer, HELLA is absolutely in the top league!"

§ 4 Once made, statements are binding

"I am committed. I stand by my statements and promises. In my day-to-day cooperation, you don't need any written assurance. And I demand the same from others. It is also important to me to promote entrepreneurial decisions and not to prevent them."

§ 5 Transparency and integrity are the basis of cooperation

"It's important to me to work in a content-driven manner, not to act politically and to be able to rely on each other one hundred percent in the team and beyond. I want the same from my colleagues."

§ 6 Free time belongs to the family

"Because I work a lot, I try to use my free time intensively with my wife and two children as well as friends. Preferably with all of them at the same time. We like to play golf together or go mountain biking."

§ 7 Travel broadens horizons

"I've always loved to travel. I have traveled a lot with my wife. She was born and raised in China, so today we set off for Asia together with the children at least every two years. Our most intense time traveling together was in the first year after our eldest was born. Back then, we used our parental leave to travel a lot. My father said that our little one had flown as much in his first year of life as he had in his entire life. But once a year, it's also important for me to take a vacation where I'm familiar with the place and can start relaxing on day one."