Mark Appelbaum Email & Phone Number

Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, De

Providing legal guidance and counsel to the Purchasing group function for North America, covering the entire range of procurement activities, valued in excess of $4BN annually — including raw materials, supply chain, manufacturing, packaging, construction, leasing, marketing & advertising, IT & SaaS, and HR & benefits.

Köln, De

Reporting to General Counsel; legal resource to 5 of 11 business segments (top profitability and growth businesses).• Lead Attorney on two strategic divestitures, collaborating with top M&A Attorney in German Headquarters on one disposition; negotiated and drafted complex sales agreements and ancillary documents. • Provided legal guidance for fifty critical supply contracts with combined value in excess of $250M; negotiated the terms of four global framework agreements with the world’s leading petrochemical companies. • Shepherded the complex merger of two stand-alone operating companies into parent company, collaborating across multiple disciplines including finance, tax, IT, operations, supply chain, human resources and treasury.• Trusted advisor to Senior Leadership in dispute resolutions with suppliers and customers, resolving all disputes pre-litigation through expert negotiations of commercial settlements. • Reviewed and investigated thirty employment claims and adverse employment actions with an aptitude to ensure legal compliance and avoiding all possible litigation.

Reported to CFO; managed $1.5M legal budget; legal resource to 13 business segments, 4 direct reports, Member of Executive Internal Audit and Compliance Team • Initiated a $500K annual reduction in external legal spend and implemented a cost savings and risk appreciation process by properly allocating non-ordinary course legal spend across 13 commercial business units.• Closed 14 large M&A acquisitions valued at $500M-$1B, enhancing company’s primarily businesses, working closely with legal staff to draft definitive agreements on all mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. • Implemented pragmatic legal strategies to achieve business goals while minimizing litigation expenses, fines and settlements over 15 years to under $200k due to implementing controls on sales/purchase and administrative activities.• Avoided catastrophic economic loss and oversaw the legal consummation of a critical $250M-$500M acquisition by defending and resolving legacy mass tort litigation involving over 1,500 plaintiffs with near-zero outside legal spend and without necessitating any settlement payments. • Key attorney collaborating with external counsel successfully leading the sale of Muehlstein Holding Corporation to Ravago Holdings America in the range of $250M-$500M. • Presided over 2500+ contracts, $1B+ revenue by providing corporate and transactional legal advice, drafting and negotiating all agreements with customers, logistic providers, e-commerce and technology providers and other suppliers and vendors, including non-disclosure, confidentiality (DNA), non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, employee severance, consulting and agency arrangements.• Managed 400,000+ sq ft. commercial real estate leasing portfolio, engaged in lease negotiations with brokers and landlords, acting as lead attorney. • Orchestrated successfully complex international transactions, conforming to local rules of law across Asia-Pacific, Latin American, Mexico and Canada.

Reported to Chairman/CEO and President; general corporate legal advisor to executive leadership and commercial divisions, drafting and negotiating commercial, supply chain and logistics, real estate, and labor agreements.

Jd

Bs - Business Economics