VP Legal & Transformation Program Leader
ABB
Germany
“A great General Counsel enables fast business decision-making while steering a legal team that is human-led and, increasingly, technology-enabled.”
GC Elite Leader Germany 2026
Manuel is a senior legal and business strategist with more than 20 years of in-house experience operating at the intersection of strategy, risk, and execution in global industrial, technology, and infrastructure organisations. He is currently transitioning from his role as VP & Division Lead Counsel for ABB Motion Services to leading the digital transformation for ABB’s Legal & Integrity team, a group of 450+ professionals globally.
Manuel operates from the Frankfurt, Germany, area, where he was a core member of the business leadership team, building a high-impact function that actively supports strategic decision-making, thoughtful legal risk management, and business growth.
Previously, Manuel held senior leadership roles at TE Connectivity, Dematic (KION Group), Univers, and Bilfinger, advising multibillion-dollar global businesses across automation, software, connectivity technology, and infrastructure. His experience spans M&A, portfolio optimisation, regulatory and product compliance, ESG implementation, global trade, and complex international governance structures.
Known for translating complexity into clear strategic choices, Manuel partners closely with executive teams to align legal, risk, and compliance frameworks with commercial objectives.
As speaker and panellist at various conferences, he brings a pragmatic, leadership-level perspective on strategy execution, risk-informed decision-making, and how organisations can turn governance and compliance into a competitive advantage.
Qualified as an attorney in Germany, he attended law schools in Germany, Switzerland, and Canada, where he obtained his J.D. (University of Konstanz, 2001) and LL.M. (University of Toronto, 2004).