CompLaw: Merger Control is an annual conference organized by Informa Connect, focusing on the latest developments and strategies in global merger control. The event brings together regulators, in-house counsel, and legal experts to discuss practical implications of merger control policies and case law.
Key topics covered include EU merger control enforcement, global merger control trends in the US, EU, and UK, below-threshold mergers, digital markets, AI partnerships, and the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR). Sessions feature insights from European Commission representatives, national competition authorities, and leading private practice lawyers.
The conference offers extensive networking opportunities, including dedicated sessions, coffee breaks, and an informal drinks reception. Attendees can connect with peers, industry leaders, and experts to discuss challenges and strategies in multijurisdictional transactions.
This event is ideal for in-house counsel, regulators, private practice lawyers, and competition economists seeking to stay informed on merger control developments and enhance their global transaction strategies.
Speakers(33)
Alexis Walckiers
Director at E.CA Economics
Alison Berridge
Barrister at Monckton Chambers
Andrew Swan
Vice President at Cornerstone Research
Angélique de Brousse
Head of Competition Law and Policy Group EMEA at Johnson & Johnson
Angélique is Senior Legal Counsel, and Head of the Competition Law and Policy Group for EMEA at Johnson&Johnson, which she joined in 2019 and where she works with businesses and lawyers in the pharma, medical devices and consumer goods sectors. She is responsible for all antitrust-related aspects, incl. mergers and divestitures, investigations, litigation, counselling, compliance and training. Prior to that, Angelique was Counsel at Freshfields, based initially in Paris and then Brussels. She is also a founding and board member of Women@CompetitionFrance as well as a founder and vice president of l'Entente, the association of French competition law practitioners based in Brussels.
Aura García Pabón
Competition Expert at OECD
Aura Garcia Pabon works as a Competition Expert at the OECD. She is an economist from the Universidad del Rosario in Colombia with a MSc in economics, competition and regulation from Tilburg University. At the OECD, she is in charge of the Competition Trends report, works in research of topics related to merger control and the relationship between competition and innovation, and is part of the team reviewing competition law and policy of candidate countries to the Organisation. Prior to joining the OECD, she worked for the Colombian Competition Authority, first as an economic analyst and then as an advisor to the Superintendent of Industry and Commerce regarding antitrust investigations and merger reviews.
Beatriz Sanz Fernández-Vega
Director of Competition at Telefónica S.A.
Christopher Faroghi
Member of the Legal Service at European Commission
Céline Darrigade
Head of Antitrust at Thales
Céline is the Head of Antitrust and Regulations at Thales Group, having joined the company in 2014. In this role, she advises the Group on all aspects of competition laws, covering all antitrust-related matters, compliance program, training, as well as litigation. In support of the Group’s M&A activity, she handles not only all merger-control requirements, but also Foreign Direct Investments and Foreign Subsidies Regulation obligations. She has prior in-house experience at Manpower and at the French Autorité de la concurrence. She is also a lecturer in competition law for the ‘Contract Management’ program at the Paris II Panthéon – Assas University.
Damien Gerard
Prosecutor General at Belgian Competition Authority
David Dauchez
Counsel - Antitrust & Competition at Uber
Davina Garrod
Partner at Akin
Davina Garrod leads Akin Gump’s International Competition Group. Davina is recognized by The Legal 500 for her “encyclopedic understanding of competition and merger control laws” and her “in-depth understanding of the regulatory landscape in markets.” With more than 27 years’ experience, in addition to conducting multijurisdictional merger control analyses, navigating and obtaining antitrust and regulatory approvals for complex transactions within and outside of the EU, and negotiating remedies packages, Davina advises multinationals, corporates, technology platforms and trade associations on mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances and restructurings, as well as representing leading sovereign wealth funds, private equity (PE) firms, global institutional asset managers and banks in the context of their strategic and financial investments (transactional and contentious). Davina is also recognized as Leading Foreign Investment lawyer for her representations in complex national security investigations in the UK and EU, including the first retroactive call-in under the UK National Security & Investment Act (NSIA), the first NSIA Judicial Review and high-profile FDI mitigation cases in various jurisdictions, including the UK, Germany, France and Italy. Davina’s practice extends to behavioural, EU FSR and State aid investigations, together with counselling and litigation, for clients across sectors, including technology/AI, energy, retail, life sciences, construction and aviation. London based, Davina has also worked in Washington, D.C. and Brussels.
Dirk Auer
Director of Competition Policy at International Center for Law & Economics
Dr Ingo Brinker
Partner at White & Case LLP
Ingo Brinker is a partner in the White & Case global Antitrust practice, based in Düsseldorf. He advises clients on German and European antitrust law, in particular in connection with merger control, investigations and litigation, often in dominance and unilateral conduct matters in the digital sector. He has led numerous important cases before the Federal Cartel Office and the European Commission as well as before the European General Court/European Court of Justice and the German antitrust courts. Ingo is a member of various associations, including Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht (Chairman), the American Bar Association, the International Bar Association and the Society of European Law (Board Member). He is co-publisher of Neue Zeitschrift für Kartellrecht (NZKart) and co-editor of Europarecht (EuR). He regularly publishes on antitrust issues and European law, while also co-authoring the commentary on EU antitrust law (Beck'sche Gelbe Reihe, 4th edition 2023). As a Non-Governmental Advisor (NGA) to the Bundeskartellamt, he has participated in numerous annual conferences of the International Competition Network (ICN), most recently in ICN 25 in Edinburgh, and has contributed to various ICN Working Groups. Ingo is recognized in the "Hall of Fame" of Antitrust lawyers by Legal 500 and as a Global Thought Leader (Antitrust) by Who’s Who Legal / Lexology, as Legal Allstar (Competition) by Wirtschaftswoche, and received Tier 1 rankings by Chambers, GCR, JuVe, Best Lawyers and others.
Fernando Íscar Rüland
Senior Counsel at Thyssenkrupp
Franziska Blaschko
Senior Counsel Competition at Siemens
Georgios Yannouchos
Counsel at Clifford Chance
Guillaume Loriot
Deputy Director General, Mergers, DG Comp at European Commission
Gönenç Gürkaynak
Founding Partner at ELIG Gürkaynak Attorneys-at-Law
Hadrien Jolivet
Senior Legal Counsel - Competition Law at EssilorLuxottica
Irina Trichkovska
Counsel at White & Case LLP
Jörn Eickhoff
Senior Counsel at Siemens Energy
Jörn Eickhoff is Senior Counsel in the legal department of Siemens Energy. Jörn is part of the competition law group based in Munich, Germany, advising Siemens AG and its group companies in the field of domestic, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional merger control as well as on all other areas of antitrust and competition law in the context of M&A transactions, business transactions (including distribution, licensing, R&D and other cooperation agreements) and compliance-related matters and corporate governance issues. Most recently, Jörn worked on the merger control aspects of the proposed combination of Siemens’ Mobility business and Alstom S.A. Before joining Siemens, Jörn was an associate at Clifford Chance in Düsseldorf, Germany, with a focus on antitrust and competition, state aid and general EU law. Jörn studied law at Universität Trier, Germany, Université de Liège, Belgium, and University of London/University College London, UK. Jörn is a member of Studienvereinigung Kartellrecht e.V. and Münchner Kartellrechtsforum e.V. Furthermore, Jörn is the Chairman of the Competition Working Group of Businesseurope.
Katarzyna Czapracka
Partner at White & Case LLP
Marc Zedler
Deputy Head of Unit, DG Competition at European Commission
Marc Zedler is the deputy head of DG COMP’s merger unit dealing with transaction in the IT, telecommunication and media sectors. Previously he had worked in DG COMP’s merger policy and case support unit. Before he joined the European Commission, he was a Senior Associate in a leading law firm in Germany. He studied law in Germany, acquired a PhD in Munich and an LL.M. in Georgetown, Washington DC.
Matteo Foschi
Vice President at Charles River Associates
Mattijs Bosch
Senior Legal Counsel - Competition Law & Policy at A.P. Moller-Maersk
Melina Pappa
Director Competition Policy at Liberty Global
Nick Woodrow
Former Group Legal Director - Competition Law and Financial Crime at Vodafone
Nicolas Joncheray
Deputy Head, Merger Unit at Autorité de la concurrence
Remko Bos
Director Competition at Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM)
Mr. Bos, M.Sc. in economics, has been director of ACM’s Competition Department since October 2023. Prior to that, he was director of ACM’s Energy Department between 2013 and 2023. He also held various positions at the Netherlands Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority (OPTA) between 2005 and 2013: first, as head of the Markets Department, and then as head of the Consumers, Numbers and Chair’s Office Department. He had previously worked at, among other organizations, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Netherlands Competition Authority (NMa).
Sanna Syrjälä
Head of Unit, Merger Control at Finnish Competition Authority
Sanna Syrjälä is Head of Unit at the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA). Sanna is currently in charge of merger control at the Authority. She has extensive experience in advising and leading projects across various fields of competition law matters at the FCCA, including merger investigations, antitrust and cartel enforcement as well as court proceedings. Sanna holds an LL.M degree from the University of Helsinki and an MA degree in Economics for Competition Law from Kings´ College London.
Sergio Sinovas Caballero
Head of the Industry and Energy Unit, Competition Directorate at Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC)
Sheila Adams James
Partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell
Strati Sakellariou-Witt
Partner at White & Case LLP
Event Details
- Date
- October 1-2, 2026
- 2 days
- Location
- 🇧🇪 Brussels, Belgium
- Brussels
- Audience
- In-house counsel, regulators, private practice lawyers, competition economists
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