Steffen Heller - Interim (General) Legal & Compliance Counsel (formerly: Head of Legal Department, In-house Counsel, Authorized Signatory)

Q: Where is Steffen based?

Steffen is based in Fischbachtal, Germany and can operate in on-site , hybrid , and remote work models.

Q: What languages does Steffen speak?

Steffen speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does Steffen have?

Steffen has at least 20 years of experience. During this time, Steffen has worked in at least 11 different roles and for 11 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 9 months . Note that Steffen may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Steffen's latest experience?

Steffen's most recent position is Head of Legal Department, In-house Counsel, Authorized Signatory at Tele Columbus Betriebs GmbH .

Q: What companies has Steffen worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Steffen has worked for Legal Interim .

Q: Which industries is Steffen most experienced in?

Steffen is most experienced in industries like Telecommunication , Chemical , and Energy . Steffen also has some experience in Manufacturing , Metals and Mining , Media, and Entertainment and Publishing .

Q: Which business areas is Steffen most experienced in?

Steffen is most experienced in business areas like Legal and Compliance and Project Management .

Q: Which industries has Steffen worked in recently?

Steffen has recently worked in industries like Chemical , Energy , and Manufacturing .

Q: Which business areas has Steffen worked in recently?

Steffen has recently worked in business areas like Legal and Compliance .

Recommended expert

Fischbachtal, Germany

Experience

Mar 2019 - Dec 2020

1 year 10 months

Berlin, Germany

Head of Legal Department, In-house Counsel, Authorized Signatory

Tele Columbus Betriebs GmbH

Comprehensive legal advice to the Management Board of Tele Columbus AG as well as to the management and specialist departments of the affiliated subsidiaries within the group
Overall coordination and implementation of all legal matters across the entire corporate network, especially project management of complex ventures, transactions and legal transactions
Final legal responsibility for all contracts and legal measures of any kind and their legal approval
Content-related, disciplinary and personnel management of the legal department and leadership and motivation of direct reports (12 employees)
Management of the department, reform and digitalization of work processes
Analysis, review and handling of legal issues, especially in civil law with a focus on media and copyright law (e.g., feed-in and signal supply agreements, content acquisition for linear and non-linear distribution), as well as IT law (SaaS, development, hosting, cloud)
Legal responsibility for corporate restructurings and reorganizations
Project responsibility for digitalization and transformation of the legal department
Drafting and reviewing contracts of all kinds and leading contract negotiations with contracting parties and authorities
Preparation and support of M&A transactions, corporate notarizations, and legal advice and support for the execution and later implementation of the respective contractual documents
Management and coordination of legal disputes, correspondence with courts and regulatory authorities (e.g., Federal Network Agency, State Media Authorities, BaFin)
Coordination and management of external lawyers and notaries
Budget responsibility

Jun 2011 - Feb 2019

7 years 9 months

Munich, Germany

Attorney at Law - Legal & Business Affairs

Tele München Fernseh GmbH + Co. Produktionsgesellschaft

Legal drafting, especially contract and settlement negotiations as well as drafting of license and distribution agreements with a focus on intellectual property and copyright law
Drafting and negotiation of production agreements for audiovisual media at all stages (development, cooperation and financing agreements)
Legal advice and independent analysis of all company-relevant legal questions in all legal areas
Advice and decision-making in connection with complex structured finance transaction models (e.g., project financing in the form of loan financing and loan security as well as government grants)
Management and handling of corporate law matters and formalities for all companies in the corporate group
Legal mediation by preparing and presenting abstract regulatory complexes in all legal areas (including compliance, staff trainings)
Supervision, support and management of external legal advisors and notaries
Media policy advice and participation in working groups of industry associations

Apr 2008 - May 2011

3 years 2 months

Munich, Germany

Attorney at Law – General Legal Counsel German-speaking Territories

NBC Universal Global Networks Deutschland GmbH

Negotiation and drafting of all types of contracts, especially license acquisitions as well as broadcast and distribution agreements nationally and internationally
Legal advice and provision of legal guidance to all departments of the company
Handling legal inquiries, conducting staff trainings, providing compliance guidelines, corporate governance and codes of conduct
Support and handling of all corporate law matters and formalities
Legal support for group mergers and acquisitions (M&A)
Supervision, support and management of external legal advisors and notaries
Project coordination and handling of competition and antitrust inquiries at national and European levels
Media policy speaker and participation and representation in working groups of industry associations
Member of the international legal working groups of NBC Universal and General Electric
Direct reporting line to the local management and the European leadership team in London
Company data protection officer

Nov 2007 - Apr 2008

6 months

Munich, Germany

Attorney at Law (Associate) – Copyright Law, Industrial Property Law, IT Law

M Law Group

Aug 2007 - Present

18 years 7 months

Fischbachtal, Germany

Attorney at Law / Legal Interim

Legal Interim

Interim projects since 02/2021: General Counsel at a German petrochemical company (MDAX)
Senior Legal Counsel (project management of post-merger integration) at a US manufacturing electronics company (NYSE)
General Counsel at a fiber optic infrastructure operator
Senior Legal Counsel at a telecommunications company (DAX)
Senior Group Compliance Officer & Corporate Counsel at a German SE in the raw materials sector (MDAX)
Senior Legal Counsel at an energy sector company (TecDax, MDAX)
Senior Legal Counsel at a Spanish telecommunications company (BdM)
Expertise: Civil law, commercial law, copyright law, media law, telemedia law, licensing law, IT law, contract law, industrial property law, corporate law, distribution law, e-commerce, broadcasting law, telecommunications law, legal processing and digitalization of legal departments

Aug 2007 - Apr 2008

9 months

Munich, Germany

Attorney – General Legal Counsel

SPOX Media GmbH

Intellectual Property (IP) and IT law in social media and news, as well as civil law
Setting up and structuring the legal department, establishing workflows, and serving as the central point of contact for all legal matters in the company

Aug 2007 - Nov 2007

4 months

Munich, Germany

Attorney (Associate) – Copyright law, industrial property rights, and IT law

Sasse and Partner Law Firm

Feb 2007 - May 2007

4 months

Geneva, Switzerland

Trainee – In-house / Legal Department

Richemont International SA

Jun 2006 - Sep 2006

4 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Elective internship as part of the legal clerkship

Nörr Stiefenhofer Lutz

Oct 2005 - Feb 2006

5 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Legal internship as part of the legal clerkship

Atrott & Böttcher

Jul 2005 - Oct 2005

4 months

Munich, Germany

Legal internship as part of legal traineeship

Kanzlei Sasse und Partner

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Telecommunication (18.5 years), Chemical (18.5 years), Energy (18.5 years), Manufacturing (18.5 years), Metals and Mining (18.5 years), and Media and Entertainment (11.5 years).

Telecommunication

Chemical

Energy

Manufacturing

Metals and Mining

Media and Entertainment

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Legal (19.5 years) and Project Management (5 years).

Legal

Project Management

Summary

As Interim (General) Legal Counsel and Compliance Officer, I support companies in complex transformation and special situations.

My mandates include among others:

Interim (General) Counsel in the petrochemical industry for a German MDAX company
Interim Senior Legal Counsel at a telecommunications provider (DAX-listed)
Interim Senior Legal Counsel for a US electronics company (NYSE-listed)
Interim General Legal Counsel for a joint venture in the telecommunications and infrastructure sector (DAX-listed)
Interim Senior International Compliance Counsel at an international SE in the manufacturing industry (MDAX)
Senior Legal Counsel at a Tech-DAX / MDAX company in the renewable energy sector
Interim General Counsel at a specialty chemicals company focusing on post-merger integration and restructuring

Skills

Civil Law
Commercial Law
Copyright Law
Media Law
Telemedia Law
Licensing Law
It Law
Contract Law
Industrial Property Law
Corporate Law
Distribution Law
E-commerce
Broadcasting Law
Telecommunications Law
Legal Processing
Digitalization Of Legal Departments

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

French

Advanced

Education

Feb 2001 - Jul 2001

Université de Lausanne

Law / Linguistics · Lausanne, Switzerland

Oct 1998 - Jan 2004

Johann Wolfgang Goethe University

Law · Frankfurt, Germany

Aug 1988 - May 1997

Albert-Einstein-Schule

General Higher Education Entrance Qualification (Abitur) · Groß-Bieberau, Germany

...and 2 more

Certifications & licenses

Admission to the Bar

Profile

Created

February 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Steffen based?

Steffen is based in Fischbachtal, Germany and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

What languages does Steffen speak?

Steffen speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Advanced).

How many years of experience does Steffen have?

Steffen has at least 20 years of experience. During this time, Steffen has worked in at least 11 different roles and for 11 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 9 months. Note that Steffen may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Steffen be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Steffen would be well-suited for roles such as: Head of Legal Department, In-house Counsel, Authorized Signatory, Attorney at Law - Legal & Business Affairs, Attorney at Law – General Legal Counsel German-speaking Territories.

What is Steffen's latest experience?

Steffen's most recent position is Head of Legal Department, In-house Counsel, Authorized Signatory at Tele Columbus Betriebs GmbH.

What companies has Steffen worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Steffen has worked for Legal Interim.

Which industries is Steffen most experienced in?

Steffen is most experienced in industries like Telecommunication, Chemical, and Energy. Steffen also has some experience in Manufacturing, Metals and Mining, Media, and Entertainment and Publishing.

Which business areas is Steffen most experienced in?

Steffen is most experienced in business areas like Legal and Compliance and Project Management.

Which industries has Steffen worked in recently?

Steffen has recently worked in industries like Chemical, Energy, and Manufacturing.

Which business areas has Steffen worked in recently?

Steffen has recently worked in business areas like Legal and Compliance.

What is Steffen's education?

Steffen attended Université de Lausanne for Law / Linguistics.

Does Steffen have any certificates?

Steffen has 1 certificate: Admission to the Bar.

What is the availability of Steffen?

Steffen will be available part-time from February 2026.

What is the rate of Steffen?

Steffen's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.