The Competition Law & Artificial Intelligence Summit - 2nd Annual

Jenine heads Weil’s European antitrust practice.  She has advised on some of the most high-profile and complex M&A transactions of the past decade, securing Phase 2 clearances from both the European Commission and CMA.  With a particular focus on the technology, pharmaceutical and energy sectors, she has represented corporations on a wide range of behavioural antitrust matters, as well as on competition appeals and litigation.  Jenine is recognised as a leading competition lawyer in Chambers Global, Europe and UK, is included in the “Hall of Fame” in Legal 500 with a “stellar market reputation” and was listed as one of the leading “Women in Antitrust 2021” by Global Competition Review.

Ashwin focuses on contentious antitrust matters – abuse of dominance and restrictive agreements – as well as regulation in the technology sector. He has represented clients such as Nokia, GE, Samsung, Epic Games, and Oracle.

Ashwin has secured wins for clients accused of abuse of dominance on six occasions – in one instance after issuance of a Statement of Objections – and helped to negotiate commitments in the remaining two cases. He is equally active on the complainant side, currently advising multiple clients in separate abuse of dominance proceedings. Ashwin also advises (prospective) gatekeepers as well as third parties on implications of the Digital Markets Act.

Ashwin’s practice covers key issues in technology markets, including: (i) standard essential patents, (ii) standard-setting agreements, (iii) refusal to supply and refusal to license, (iv) interoperability, (v) aftermarkets, (vi) tying, (vii) data, and (viii) vertical restraints in licensing and distribution agreements.

Ashwin previously worked as a software engineer in California and the Netherlands, and relies on his tech background to advise his clients and understand their business.

With more than 27 years’ experience, in addition to conducting multijurisdictional merger control analyses, navigating and obtaining antitrust and regulatory approvals for complex cross-border transactions, and negotiating remedies packages, Akin International Competition Practice Group Leader Davina Garrod represents leading sovereign wealth funds, private equity and other financial institutions in their strategic and financial investments (transactional and contentious). As regards FDI, Davina represented the acquirer in the first retroactive call in and judicial review under the NSIA, and multiple investors in more than 40 NSIA approvals. Davina also has in-depth experience in mitigation in the UK, France, Germany 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. Educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, Davina has been seconded to Brussels, Washington DC, a global financial institution and the communications regulator. 

As a competition law specialist, partner Marjolein De Backer practices in the areas of EU and Belgian competition law as well as foreign direct investment.

Marjolein practices in the areas of EU and Belgian competition law. She has over 15 years of experience advising on merger control, competition investigations and sector inquiries, and state aid. Marjolein also advises on foreign direct investment and national security control as well as competition law related questions in the fields of ESG, patent licensing, and routes to market. Marjolein has represented clients before the EU, UK and Belgian competition authorities and courts. She is qualified in Belgium and New York and registered as a foreign lawyer in the UK.

Marjolein has worked for multinationals across different sectors including, energy and commodities, financial services, manufacturing, media, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, technology and the internet of things, and transport and logistics.

Konstantina is a Partner at Geradin Partners. Before joining the firm, Konstantina was Senior Legal Counsel at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

While at the EBU, Konstantina acquired significant experience in a wide range of matters that concern audiovisual markets and the platform economy. She led two expert groups that focus on online platform regulation, the reform of competition rules to make them fit for digital markets, and the funding and remit of public service media.

Konstantina has worked extensively on antitrust issues arising from the acquisition of premium content, unilateral platform practices, State aid control in the broadcasting sector, and regulatory matters concerning the distribution of media content. She has guided the EBU’s work on the platform-to-business Regulation and the Digital Markets Act proposal, regularly engaging with EU policymakers in those areas.

Konstantina is also a lecturer at the University of Sheffield and an extramural fellow at the Tilburg Law and Economics Centre. In 2020, she was appointed to a scientific council to advise the Greek government on data policy issues.

Konstantina holds a PhD from the European University Institute (EUI). Her dissertation, which explores the role of media pluralism in the enforcement of EU competition law, received the 2016 Concurrences PhD thesis award (an annual Europe-wide competition aimed at selecting the most innovative thesis in the field of law and economics). She publishes regularly in her areas of expertise and she has received prizes and fellowships from numerous institutions, including the Academic Society for Competition Law, the Fulbright Commission, the Competition Law Scholars Forum, and the Institute for European Studies. She has been a guest lecturer at various leading institutions, such as the EUI, Queen Mary University, the University of Lausanne, and Bocconi University.

Konstantina is a native Greek and speaks English, Italian, Spanish and French. She is qualified in Greece.

James Hill is a Principal based in the London office of RBB Economics, where he has worked since April 2013. Since joining RBB, James has advised on a wide variety of competition cases before the European Commission, domestic competition authorities and courts including in the UK, China, France, Switzerland, Turkey and South Africa.