I was raised in the Bavarian countryside and was expected to take over our family’s business, a cheese factory in the rolling hills at the foot of the Alps. To broaden my somewhat limited options I chose law as an escape route. Eventually I sold the cheese-making business in 1997 in my capacity as a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) lawyer on, admittedly, very seller-friendly terms to a Bavarian state-owned dairy milk consortium.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career?