Eve-Christie Vermynck

Ms. Vermynck counsels clients on matters involving a wide range of technologies, including AI and related governance, Web3, digital assets, blockchain, smart contracts, fintech and biotech. She advises on technology transfer deals, cloud contracts, complex intellectual property licensing arrangements, enterprise-wide AI and compliance strategies, as well as data privacy compliance assessments and programs under European data protection laws, including in the context of cross-border regulatory and litigation proceedings. She also regularly assists clients on cyber preparedness, crisis management and cyber incident responses in compliance with European data protection and cybersecurity law requirements.

She is ranked in Chambers UK’s Data Protection and Information Law category and recognized as a key lawyer in fintech by The Legal 500 UK. Ms. Vermynck was previously seconded to Google, where she worked as part of the company’s Legal Ads team.

Her experience includes:

AI and Governance

• acting as lead counsel on behalf of a leading AI research laboratory
• advising several clients on AI governance issues, including developing robust governance structures for AI matters, building AI foundation models with respect to intercompany services and license agreements, assisting with formulating policy positions and counseling on the impact of regulatory developments
• advising a cutting-edge and sustainable AI-focused technology company with overall strategy and strategic partnership, IP and commercial contracts
• advising a global internet technology company in the acquisition of an AI-based music generation technology

IP Licensing Projects and Technology Projects

• assisting clients with the implementation of their global outsourcing/IT projects and advising on IT-related issues, including one-stop security agreements and licensing arrangements
• drafting and negotiating transitional services agreements, reverse transitional services agreements, and separation and migration plans in the context of technology transfer deals
• drafting and negotiating IT services agreements, including cloud contracts (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS), software licenses and maintenance agreements for a wide range of clients and suppliers
• advising a range of clients across numerous sectors, including energy, ESG and health care, in relation to IP assignments and complex IP licensing agreements

Data Protection and Cybersecurity

• assisting clients across various industries with their GDPR and U.K. GDPR compliance assessments and programs, including advising on data protection governance and strategy, data protection policies and procedures, data protection impact assessments, privacy by design, awareness, recommended change implementation, and training and cybersecurity practices
• assisting with reviews of cybersecurity policies and assessments of internal stakeholder engagement, including providing recommendations regarding incident response, tracking, training and communication
• advising clients in relation to cyber preparedness, crisis management and cyber incident responses, including in relation to regulatory notifications, communication and remediation steps
• assisting with privacy risk analysis as part of GDPR compliance programs at each stage of the e-discovery process in a variety of cross-border regulatory investigations, litigation and arbitration
• drafting, negotiating and advising on data processing, sharing and transfer agreements
• advising clients in relation to profiling, targeted marketing and data optimization

Web3 and Digital Assets

• advising a leading DeFi protocol in connection with intellectual property issues, NFT-related matters and data protection and cybersecurity compliance in the context of their projects and service offerings
• advising a blockchain intelligence platform and various blockchain companies regarding their data protection compliance programs

Regulatory and Commercial Matters

• advising online companies and consumer goods retailers on regulatory and legal compliance issues in connection with privacy compliance; consumer, marketing, e-commerce and encryption queries; and the implementation of new services on a multijurisdictional basis
• drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, including agency, distribution and hotel management agreements

Other Significant Representations

• Air France-KLM in connection with Apollo’s investment of up to €1.5 billion into an affiliate of Air France-KLM that operates Air France and KLM’s joint loyalty program (Flying Blue)
• Renault in its definitive intellectual property agreements with Nissan to restructure their 23-year partnership as part of Nissan’s strategic investment in Ampere, Renault’s EV company
• Intact Financial Corporation and its subsidiary Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Limited in connection with:
  • the US$648 million acquisition of the brokered commercial lines operations of Direct Line Insurance Group plc
  • the sale of Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Limited’s U.K. direct personal lines (home and pet) operations, representing approximately £165 million of annual premiums, to Admiral Group plc
• Corebridge Financial, Inc. in the £460 million sale of its U.K. life insurance business to Aviva plc
• JAB Holdings in:
  • its acquisition of Cardif Pinnacle from BNP Paribas Cardif to form a strategic joint venture (the Pinnacle Pet Group) to deliver a range of pet insurance services throughout the U.K., EMEA and Latin America
  • Pinnacle Pet Group’s acquisition of Animal Friends Insurance Services Limited from Correlation Risk Partners
• Hg in a number of matters, including its:
  • acquisition of a controlling interest in Trackunit from Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Gro Capital
  • acquisition of a minority stake in Argus Media, an independent provider of energy and commodity price reporting
  • sale of U.K.-based visual effects producer Foundry to Roper Technologies
  • acquisition of Workshare from Scottish Equity Partners and The Business Growth Fund
• L’Occitane International S.A. in its:
  • proposed acquisition of 83% of Sol de Janiero Holdings, Inc. at an enterprise value of US$450 million
  • US$900 million acquisition of Elemis Ltd. from Steiner Leisure Limited
• Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. in its loss portfolio transfer agreement with Enstar Group Limited with an approximately US$1.1 billion aggregate limit
• Central Group and SIGNA Holding GmbH in their US$5.3 billion acquisition of Selfridges & Co. Limited from the Weston Family
• Adobe Inc. in its acquisition of Content Calendr Limited
• Willis Towers Watson in its US$4 billion sale of Willis Re to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
• Netflix, Inc. in its acquisition of The Roald Dahl Story Company Limited, which manages the literary works, copyrights and trademarks of author Roald Dahl
• Electronic Arts Inc. in its:
  • US$1.4 billion acquisition of Playdemic Ltd. (United Kingdom) from Warner Bros. Games and AT&T Inc
  • US$1.2 billion recommended cash offer for Codemasters Group Holdings plc
• Zuber and Mohsin Issa, owners of EG Group, and TDR Capital LLP in their acquisition of a majority stake in ASDA Group Limited from Walmart Inc.
• Adevinta ASA in its US$9.2 billion acquisition of eBay Classifieds Group from eBay Inc.
• Coty Inc. in its strategic partnership with KKR & Co. Inc., including the carve-out sale of 60% of its professional beauty and retail hair businesses to KKR with an enterprise value of US$4.3 billion
• Visa Inc. in its:
  • US$1 billion acquisition of Pismo
  • €1.8 billion acquisition of Tink AB and its proposed (but terminated) US$5.3 billion acquisition of Plaid Inc.
• LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.E. in its initially unsolicited, but subsequently agreed upon, €14.7 billion (US$16.2 billion) acquisition of Tiffany & Co
• Spotify Technology S.A. in its acquisition of SoundBetter, Inc., an audio production and collaboration marketplace that helps creators connect and hire audio professionals
• Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC as lead underwriters in the US$1.57 billion initial public offering of Class A common stock of Pinterest, Inc.
• Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. in its US$1.5 billion merger with Virgin Galactic, LLC. The combined company will create the world’s first and only publicly traded commercial human spaceflight company
• Dassault Systèmes SE, a leading French company in the digital transformation of the life sciences industry for clinical development, commercial, and real-world data intelligence, in its US$5.8 billion all-cash proposed acquisition of Medidata Solutions, Inc., a leader in the digital transformation of life sciences, with the world’s most used platform for clinical development, commercial and real-world data
• Clementia Pharmaceuticals Inc., in its US$1.3 billion acquisition by Ipsen S.A.
• Pret A Manger Ltd in its acquisition of EAT Limited
• WABCO Holdings Inc., a leading global supplier of technologies and services that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles, in its acquisition by ZF Friedrichshafen AG for US$136.50 per share in an all-cash transaction with an equity value of over US$7 billion
• HighQ Solutions in its sale to Thomson Reuters Corporation
• Permira Funds in a number of matters, including:
  • the acquisition of a majority equity stake in Reformation, a sustainable fashion brand for women
  • the acquisition of a majority equity stake in Axiom Global Inc., the global leader in specialised on-demand legal talent
  • in its US$2.4 billion acquisition of Cambrex Corporation, a contract development and manufacturing life sciences company
• Liberty Mutual in a cross-border acquisition of four businesses from AmTrust Financial Services, Inc.
• Spencer Stuart, a leading executive search and leadership advisory firm, in its acquisition of portions of the talent business of Aon plc