Pragmatic hands-on business enabler and deal maker
Curriculum Vitae
René Schneider
Senior Interim Counsel - Commercial, Data, AI, Innovation & Compliance. Turning legal complexity into business advantage - the expertise and business mindset your deals deserve.
Attorney at Law
LL.M. (IP)
DPO
CIPP-E
AI Officer & AI Governance Professional
Compliance Officer
Information Security Officer
ISO 27001 Lead Auditor
On this page
Current mandates
2024 - presentDigital IT solutions, AI, security, cloud, IoT infrastructure and XaaS provider for enterprises and public-sector organizations.
Main fields of expertise
- Commercial IT HW, XaaS, SW, cloud & digital transformation deals up to €150M project value
- 80+ public EVB-IT tenders per year
Major successful projects
- SOC Modernization – scalable VMware virtualization platform for DB InfraGO
- Hospital IT Modernization – HPE GreenLake consumption-based storage
- 100,000+ Client Workplace – End-to-end management for Germany’s largest public IT administration
- Dell APEX Subscription – consumption-based infrastructure for a leading global IT security company
Global leader in Language AI technology with 100k+ business customers and millions of individual daily license users.
Main fields of expertise
- AI product compliance (AI Act) and IP / copyright issues
- Software, open source and IP licensing and reselling
Lighthouse AI company for trustworthy and transparent AI models and adaptive AI systems.
Main fields of expertise
- AI-related R&D, tech and licensing transactions with industry and academics
- AI product compliance (AI Act) and IP / copyright
- Data privacy, copyright and export control; compliance and regulatory monitoring
Major successful projects
- LLM & AI Compliance – AI Act, privacy- and copyright-compliant LLM development incl. training data, SFT / RLHF datasets and compute
- Open-Source LLM Consortium & GenAI Collaborations with Europe’s leading AI companies and research institutions
Specialized consulting in data privacy, AI, compliance and IT security for data-driven businesses.
Main fields of expertise
- Data Privacy & external Data Protection Officer
- AI Compliance & external AI Officer, incl. AI Literacy Academy
- NIS2 & ISO 27001 officers and auditors
- Data Act & DORA consulting
In-house leadership positions
Leading global IT services, digital transformation, technology and consulting company.
Main fields of expertise
- International commercial IT services and XaaS tech transactions for Telco, Aerospace, Automotive and public clients
- Software, open source, IP licensing, reselling and managed services
- Data privacy and regulatory affairs; export control and compliance
- Lead counsel for cloud partnerships and software / IP licensing and reselling
- Strategic regulatory monitoring for digitalization, data privacy and AI; managing external law firms
Major successful projects
- City Education IT Transformation – integrated, digitally transformed IT systems for a large German city
- Door James Smart Office SaaS – customized SaaS terms for global rollout
- IONOS Cloud Partnership – GDPR-compliant IaaS for public clients
- ESA / EUMETSAT / GALILEO – next-generation satellite network projects
“Privacy-as-a-Service,” DPO legal-tech, compliance and IT security provider for 4,000+ international business customers.
Main fields of expertise
- External DPO for 80+ SME and corporate clients
- DPMS & privacy processes: RoPA, TOMs, privacy-by-design
- GDPR notices & policies; DPIAs and product enablement
- 200+ IT, SW and XaaS contracts and DPAs incl. SCC, BCR, TIA for third-country transfers
- Handling of data subject requests and data breaches
- Member of Bitkom Privacy & AI advisory groups and the global third-country data transfer task force
Major successful projects
- Automated DPA Check-Software – automated DPA assessment with risk mitigation for 5,000+ DPAs annually
Leading global ICT services, digital transformation, technology and outsourcing provider.
Main fields of expertise
- International contracts, commercial and technology transactions
- Intellectual property, licensing, IT, software, open source
- International and European R&D projects
- Data privacy, trade control, export control and antitrust / competition law
- Corporate law, M&A, compliance
- EMEA Lead Counsel for strategic partnerships, alliances and software channel
Major successful projects
- Finnish Banking Transformation – T24 core banking licensing and development with 3 Finnish banks (50M+€)
- EU Software Channel Sales – standardization of EU channel sales / reselling; efficiencies and risk reduction
- European IP protection and exploitation strategies and policies
Leading global ICT provider.
Main fields of expertise
- International contract and commercial law; IP, licensing, IT and telecommunications law
- International & European R&D programs and Joint Technology Initiatives
- Individual and collective employment law; corporate law, M&A, real estate, compliance
- Leading negotiation of 100+ multilateral R&D, license, cooperation and procurement agreements per year
- Legal key account for Autonomous Driving (5GAA, BMVI Providentia, Autopilot) and Industry 4.0 lighthouse projects
- Built a legal department from scratch; legal representative in 5GAA, 5G PPP and Digital Europe
Major successful projects
- LTE / RAN / vEPC Network Roll-Out – turnkey roll-out, TUPE & employee transfer with a global network operator (~390M+€)
- High Precision Manufacturing Center – real estate, EPC and equipment contracts (50M+€)
- Leica Strategic Partnership – long-term optical engineering partnership for smartphone photography
- 5G Automotive Association – foundation (statutes, by-laws, membership agreements)
- GSM-R Railway Tender – turnkey swap of Europe’s largest railway company (140M+€)
- Europe’s Largest Indoor WIFI – turnkey supply, I&C and maintenance
Earlier career
Applied R&D organization.
Main fields of expertise
- Global multilateral cooperation, license, R&D and confidentiality agreements (~350 FP7 / H2020 projects, PPPs)
- Legal and commercial consulting in international civil, military and EC-funded bids in ICT
- Lobbying vis-à-vis the European Commission and Joint Technology Initiatives
- DESCA Core Group member (development of the V3 Model Consortium Agreement)
Central patent and marketing agency of 28 Bavarian universities (in parallel to Fraunhofer).
Main fields of expertise
- Option, licensing and transfer agreements, NDA, MTA
- IP, patent and copyright law; software and IT law
- Legal consulting on the management and exploitation of intellectual property
European telecommunications company of the KPN Group.
Main fields of expertise
- Negotiation of complex content, MVNO and sales agreements
- Approval of termination rates and roaming charges at BNetzA and the EC
- Judicial and extrajudicial litigation with competitors and authorities
European media and mail-order company.
Main fields of expertise
- Strategic management and enforcement of the entire IP portfolio (600+ trademarks, 500 domains)
- Legal protection for labelling, marketing and distribution of all products
- Legal advice and trainings for TV sales, e-commerce, procurement, marketing and HR
- External lobbying (VPRT, BVH, Wettbewerbszentrale, VSW, Bitkom)
Subject-matter competencies
Commercial ICT & tech transactions
XaaS, cloud & digital transformation
Software, open source & IP licensing
Copyright
Privacy & GDPR
AI Act & AI governance
Data Act
DORA
NIS2
ISO 27001 / ISMS
R&D & EU programs
Joint Technology Initiatives
Export & trade control
Antitrust / competition law
Individual & collective employment law
Corporate law & M&A
Outsourcing & managed services
Languages
The person behind the expertise
Customer-focused and goal-driven “getting it done” mindset
Passion for innovation, improvements, challenging tasks and kitesurfing
Professional, courageous and ambitious intercultural negotiation skills
Risk manager primarily focusing on opportunities to seize business potential
Deep commercial and technical acumen
Ability to manage multiple priorities under high pressure
Ability to break down abstract complex issues into risk-measured, actionable business decisions
Contact
Ready when you are.
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