Vincent Gerlach

Vincent specialises in Dutch and European employment and pensions law, and heads the employment practice in the firm’s Amsterdam office.

Vincent advises and represents employers on the full range of employment issues, including individual and collective dismissals, works councils, harmonisation of employment terms and conditions, pension scheme modifications, employee benefits, takeovers, pension fund disputes and equal treatment. His advice extends to all data protection issues as they affect employment matters.

Vincent has special knowledge of remuneration restrictions in the financial sector, with particular reference to the Dutch law application of European law directives.

Work highlights

Vincent has advised on the employment aspects of many major corporate transactions. These include advising:

• Unilever on the demerger and subsequent sale of its baking, cooking and spreads business to KKR
• Delhaize, the Belgian-headquartered international food retailer, on its €28bn merger of equals with and into Ahold, its Dutch-headquartered equivalent
• Mediahuis on its public takeover of the Telegraaf Media Group
• ThyssenKrupp on its steel joint-venture with Tata Steel

• an energy company regarding a collective dismissal at its Dutch office

• a cable company on the liquidation of its Dutch pension fund

• a range of financial institutions on compliance with the Dutch bonus caps

Vincent studied Dutch law at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, including a year at the University of Manchester, and obtained a post-graduate degree in pensions law from VU, Amsterdam.

He speaks English and Dutch.