Nele Van Kerrebroeck
Head of the Belgian Employment practice, Brussels
"Clients who are confronted with various challenges in employment law can rely on my knowledge and +10 years’ of experience. I provide straightforward advice that clients can directly apply in their business, through a practical approach of combining technical knowhow with a sound business understanding."
Overview
Professional experience
Education and qualifications
Published works
Overview
Being a pragmatic and business-oriented Employment & Incentives lawyer, Nele has developed expertise following involvement in a number of complex cases - from cross-border mergers and general advisory work to collective restructurings.
Main areas of practice include employee representative bodies, transfers of undertakings, cross-border mergers, data protection matters (GDPR and HR), collective dismissals and individual dismissals including negotiations, employment litigation and internal investigations.
Nele has worked in Linklaters’ Brussels and Singapore offices and advises clients from a wide variety of sectors, including consumer, banking, energy, healthcare, automotive, hospitality and technology.
She is highly regarded by clients and colleagues as she has been ranked “associate to watch” by Chambers & Partners Europe (2021).
Work highlights
Nele has advised on a wide range of major employment law matters. Her recent transactions include advising:
- Delhaize on its €28 billion merger with Ahold, one of the largest cross-border mergers in Europe and the largest Belgian deal completed in years.
- Clients on all the complex employment aspects of several reorganisation projects such as Generali, AXA Bank, Agfa Gevaert and Starwood/Marriott.
- BEL20 listed companies on complex incentives work and executive remuneration. This also includes setting up, documenting and implementing incentive plans in Belgium and internationally.
- Elia System Operator on all employment aspects related to its crucial internal reorganisation project aimed at isolating and ring-fencing the Belgian regulated activities of Elia from its non-regulated activities. Nele led the employment workstream, including communication to employees, drafting of global employment contracts and project management.
- Several large banks on sensitive matters such as termination of C-level employees / managers, change of status from employee to self-employed, etc.
Professional experience
Nele joined Linklaters in 2010. In 2014, she was seconded to Linklaters’ office in Singapore. Nele has been a Managing Associate in the Employment & Incentives Practice since 2016, head of the Belgian Employment practice since May 2020 and Counsel since May 2021.
She has been an active member in the HR Committee of American Chamber of Commerce and the “Vereniging voor Sociaal Recht”.
She regularly publishes on employment law topics, including extensive articles on information and consultation obligations of employee collective bodies and employees as part of corporate restructurings (2018 - 2019).
She is regularly requested to speak at seminars for Contract Law Seminars, Larcier, Kluwer/M&D Seminars, etc.
Education and qualifications
Nele holds a master’s degree in Law from Ghent University and the Sorbonne (Paris). She obtained a Postgraduate in Social Law from the University of Antwerp and an Executive MBA (Master in Business Administration) from Vlerick Business School.
She works in Dutch, English and French.
Published works
- “Informatie- en raadplegingsverplichtingen van werknemers en overlegorganen bij vennootschapstransacties (Deel I & II)”, in Oriëntatie 2018/2019, Wolters Kluwer, co-author
- “Outplacement, een stand van zaken”, Wolters Kluwer, 2015, 126p., co-author
- “De harmonisatie van het statuut arbeider en bediende. Een stand van zaken na de Wet Eenheidsstatuut”, Larcier, 2014, 300 p., co-author
- “Outplacement”, in Aanwerven, Tewerkstellen, Ontslaan, 2014, co-author