to really educate companies about what this is and how it can enhance business processes. At the same time we are reaching out to educational institutions and support the implementation of blockchain in their curriculum. We subsequently link business to these institutions which is opening up all kinds of amazing prospects. I also head our Dutch TMC sector group which stands for Technology, Communicat ions & Media. It is an inspiring combination to work on these developments which are interesting for the legal industry and the development of our people and other employees as well.’
‘In Zuidas, we’re more connected to the city itself, and this is also an ideal spot for our overall branding and visibility’ How did you wind up getting involved in these new developments alongside your busy employment practice? ‘At CMS we founded the CMS Legal Tech Academy, which started out with blockchain basics, DeepDive and smart contracts, and coding. Artificial intelligence and cybersecurity also figure into that. We want to feed that knowledge directly into our work, looking at how we can use it and how can we apply it for our clients. But also at how we may be able to connect them to other firms that maybe can do things that we can’t yet. A whole trajectory is evolving, which is really fascinating. Innovation is something that people – me included! – really enjoy talking and thinking about.’
CMS recently launched a new careers campaign featuring the faces of people within the firm. What inspired this idea? ‘We decided to roll out this idea with our own people, thinking that
KATJA VAN KRANENBURG
would make the strongest statement. The pictures really grab you
• Partner at CMS
and express our sense of corporate pride. I also think it’s a wonderful
• Katja heads the Employment & Pensions Practice Group
way to showcase our young people. We’re a very diverse firm, so
• She is married and the mother of two boys
it’s good to be able to show to students and others that these guys
• Katja lives in Leiden and commutes to Zuidas daily by car
actually work for us. They’re the ambassadors of CMS, and this
• She enjoys cooking and has a food blog on Instagram
cements their relationship with the firm, too.’
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