Krogerus Disputes Day 2026 – Navigating Settlements

Jan-Ole Hesselberg is a psychologist, TV host and decision science researcher. He is Chief Program Officer at the Dam Foundation, one of Norway’s largest research funders, and has led major projects on improving expert decision-making. Since 2017, he has assisted the Norwegian judiciary in training judges at all levels, from district courts to the Supreme Court. Hesselberg is a frequent keynote speaker for business leaders, lawyers and other experts. He is known for combining updated research with humor, making complex insights engaging and accessible for diverse audiences.

Suzanne Williams is an Associate Fellow of Saïd Business School where she teaches on the Oxford Programme on Negotiation. She is an experienced and internationally renowned hostage negotiator.

As a London senior detective Sue was the Officer in Charge of both the Kidnap and the Hostage Crisis Negotiation Units at Scotland Yard. At the highest-level Sue has been an active contributor to the UK Government's crisis response process in cases of kidnap or abduction overseas. She has regularly advised senior ministers as part of the Cabinet Office Briefings (COBRA), the Governments crisis management structure.

Sue qualified as an Hostage Negotiator both in the UK with New Scotland Yard and in the USA with the Federal Bureau of Investigation 27 years ago. Since that time she has contributed to the successful resolution of hundreds of kidnaps and hostage situations on land and the high seas. More recently she has undertaken cyber negotiations as a tactic for combating extortion.

Sue is a recipient of the Queen's Police Medal; this was in recognition of her commitment in the fields of kidnap, negotiation and saving of life.

Thomas is an experienced inhouse counsel with more than 25 years of experience in listed companies in regulated industries. For the last 17 years he has served as General Counsel of first Oriola and now Anora. Thomas led the IPO of Anora’s predecessor Altia as well as its subsequent cross-border merger with Arcus. Thomas leads the inhouse legal team of Anora and focuses on board work and governance. During his long career as inhouse counsel, he has also gained significant experience and insights in post-M&A and commercial disputes and settlements.

Tiina has been holding for the past 15 years Legal leadership positions and has extensive experience in working for branded and consumer good companies, such as Lidl, Marimekko, Altia (now Anora) and Amer Sports.

Her areas of expertise are contract and commercial law as well as negotiations, compliance, corporate governance, consumer law and fashion law.

Ulrika Nirkkonen heads the Group Corporate Legal unit at Nordea Bank Abp, the leading financial services group in the Nordics. At Nordea, Ulrika is in charge of legal support relating to corporate law, governance, MAR and disclosure matters, M&A, ESG, funding and capital as well as Board Secretariat and regulatory change services. Prior to joining Nordea, Ulrika practiced as an Attorney-at-law at Roschier Attorneys Ltd.’s Corporate and Capital Markets practice. She holds an LL.M. degree from the University of Helsinki and is a member of the Advisory Board of Finnish Listed Companies.

Fredrik Ringquist is a partner in Mannheimer Swartling's Dispute Resolution practice group with approximately 20 years' experience in litigation, arbitration, expert determinations, mediation, and negotiation-based procedures. He advises clients throughout all dispute stages, from initial assessments to enforcement proceedings. Having spent over a decade practicing outside Sweden, Fredrik specializes in complex cross-border disputes involving multiple jurisdictions, foreign law applications, and international asset tracing and enforcement. Beyond his counsel work, Fredrik serves as arbitrator and holds leadership positions in industry associations, including the Executive Committee of the Swedish Arbitration Association.

Patrick Schroeder is a dispute resolution specialist qualified in Germany and in England & Wales. He has broad experience in representing clients in strategic disputes. His practice includes arbitration, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. A recent focus area is the defence against civil claims following from compliance breaches, including ESG and Human Rights. One of Patrick’s special interests is conflict management, ie strategically advising clients on the choice of appropriate resolution mechanisms for a specific dispute. Patrick has a special focus on the Nordic countries. He frequently acts as an arbitrator and also as a mediator.

Michaela Skrabb serves as General Counsel at Veho Oy Ab, where she oversees group wide legal and compliance matters, corporate governance, privacy, and support for strategic projects such as M&A and real estate development. At Veho, she has been responsible for establishing the company’s legal and compliance function and contributes to sustainability and governance work. Prior to joining Veho, she held senior legal roles at Innofactor, Digia, and F Secure.

Dennis Spritzell leads Philips’ legal and compliance function across the Nordic region, focusing on complex negotiations and settlement decisions. With extensive experience in dispute resolution and cross-border transactions, he brings a practical, business-oriented approach to resolving conflicts efficiently while safeguarding long-term interests. At Philips, Dennis combines legal expertise with strategic insight to guide negotiations that balance risk, compliance, and commercial objectives. His perspective highlights how negotiation strategies can turn disputes into opportunities for collaboration and sustainable outcomes.

Pirita Virtanen founded the first full-time commercial mediation firm in the Nordic countries 8 years ago. She brought a new way of mediating disputes to Europe from the U.S., where she mediated with a leading mediator in the U.S., Daniel Weinstein.

Pirita settled all cases during the first 7 years and has mediated cases up to 1,5 billion euros in value. She is a former litigator and represented clients in one of the largest litigations in Finland, the asphalt cartel damages litigation, for 7 years. She is a Vice President of the Swiss Arbitration Centre’s Mediation Advisory Council and a graduate of Harvard Law School.

Kirsi heads Krogerus' Dispute Resolution practice. She specialises in commercial dispute resolution with a particular focus on international arbitration and competition litigation. Kirsi has also valuable experience from advising clients in relation to management liability issues and corporate offences. Kirsi also acts as an arbitrator, and she is an approved mediator for the Finnish Bar Association.

Mikko's areas of specialisation include construction disputes and other matters related to commercial agreements as well as third party liability questions and unfair marketing practices. Mikko has represented clients in e.g. Finnish landmark private enforcement litigations. He has served as a member of the Finnish Bar Association's Mediation Committee.

Tatu is an experienced dispute resolution lawyer known for his hands-on and strategic approach. As counsel, he advises and represents companies in complex conflict situations in both international and domestic arbitration proceedings, as well as in litigation and mediation. Tatu also serves as an arbitrator. With extensive experience across a range of industries, Tatu has successfully led disputes involving construction and infrastructure projects, real estate, ICT and post M&A. He also has particular expertise in the enforcement of arbitral awards under the New York Convention.

Laura advises clients on commercial litigation and arbitration assignments, as well as internal investigations. Her areas of specialisation include disputes and investigations relating to the financial sector. Laura also regularly assists clients in legal and compliance issues relating to AML and sanctions. During her time at Krogerus, Laura has been on secondment at Nordea Bank Abp.

Saara focuses on commercial dispute resolution assignments. She advises clients on general court litigation and disputes heard before arbitral tribunals. Saara started working at our Dispute Resolution practice already as a law student. Prior to graduating she has also gained valuable experience from working as a trainee at another leading law firm. During her studies, Saara was a member of the team of the University of Helsinki at Vis Moot Court Competition, the largest moot court competition in the field of international arbitration.

Hanna specialises in commercial dispute resolution, as well as internal and regulatory investigations. She advises clients on general court litigation and disputes heard before arbitral tribunals. Hanna also regularly assists clients with compliance matters, with particular experience in the fields of anti-money laundering, economic sanctions, and trade compliance.