Greetings from Alumni: Sini Paajanen, Paulig Group — From M&A Lawyer to In-House Counsel

This time in our Greetings from Alumni series, we catch up with Sini Paajanen, Senior Legal Counsel at Paulig Group. During her time at Hannes Snellman between 2019 and 2023, Sini worked in our M&A Team.

Hi Sini, how are you? Is work keeping you busy this time of year?

I am doing great, thank you! The start of the year has been quite busy, with lots of interesting projects on the table. I am particularly excited that this year marks Paulig’s 150-year anniversary, and I am really looking forward to seeing everything that is planned for this special milestone.

During your time at HS, you worked as a lawyer in our M&A Team. If you had to describe that time in three words, what would those words be?

There are, of course, many words to choose from, but I would go with educational, collaborative, and dynamic.

You now work as a senior legal counsel at Paulig Group. What is that like and how did your time at HS prepare you for your current role?

At Paulig, I support our branded sales business as well as our marketing and innovation functions. While no two days are alike, my main tasks include drafting and negotiating agreements, along with providing legal advice and training to my stakeholders, who work primarily in sales and marketing across Europe. I also monitor upcoming legislation and handle its implementation where it may impact our operations.

I gained a great deal of valuable experience for this role during my time at HS. In M&A, a significant amount of time is spent drafting and negotiating agreements, which is a core part of my current work as well. I also developed strong skills in handling complex issues and moving deals forward even when there was no single “correct” solution: learning instead how to assess, frame, and mitigate risk in the best possible way. Additionally, communication is key in both M&A and in-house roles, and running M&A projects taught me how to communicate clearly and efficiently with both clients and team members.

Looking back, what is your fondest memory from HS?

It is difficult to point to a single memory from my time at HS. When I look back, what first comes to mind are the many different events, from casual afterworks on the rooftop terrace to Christmas parties and skiing trips, and, more generally, the fun of spending time with colleagues.

The HS x Päätös Podcast cooperation continues this year, so what better way to end this interview than to ask — what is the most significant decision you have made that has shaped your professional life?

I would say it was the decision to move from consulting to working as an in-house counsel. Having previously worked in law firms, it was difficult to fully imagine what the in-house role would look like, but I’m very happy I made that decision.