From 1 June 2023, Sandra Sekuła-Barańska has joined Bird & Bird’s ESG & Environmental Protection team, leading the team which has been created as part of Bird & Bird’s Energy & Utilities practice. This will significantly strengthen Bird & Bird’s ESG activities, which so far have focused on strategic and regulatory advice provided to banking and finance sector clients.
For the last two years Sandra has been working in the Energy and Natural Resources practice of Dentons. She specialises in ESG and environmental protection. She has over 13 years of experience in assisting clients with regulatory matters, including environmental law, water law, geological, mining and energy law.
She advises on environmental and regulatory risks in investment and infrastructural projects, real estate transactions and M&A. She examines compliance with Polish and EU environmental and regulatory laws, as well as advises on environmental pollution, and contamination matters (including remediation and environmental liability issues).
Joining with Sandra is Michał Szczepanowski (Junior Associate), who worked with her in her previous law firm.
Grzegorz Pizoń, Partner in Bird & Bird’s Energy & Utilities practice comments:
“A serious approach of businesses to sustainable development and concern for the natural environment and its protection for the sake of future generations is both ethically and socially responsible. Development of the ESG and taxonomy regulations brings economic value to sustainable development giving it a key place within the market economy mechanisms.
We want Bird & Bird to respond in the best possible way to our clients’ growing needs regarding sustainable development regulations. We are pleased that Sandra, as a distinguished expert with many years of experience in this area, has agreed to join us and become the leader of our ESG and Environmental Protection team.”
Aleksandra Widziewicz, Compliance & ESG Task Force Leader, Of Counsel in Bird & Bird’s Banking & Finance team comments:
“Bird & Bird’s ESG activities have focused on strategic and regulatory advice provided to companies operating in the banking and finance sector. This is a natural consequence of the principles underlying the EU legislation which to a large extent are starting to achieve the pro-environmental and pro-social objectives with the financial sector, assigning the key role in the transformation process to banks and financial institutions. The manner in which the change following from the existing and upcoming regulatory ESG requirements is managed is in line with the mechanisms of managing the non-compliance risk. Bird & Bird’s many years of experience in developing and supporting compliance functions in banks and publicly listed companies is an added value to our clients”.
Sandra Sekuła-Barańska says:
“Incorporating the principles of sustainable development into business practice and caring for the natural environment, also for the sake of future generations, has become one of the priorities of the world today. These two aspects have special importance to me because of their ethical and social implications. I am pleased to advise clients on regulatory matters, focusing on areas such as environmental protection, risk management and ESG-compliant investments.
I am delighted that my experience and expertise in this area have been recognized by Bird & Bird, a law firm with a strong commitment to these issues. To provide the best possible service to the Firm's clients, I intend to actively contribute to creating and implementing innovative ESG and environmental solutions. I am ready to accept this challenge together with Bird & Bird and our clients.”