Compass Lexecon Strengthens its Brussels Practice with Appointment of Stéphane Dewulf

Compass Lexecon is pleased to announce that Stéphane Dewulf has joined the firm as Executive Vice President and Head of the Brussels Office. Stéphane will lead a team of over 20 economists based in Brussels, alongside Deputy Head of Office Roman Fischer. He joins an established group of antitrust experts advising clients on the most significant competition and litigation matters in Brussels and across EMEA – including Senior Managing Directors Lorenzo Coppi, Neil Dryden and Jorge Padilla, Executive Vice Presidents Justin Coombs, Thilo Klein, Nicola Mazzarotto, Alejandro Requejo, Fabien Roques, Pekka Sääskilahti, David Sevy, Vanessa Zhang and Elena Zoido, and Senior Vice Presidents Michele Avagliano, Thomas Bowman, Martina Caldana, Roman Fischer, Jeremiah Juts, Ciara Kalmus, Patricia Lorenzo, Christopher Milde, Cecilia Nardini, Lau Nilausen, Soledad Pereiras, Kadambari Prasad, Paolo Ramezzana, Bernardo Sarmento, Segye Shin, Stefano Trento, Zita Vasas, Lotta Väänänen, Antoine Victoria and Caitlin Wilkinson.

Stéphane is the latest senior hire to strengthen Compass Lexecon’s global competition practice, which brings together a seamless team of economic experts with a proven track record in complex, high-value, multi-jurisdictional matters across the EU, UK, US, and Asia.

Stéphane brings a strong track record in merger control and antitrust investigations, having represented clients before the European Commission, the CMA, the French Competition Authority, and other competition authorities across Europe and beyond. Most recently he advised on Mars’ $35.9bn acquisition of Kellanova during an in-depth Phase II investigation and Nokia’s $2.3 billion acquisition of Infinera - both of which received unconditional clearance by the European Commission.

Stéphane joins from Oxera, where he co-led the Brussels practice. Prior to this he spent six years at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition, working on merger control and antitrust investigations across sectors including digital, IT, media, telecoms, and energy. Earlier in his career, he spent eight years as an economist at two leading competition economics consultancies, including Compass Lexecon predecessor LECG, advising on mergers, horizontal and vertical agreements, and abuse of dominance cases, primarily in proceedings before European competition authorities and in private litigation.

Stéphane commented: “It feels incredibly exciting and a little like coming home to return to Compass Lexecon’s Brussels office where I started my career exactly 20 years ago. I learned so much from Jorge and others back then, and it feels very special to come full circle and be back to lead the Brussels office in collaboration with Roman. I’m thrilled to join such a strong, dynamic and collaborative team, and hugely excited by the trust Compass Lexecon has placed in me. I can’t wait to see what we build together in Brussels and across the firm.”

Jorge Padilla, Chair of Compass Lexecon International Board, commented: “With Stéphane’s arrival, our Brussels practice is stronger than ever. We have the quality and depth of expertise as well as the capacity to advise on any complex, cross-border merger or antitrust case. Stéphane’s collaborative, rigorous and practical approach aligns with our values, and I am delighted that he has returned to our team.”

Lorenzo Coppi, Member of Compass Lexecon International Board, commented: “We have known Stéphane for many years, and we are delighted that he is rejoining our team. Throughout his time in consulting and at the European Commission, he has been at the heart of many complex and high-profile merger and antitrust cases in Europe. He knows how these cases work, what matters, and how to navigate them. Our clients will benefit greatly from that experience.”

Martina Caldana, Member of Compass Lexecon International Executive Committee, added: “What I particularly value about Stéphane is his highly collaborative approach. I look forward to working together for our clients, delivering the highest quality analysis and advice, and to building on that collaboration as we contribute to Compass Lexecon’s future success.”