Corporate lawyer Ann De Sterck watches over our lease agreements

In order to render all agreements with our lessees legally binding, Legal Counsel Ann De Sterck incorporates them into lease agreements. The lawyer also formulates advice and recommendations for colleagues and responds to lessees’ queries. Very challenging - according to Ann.  So we asked her what makes her job so great.

A day in the life of Ann

“While my colleague Claudine is responsible for the acquisitions and sales, my job is more geared towards the drafting and follow-up of lease agreements for our existing property portfolio in Belgium, Luxembourg and France”, says Ann. “As soon as there is a commercial agreement, I look after the legal framework and incorporate all arrangements in the contract. Price, size, duration of the lease, inventory, ... all essential and extraordinary conditions are specified in consultation with the lessee. In addition, I also provide legal support to the other teams within WDP. It means my diary looks different every day!”

Focus on the lessee

As a corporate lawyer, it goes without saying that Ann ensures everything runs to the letter of the law. However, she doesn’t lose sight of a win-win situation for both parties. “As the term suggests, a lease agreement is drawn up in consultation with the client. If the client wishes to amend certain articles, it is sometimes necessary for me to stand firm. Still, I will look for alternatives wherever possible. Because in the long term, a customer who feels valued is very important.”

The bridge between law and reality

“My job is anything but boring, contrary to what people often think. By working together with sales, facilities, finance and other departments within WDP, I gained a lot of knowledge about the property world in two years. It’s a dynamic sector, and it requires me to combine my legal eye with practical and solution-oriented thinking. It means I am building bridges between theoretical laws and concrete reality every day.”

Meet Group Controller Brunhilde Vanderstraeten here. She has been part of #TeamWDP for more than ten years.

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