Maximilian Piekut, LLM, PhD

Counsel (SSW), General Manager (Greeners)

Maximilian specialises in advising energy-intensive companies and energy companies on sustainability issues, including renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions allowances (EU ETS), energy efficiency, energy transition, net-zero strategies, ESG and non-financial reporting .

He has advised on projects to acquire photovoltaic and wind farms. He also advises market-leading companies on transforming their sustainability strategies, from the design stage through to implementation. He is a member of the Sustainable Development and ESG Practice Steering Committee at SSW. He is an expert on non-governmental organizations which support climate change mitigation.

Before joining SSW, he worked at the Ministry of the Environment and PGNIG S.A. Maximilian has also advised Polish and international companies seeking to enter the Chinese market. He has worked at Linklaters, A&O, Long An (Shanghai) and SK&S.

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Education

PhD in Law, University of Warsaw
LLM, Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich
International Law, China University of Political Science and Law (Beijing)
Masters degree in Law, University of Warsaw
Mandarin Chinese, Fudan University (Shanghai)
Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting, SGH Warsaw School of Economics

Languages

English
German
Mandarin Chinese

Main areas

Energy

Greeners

Other areas

China Desk

Environmental protection

Selected projects

Advised foreign entity from energy sector on entering the Chinese market. He conducted market research, legal risks and regulatory environment analysis, established contact with potential distributors and local trade organizations. The project concerned highly regulated sector i.e. LNG
Advised polish entity producing cosmetics on entering the Chinese market. He negotiated contracts with Chinese partners. As a result a sino-polish Joint-Venture was established
Advised foreign high-tech start-up on establishing a company and entering the Chinese market through Hong Kong after raising funds through ICO
Advised polish entities on IP protection in China

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Led workshops for Polish SMEs on exporting to China
Co-authored a guidebook titled „Virtual Giant: E-commerce Sector in China” sponsored by the Ministry of Development of the Republic of Poland
Authored numerous analyses and opinions concerning economic cooperation between Poland and China for Polish public institutions
Visiting Researcher at the Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing
Founder of Warsaw-Beijing Forum: Youth for business project, which is based on the cooperation of University of Warsaw and China University of Political Science and Law
Worked in Shanghai office of a Chinese law firm, where he advised foreign entities on entering the market of the Middle Kingdom