Ernst Wessel Vice President, Managing Director Latin America Office Depot
Mr. Wessel joined Office Depot in January 2002 in The Netherlands with responsibility for all European legal matters of the company. In 2005, he became the International Chief Legal Counsel and is currently based at the headquarters of Office Depot in Boca Raton, Florida, USA.
Mr. Wessel holds a Dutch Master’s degree from the University of Brabant as well as a LL.M. degree in International Business Law from the University of Hull (UK). Mr. Wessel was admitted to the Bar of Rotterdam as an Attorney and specialized in bankruptcy and corporate law. In 1995, he started working as European Corporate Counsel for Esprit Telecom PLC, a telecommunications provider, later acquired by London-based Global Telecommunications Inc. Mr. Wessel was named Senior Vice President Legal for the latter company in 2000.
In his current role for Office Depot, Mr. Wessel is involved in the worldwide expansion of the company and has been involved in numerous transactions in China, Korea, India, Israel as well as in various countries in Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe. Mr. Wessel is part of the Business Development group of Office Depot and is responsible for the international franchising and licensing arrangements and has successfully introduced the Office Depot brand to the Middle East.
Mr. Wessel is a member of the Senior Management Team of the International division of Office Depot and acts as an advisor to the Boards of the joint ventures in Mexico and India. In addition, Mr. Wessel served as a director on the board of the Office Depot Foundation and is a member of the Client Advisory Council of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms.
Mr. Wessel specializes in the following areas: M&A, Franchising and Licensing, International Contracts, Restructurings, Litigation/Arbitration, Pensions, Labor and Works Council Negotiations.
