Biography

Valentin’s research interests include international corporate and capital market law and all related areas of business law. During previous academic positions, he gained particular research experience in the fields of financial market regulation, management compensation and takeover law.

While in residence at the Max Weber Programme, his research will primarily focus on the role of large shareholders in corporate governance. In particular, he will examine how blockholders shape the decisions of the general meeting of shareholders and influence the board of directors, but also how they interact with other groups of shareholders, notably in view of majority and minority conflict of interest situations.

Valentin graduated from the University of St. Gallen with degrees in law (BA 2007, MA 2009) and business (BA 2007, MA 2010) and from Stanford Law School with an advanced degree in corporate governance (LLM 2014). He received his doctorate from the University of Zurich (PhD 2016) for his dissertation on transaction agreements in public takeovers, which was awarded with the Issekutz Prize for outstanding performance in business law.

Before his fellowship, Valentin worked as a lawyer in the corporate and transactions group at a Swiss law firm in Zurich. His practice primarily focused on public and private mergers and acquisitions and capital market transactions and he advised on corporate and commercial law matters and corporate governance.

He has taught in particular tutorials on the general principles of contracts at the University of Zurich, a series of capital market law seminars at the University of Florence and classes on corporate social responsibility at Humboldt University in Berlin.