Berlin – International commercial law firm CMS Germany has appointed a new Chief Human Resources Officer. Paula Wernecke will take over the role from Dr Marcel Klugmann on 1 September 2022. Klugmann headed up the Human Resources team at CMS for two and a half years on a temporary basis. He will now return full-time to his role as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, along with other responsibilities in the firm’s central management team.
Born in 1982, Paula Wernecke has been Counsel in the employment law practice at CMS since 2019. She previously worked for Adidas AG from 2012 onwards, holding a number of key positions within the Dax-listed company, most recently as Senior Director Global Legal & Compliance and Head of Global Legal HR & Labor Relations. Wernecke made a substantial impact at the sports goods manufacturer. She worked both at Adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, and in Tokyo, Japan, developing and managing the employment law section and HR within the Labor Relations function.
Dr Martin Vorsmann, Managing Partner at CMS Germany: “I am delighted with the appointment of Paula Wernecke as Chief Human Resources Officer at CMS.” Vorsmann commented that he regards effective personnel work as a core requirement for the law firm’s long-term success. “Through her experience of in-house roles, combined with her work as a lawyer and her specific knowledge of the inner workings of our firm, Paula Wernecke is ideally qualified for her new area of responsibility. We have gained a highly dynamic individual with a strong track record of getting things done. Together with the HR team and in consultation with the firm’s boards, she will help to raise our profile as an attractive employer. I look forward to working with Paula Wernecke and wish her a smooth start in her new function,” said Vorsmann.
For her part, Wernecke is approaching the new challenge with zest and a clear vision: “Being involved in shaping and developing CMS as an employer, and making improvements over the long term, is a crucial task, especially as it also has a direct impact on the everyday work and life of all my colleagues. I am very aware of the responsibility involved and am grateful for the trust that CMS has placed in me.”
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