Stefan Wilhelm

Stefan is a mediator by training, registered under Section 5(1) of the German Mediation Act. Throughout his career, he held managerial positions in the industry, retiring from 3M in 2023 as Director of EMEA IP Litigation. Managing IP litigation for a multinational company requires business acumen, analytical ability, creativity, excellent communication and negotiation skills, scientific expertise, and, of course, legal and transactional knowledge and experience. Stefan brings all that to the table. He has around 20 years' experience in litigation and has leveraged his extensive knowledge of and experience with ADR techniques, options and strategies acquired by handling a myriad of litigation cases throughout his career. While at 3M, he handled a workload of 30-40 cases/a including cross-country and cross-Atlantic cases. Regarding patent litigation specifically, he has experience sitting on both sides of the bench and has served as a Technically Qualified Judge since 1 June 2023. In this role, he has been involved in more than 20 cases, primarily in the mechanical field, including medical and optical devices. Stefan also held business assignments at 3M and sat on various management committees at 3M throughout his career. He has an entrepreunarial spirit and set up i.a. IP litigation as a profit centre in EMEA and an IP department in CEE. He is a German and European patent attorney by training and holds an LL.M. from the University of Hagen. He has a broad scientific background built upon his studies of chemistry and physics at the University of Bonn from 1978 to 1985. He holds a PhD in physical chemistry, awarded with distinction by the University of Bonn. His multifaceted profile particularly qualifies him for the roles of a mediator and assistant arbitrator.