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Funke is an experienced General Counsel and senior business leader who helps ambitious organisations navigate growth, transformation and complex legal and commercial challenges.
With more than 25 years’ experience spanning in-house leadership and corporate/M&A private practice, Funke has held senior legal and executive roles across global pharmaceuticals, life sciences, healthtech and technology. She has served as General Counsel and legal leader at organisations including Roche, Cycle Pharmaceuticals, Open Medical and Everway, advising boards, founders and executive teams on business-critical legal, commercial, governance and strategic matters.
Funke brings particular strength in corporate/M&A, complex commercial contracting, fundraising and strategic transactions, corporate governance, regulatory and compliance matters, data protection, risk management and legal function leadership. Her early career as a corporate/M&A and corporate finance lawyer included acquisitions and disposals, public and private company transactions, fundraising, listings and other complex transactional work.
She is particularly experienced in supporting scaling, investor-backed and internationally operating businesses, whether establishing or transforming a legal function, supporting growth and investment, navigating major transactions, strengthening governance or providing trusted day-to-day counsel to boards and senior leadership.
Alongside her broad General Counsel expertise, Funke has developed significant expertise in AI governance, data and responsible technology, advising organisations on proportionate frameworks that enable innovation while managing emerging legal, regulatory and reputational risk.
Funke combines the judgement of an experienced General Counsel with the commercial perspective of a former CEO, organisational strategy Partner and Non-Executive Director. She is known for translating complexity into clear, pragmatic advice and for operating as a trusted strategic partner to senior decision-makers.
Her leadership and wider contribution to business and society have received significant recognition, including an MBE. She is also an experienced public speaker, media contributor and author of Climbing Mountains: My 5-Stage Journey to Resilient Leadership.
Outside work, Funke enjoys travelling, Italian opera and keeping fit.
