GC Profile: Alexander Nielsen of Grace Construction Products

Posted: 12:37 pm Thu, July 29, 2010
By Wayne Countryman
Daily Record Assistant Editor

Alexander Nielsen was appointed chief counsel in May for Grace Construction Products, an operating unit of W.R. Grace & Co., of Columbia, providing expertise and experience with Europe and the ability to speak several languages.

Nielsen joined W.R. Grace, which operates in more than 40 countries, in 2007 as director of European legal services, based in Waterloo, Belgium. Before that, he served as legal counsel for IBM Central Holding
GmbH, in Stuttgart, in his native Germany.

In addition to law degrees from Germany and U.S. universities, Nielsen’s training included an internship in Caracas with Baker & McKenzie involving German-Venezuelan and U.S.-Venezuelan trade and commerce.

He began his legal career with the firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Frankfurt, Germany; his time there included several months assigned to a German energy company, tackling restructuring, M&A and general corporate work.

Nielsen, who is fluent in English and German and conversant in French, Spanish and Italian, is a member of the German-American Lawyers’ Association, the German-British Lawyers’ Association, the German-Italian Lawyers’ Association, German Lawyers’ Association (in-house lawyer working group) and the legal committee of the German Chemical Manufacturer Association.

His professional experience includes commercial agreements, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and general corporate and commercial law matters.

In his new role, Nielsen provides worldwide legal support to Grace Construction Products, including assistance on corporate and commercial matters and strategic transactions. He becomes the 11th member of Grace Construction Products’ leadership team.

Alexander Nielsen
Education: German schooling; J.D. in Germany; LL.M, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Most recent vacation: Getting to know Boston and the area over Easter.
Hobbies: Jogging, skiing, swimming, reading (also out-loud to my kids), writing, opera and art.
Favorite books:  Modern classics, from Joseph Conrad to Jonathan Franzen.
Most recently read: “Conspirata,” by Robert Harris, a private eye story set in the Boston area.
Favorite food: A creamy humus with a fresh oven-baked flatbread — or a classic hamburger with cheese and bacon!
Most memorable professional experience: Negotiating (for months) a huge outsourcing deal as part of a two-lawyer team — with a team of more than 30 lawyers on the opposite side!
What I like best about my current position: Worldwide responsibilities in a business with a true global reach that gives me communication opportunities aplenty with the most diverse group of clients imaginable!
Most rewarding extracurricular activity: Teaching MBA students in France about European M&A.
Childhood heroes/heroines: Willy Brandt (German chancellor in the ’70s), Tom Sawyer, Sting and Cyrano de Bergerac.