When Ernst van de Weert took on the General Counsel role at Heineken, his CEO gave him one clear mandate: elevate the legal function as a better partner to the business. In the wake of COVID, with budgets under pressure and the C-suite demanding cost control, Ernst knew transparency would be the key.
Heineken partnered with PERSUIT to bring a competitive, data-driven approach to outside counsel management. The platform revealed new firms capable of delivering superior work at reduced rates — firms that had never previously been on Heineken's radar.
The ROI was quick and measurable. PERSUIT gave Heineken a form of transparency on external counsel that Ernst had never seen before — across all operating companies globally. It became the tool that proved the legal function could deliver measurable business value.