Helping to Build a Green Future as a Lawyer: The Story of Priscilla Meijer, General Counsel at Harvest Waste

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Priscilla Meijer, 37 years old, born and living in Amsterdam.
Started in the legal profession in a general law practice and later transitioned to the corporate sector. Held various roles as an in-house lawyer. In recent years, focused on start-ups and scale-ups, including two organizations in the renewables sector.

Which company do you currently work for, and what is your role?

I currently work at Harvest Waste as General Counsel. Harvest Waste is a spin-off of AEB and is active in waste-to-energy projects in developing countries. This means that Harvest Waste enters into concession agreements with governments to develop, build, maintain, and operate facilities that convert waste into energy. Local governments supply waste, from which materials that can be recycled are separated, while the remaining waste is converted into energy. The produced energy is then sold. The company’s focus is on India, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

“For me, working as an interim professional was an opportunity to gain insight into different organizations while exploring my options, to learn new skills, and to quickly add value to a company.”

Harvest Waste has a clear sustainability mission. Did this play a role in your decision to join the organization?

Absolutely. I find it very important to work for an organization that aims to make a positive social impact—it gives me an extra drive. I realized this when I worked at Sunrock, a former sister company of Harvest Waste, active in the solar energy sector. During my first conversation with Harvest Waste, I became very excited about their mission and goals: reducing methane emissions caused by landfills by developing sustainable waste-to-energy plants.

In what ways do you think a lawyer can support an organization’s sustainability strategy?

As a lawyer, you can contribute in many ways. At Harvest Waste, I can directly add value as part of the project team responsible for delivering projects. Additionally, I am involved in topics such as ESG.

But even if a company does not have a direct sustainability mission, a lawyer can still contribute. This includes providing support by clarifying legal obligations and frameworks, raising awareness, and setting up compliance structures to ensure adherence.

You previously held an interim role through Legal People. What prompted you to return to a permanent position?

For me, working as an interim professional was an opportunity to gain insight into different organizations while exploring my options, to learn new skills, and to quickly add value to a company.
When I started, I already knew that I eventually wanted to return to a permanent position, because it is important for me to be part of an organization for a longer period and to contribute to its growth.

During my first interim assignment, I was approached through my network for my current job.
The combination of social ambition, the role, and the fact that the company operates in the renewables sector made me very excited. Opportunities like this don’t come along often. Although I had planned to work as an interim professional for a longer period—my first assignment also became my last—I couldn’t pass up this chance.

In a permanent position, I take the time to get to know the business and my colleagues thoroughly.
Next, I start with an assessment of what is already in place, what the legal framework looks like, and what risks exist. I also evaluate whether a legal function is already embedded within the company and how internal processes are structured. After that, it is important to determine, together with the organization, where the initial focus should be. This often includes quick wins, but primarily addressing the biggest risks for the company.

As an interim professional—and that is the key difference compared to a permanent position—you start working on the substance quite quickly, with a much shorter adjustment and onboarding phase.
The assignment at Marktlink was quite specific and focused on establishing the Corporate Legal function. Marktlink already had a full team of transaction lawyers, so that was not part of my assignment.

What do you see as the biggest challenges in the role of a pioneer or first in-house lawyer?

Getting the organization on board with what needs to happen in the long term is one of the biggest challenges. Organizations recognize the need for a legal function, but they are often concerned that it will make their processes unnecessarily heavy or complex. This is understandable, especially in the start-up or scale-up phase, where the main focus is on business growth and there is still a lot of work to be done.
I have learned that it is essential to be both pragmatic and to take a commercial approach in order to truly support an organization. This requires having a clear vision of the end goal while working step by step, in a way that aligns with the company’s current growth phase.

At Harvest Waste, I notice that this challenge is less present, as the organization is already preparing for its next phase.

And finally: based on your own exploration process at the time, do you have any advice for people who are currently in that phase?

Dare to take an intermediate step. Interim work provides a great opportunity to gain experience in different environments. I learned a lot during this period and gained even more insight into what I find truly important.