Vanessa is a partner and co-head of Van Doorne's Criminal Defence & Investigations practice. Vanessa focuses on internal investigations, business conduct/compliance and ESG, and criminal and regulatory enforcement. She has broad and longstanding experience in cross-border investigations and enforcement by various regulatory bodies and has been involved in a number of high profile cross-border investigations covering the Asia region, Europe and the Middle East. She is regularly asked to investigate and advise on highly sensitive matters involving C-level and provides substantive and strategic advice to boards and senior management.

In between her time at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek and return into private practice at Van Doorne she was legal counsel at Heineken International responsible globally for investigations and setting up the worldwide Business Conduct and Speak Up framework. Her national and international experiences both in and out of the legal profession make her a unique lawyer who multinationals, NGOs and public and semi-public organisations turn to when their reputation is at stake. Vanessa works closely with the various expert teams within Van Doorne and assists clients in strengthening their business conduct programs, advising on internal policies and procedures and whistleblowing matters. Vanessa excels in challenging and complex situations where the pressure and the stakes are high, including investigations into bribery, greenwashing or human rights violations. She is analytically and strategically strong, and with her dedication and sensitivity, she guides organisations through crisis situations.

Vanessa is actively involved in the healthcare and non-profit sector and holds several supervising positions. She was included in the GIR 100 Women in Investigations 2025 and in 2025 Vanessa was promoted to Band 2 in Chambers for Corporate Investigations. As a runner-up for the Global People Awards 2021 and Equals Female rolemodel in 2024, she stands up for future generations of multicultural leaders. Vanessa has published several articles in relation to internal investigations and appeared on podcasts about business conduct. She regularly lectures on internal investigations and business conduct, and (for example) teaches at the Centre for Organisational Integrity, the VU Amsterdam and the Governance University. She is member of the Diversity Committee of the Women White Collar Crime Defence Association representing Europe.

Bar Admissions
Dutch Bar

Education
Tax law & criminal law

Significant Accomplishments
Vanessa (1979) started her career at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek where she helpe to set u the Regulatory & Criminal Enforcement team. She moved in-house as a business conduct counsel at Heineken International in 2012. After a career break due to personal circumstances she returned to private practice in and set up the Criminal Defence, Investigations and Business Conduct team at Van Doorne together with Jan Leliveld. She was promoted partner in 2021 and was ranked in the GIR Top 100 Women in Investigation.

Vanessa founded Complex Care United (2CU "to see you") foundation making people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD+) and their families more visible in society provoking for a better quality of life for children and their families. She was actively involved in the development of a PIMD+ centre of expertise by the Ministry of Health.

She was a runner-up for the Global People Awards 2021 and Equals Female rolemodel in 2024

Professional Associations

• American Bar Association
• International Bar Association
  

Professional Activities and Experience
Attorney at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek
Business Conduct Counsel at Heineken international
Founder 2CU Foundation
Advisor to the board of IFFC
Partner at Van Doorne
Chair Supervisory Board at Jeroen Pit Huis