Manfred Otto heads the legal and compliance team and serves as data privacy protection officer as well as information protection delegate for BMW Group’s national wholesale and retail entities in Japan.

Before going in-house, Mr. Otto worked for U.S. law firms in Tokyo, New York, London, Frankfurt and Ho Chi Minh City, where he advised clients on corporate and M&A matters, antitrust, blockchain, banking and securities law, energy projects, and intellectual property transactions as well as related dispute resolution and investigations. The Legal 500 recommended Mr. Otto as one of the few Next Generation Lawyers for Corporate and M&A in 2018 and 2019 as well as a Recommended Lawyer for Projects and Energy in 2019 in its Asia Pacific guide.

Mr. Otto is a New York-licensed attorney and registered foreign lawyer in Japan. He earned his LL.M. degree from Temple University School of Law and teaches at Keio University Law School as well as Temple Law. He volunteers as Global Advisory Board Member of the non-profit organization Education for Sharing. Mr. Otto is fluent in English, German and Japanese.