Aequo co-founding Partner Mariya Nizhnik has returned to the firm to head its Antitrust and Competition practice following four years at the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine.
In 2015 Nizhnik was appointed as the First Deputy Chair of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine. According to Aequo, “in her role at the AMCU Mariya focused on improving the efficiency of competition regulations and enforcement mechanisms to make the Ukrainian market more competitive. Mariya drove all the major reforms in this sector between 2015-2019, including the introduction of a state aid system in Ukraine, developing standards of proof in antitrust investigations, and assessments in merger control proceedings. [She] was a member of Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade of Ukraine.”
Aequo describes Nizhnik as a “well-renowned expert in the area of Antitrust and Competition law, with extensive experience at leading Ukrainian law firms advising national and international clients on competition and international trade matters.” According to the firm, “she has primarily focused on antitrust investigations (abuse of dominance and cartel cases, in particular on anticompetitive distribution arrangements, price-fixing, market allocations, exclusionary behavior), and other competition matters, including merger control and state aid.”
Nizhnik is a graduate of the Donetsk National University and holds an LL.M. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Before founding Aequo in 2014, she spent nine years with Vasil Kisil & Partners.
“I’m thrilled to re-join the partnership at Aequo, a firm with strong leadership and innovation culture," said Nizhnik. "I am looking forward to working alongside talented professionals on ambitious projects."
“We are delighted to welcome Mariya once again as our partner,” commented Aequo Managing Partner Denis Lysenko. “She is an outstanding antitrust and competition expert with an excellent track record in the market. I strongly believe that her depth of experience will provide invaluable insights to Aequo’s clients and further strengthen Aequo’s antitrust and competition team.”