Bernadeta Kasztelan-Świetlik
Partner
Attorney-at-law
An expert in competition and consumer law with extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. She was associated with the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) for 13 years, serving as Vice President from 2014 to 2017, where she oversaw the work of three key departments: Concentration Control, Competition Protection, and Legal. Privately, she is passionate about amateur theatre – directing and performing in productions – as well as literature, gardening, and playing the piano.
Languages:
BIO
After a brief period as a junior judge, Bernadeta developed an interest in competition law, which was a new discipline in early 1990s Poland. After her first stint at UOKiK, she spent one year leading the legal department of UPC and then joined GESSEL in 2001.
In 2014, after moving to the head office of UOKiK, she oversaw the authority’s activities in the realms of corporate concentrations, market collusions, and abuse of dominant market positions. Propagated compliance culture; initiated and oversaw preparation of two publications recognised by the World Bank and the International Competition Network (in, respectively, 2016 and 2017) in contests for the best educational / information project in the field of competition law: guidelines concerning funerary services and municipal water and sewage utilities.
In 2017, returned to GESSEL, becoming a partner and building up the firm’s competition and consumer law practice. Advises clients on cases concerning mergers, market agreements, abuse of dominant market position, abuse of contracting advantage, and payment backlogs.
Experience
Competition law
- Verifies the necessity of filing intended concentrations to the regulatory authorities in Poland and in other jurisdictions
- Drafts merger filings (descriptions of the relevant markets, estimation of market shares)
- Represents business enterprises before the antitrust authorities in merger control proceedings
- Assists with filling out official market study questionnaires
Consumer law
- Represents clients in all proceedings before UOKiK and any ensuing appeals before the courts
- Advises on preparation of notifications to UOKiK concerning violations of competition law and of applications for leniency
- Advises on due diligence and internal revisions
- Advises on implementation of compliance programmes
- Leads training sessions / webinars on competition law (e.g. distribution agreements and franchise agreements) and consumer law (regulations, standard contract terms)
- Advises on consumer protection in e-commerce (also as regards compliance with the OMNIBUS Directive)
Selected projects
- Advised private equity fund TEP Capital on the acquisition of 100% of the shares in FOL-POL, a flexible packaging manufacturer, through its portfolio company United Flexibles, as part of their buy-and-build strategy
- Advised SAPERE Holding, a Polish family-owned investment group, on the acquisition of 100% of the shares in K2 Group, a manufacturer of automotive chemicals and car care products operating in more than 90 countries
- Advised Asprod S.A., a portfolio company of the investment arm of BNP Paribas Bank Polska, on the acquisition of 100% of the shares in Bagietka sp. z o.o., a producer and distributor of bakery and confectionery products
News
& Insights
23.06.2026
GESSEL advised TEP Capital on the acquisition of FOL-POL
GESSEL advised TEP Capital, a Poland-focused private equity investor, on the indirect acquisition of 100% of the shares in Kutno-based FOL-POL sp. z o.o. through its por...
18.06.2026
GESSEL advised SAPERE Holding on the acquisition of K2 Group
GESSEL advised SAPERE Holding on its acquisition of 100% of the shares in K2 Group, the owner of the K2 brand, one of Poland’s best-known manufacturers of automotive che...
25.03.2026
GESSEL recognised in Legal 500 EMEA 2026 rankings
GESSEL is recognised in Legal 500 EMEA 2026 rankings, with 6 practice areas ranked and 5 lawyers recognised in the individual rankings. In addition, 10 lawyers are recog...
02.02.2026
GESSEL builds one of the strongest competition law practices on the market. Instytut Prawa Konkurencji team joins the firm
GESSEL has significantly strengthened its Competition and consumer law team, further developing one of the most experienced regulatory practices on the Polish market. Th...
Education and achievements
- Faculty of Law and Administration, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan
- Judge’s training articles with the Regional Court in Poznan; called to the bar as a judge, admitted practicing as an attorney
- Internships and study visits (including the Bundeskartellamt in Berlin, the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C.)
Awards
Academic publications
