At the age of 55, Gerhard Jarosch, a well-known former prosecutor, has joined as a trainee. Jarosch, who was once a key representative for the top prosecutor and headed the Austrian office at Eurojust, left the judiciary two years ago. He then became a ten percent partner at Rosam-Grünberger, one of the largest domestic PR agencies in the country. He now handles litigation and communication related to legal disputes or criminal proceedings.
There are industry rumors that Jarosch, who is planning to take the bar exam soon, will be leaving the agency. However, Jarosch, who is not affiliated with any political party, has denied these rumors to KURIER: “I will remain a co-owner and will continue to take care of clients. This will allow us to take advantage of synergies between the law firm and the agency in the future.”
Last year, the agency also brought on Wolfgang Hesoun (five percent), a former Siemens boss with connections to the SPÖ and good ties to the ÖVP. Lansky indirectly holds a position at the agency as a co-owner of Hesoun’s investment company MCCG, which was established in the summer of 2023. According to the agency, Hesoun plans to buy Lansky’s shares from this shell company that was set up as a reserve.
Azerbaijan
Hesoun, who serves as Vice President of the Austrian Economic Chamber, has been friends with Lansky for many years. They both sit on the board of the Austrian-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce ataz. The agency’s main owner and former ÖVP politician, Silvia Grünberger, as well as Barbara Three, a former Blue Vice President of the National Bank, are also on the board.
Lansky isn’t bothered by the fact that the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan is not considered a democracy: “The global economy would be quite restricted if companies only had trade relations with flawless democracies.” Lansky has previously faced public criticism for his controversial commitment to Kazakhstan from ex-ambassador Aliyev. In addition, the former SPÖ Chancellor received €120,000 through an offshore company for consultancy work in Azerbaijan from Alfred Gusenbauer, who will soon no longer be a member of the Signa supervisory board.
Network
The law firm founded by Lansky, 69, and his partner Gerhard Ganzger has six international offices and boasts more than 100 employees.
Among the top lawyers working as a senior expert counsel is Maria Berger, a former SPÖ Justice Minister and judge at the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The team also includes Dimitrios Droutsas, the former foreign minister of Greece.
Several former top diplomats also work for the law firm, including Irene Giner Reichl, the Austrian ambassador to China and Brazil, Klaus Wölfer (Türkiye) and Wolfgang Petritsch, a former EU special envoy to Kosovo and UN High Representative for Bosnia. The constitutional lawyer and former dean at the University of Vienna, Heinz Mayer, also works for the law firm. Lansky & Ganzger recently expanded their operations to the Emirates and hired Izzat Dajani, the former head of the investment department of the government of Ras Al Khaimah and CEO of Citibank Qatar.
