When Emil Sepstrup Reventlow first started his law degree, he imagined himself in pharma - maybe something in biosciences, inspired by his student job at Novozymes. Sports media - that wasn’t on the radar.
Yet today, Emil is Director of Corporate Legal at Better Collective, a digital sports media company deeply embedded in the world of sports betting. The journey that got him there wasn’t linear - but it’s been shaped by clear threads: curiosity, adaptability, and a strong instinct for practical solutions.
After law school, Emil expected to complete the required three years in private practice in order to pass the Danish bar - and then quickly pivot in-house. But “things got fun,” he admits. One interesting case led to another, and he ended up staying in private practice for over seven years. It wasn’t until the birth of his third child that he took a step back, reevaluated, and finally made the jump in-house - first to Danske Spil, then L’Oréal, and ultimately to his current role where his passion for sports and law finally merged.
Asked to define his professional mission, Emil offers a candid reflection: “I never wanted to lead the classic ‘department of no’.” Instead, his aim is to lead a legal function that works closely with commercial teams, brings pragmatic thinking to the table, and acts as a trusted business partner. “Being close to the business is everything,” he says. “It’s not just about quoting law - it’s about understanding the broader context and finding workable solutions.”
One of the things he values most about being part of the Openli community is the access to fresh perspectives. “You spend your days with the same team, the same challenges,” he explains. “Hearing how others, in completely different settings, think about the same questions - that's both grounding and energising.”
Much of Emil’s legal outlook was shaped early in his career, by a mentor who could tackle any legal problem by thinking through the logic - even without textbooks at hand. “He had this ability to reason his way through anything with clarity,” Emil says. “That’s something I try to emulate: not getting lost in the details, but focusing on the bigger picture.”
And while Emil might not warm up for punk bands or moonlight as a carpenter, there’s still more to him than the usual corporate profile. For one, he’s a father of four - something that surprises many colleagues and likely contributes to his no-nonsense, solution-focused approach. “Time is a luxury,” he says with a smile. “You learn to cut through the noise.”
One more thing that catches people off guard? “My height,” he laughs. “People who only know me from video calls are always surprised when they meet me in person - I'm nearly two meters tall.”
Emil also spent the early part of his career in Greenland, working for a small full-service firm where he quickly found himself thrown into everything from the country’s largest court case at the time to leading AGMs of public companies. “That experience gave me a generalist mindset early on,” he reflects. “When I moved back to Denmark, I’d already seen more variety than many seasoned lawyers.”
His path might not have followed the original plan - but it’s precisely that winding, experience-rich route that’s shaped Emil into the legal leader he is today.
