Team Size: 28 

What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months?

Delisting of the Group’s holding company from the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and its listing on the Athens Stock Exchange (ATHEX). This move presented several significant legal challenges that required meticulous attention and expertise, from navigating complex regulatory requirements and procedures necessary for a smooth exit from the LSE and full compliance with the specific requirements of ATHEX, to preparing and submitting detailed documentation, obtaining the necessary approvals, and notifying shareholders, while ensuring that all shareholder rights were maintained.

Closing down the Group’s representation offices in Russia also posed significant legal challenges, given that the Russian legal framework is highly intricate and there are numerous regulations that must be followed when winding down operations. Ensuring compliance required careful planning and coordination with local legal experts and spanned several considerations, including human resources issues, logistical aspects, and termination of leases, all of which had to be managed to avoid any legal or financial repercussions.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?  

Modern in-house counsel must move beyond traditional legal risk mitigation and regulatory compliance. As strategic business partners, we need to be adaptable, proactive, and agile, leveraging legal technology and creative solutions that align with our employer’s commercial objectives. By understanding business drivers and industry rules, we can provide guidance that enables our company to explore opportunities within its acceptable legal risk framework. It is therefore important to acquire business acumen, which allows us to distinguish between what is material and a priority for the organisation, better manage our resources, and deliver actionable and practical legal advice, thus adding value. All of this, of course, without compromising traditional values and attributes such as ethical integrity, professionalism, interpersonal skills, teamwork, and ongoing investment in learning.

How can general counsel foster a corporate culture that supports ESG principles and compliance across all levels of the organisation?

GCs are entrusted with guiding the Board, management, and staff on ESG risks and opportunities through bespoke advice, policy setting, incorporation of ESG principles into the Employee Code of Conduct and contractual documentation, training, and collaboration with the Risk Department for transparent reporting on ESG performance. They also assist the Internal Audit department in establishing secure channels for whistleblowing and conduct regular audits and risk assessments to identify and resolve any ESG gaps and risks.

What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about?  

I am passionate about educating our clients (the staff of the organisation) on legal risks, how to avoid them, and, if they do arise, how to manage them. This year, we organised a ‘Day with Legal’, an event at which members of the Legal Department presented current legal issues, such as the core provisions of DORA and the actions being implemented to ensure compliance and contribute to a more secure and resilient financial ecosystem, or GDPR and the shared responsibility to safeguard clients’ personal data. Additionally, we have launched several tailored e-training courses that illustrate legal pitfalls relevant to our industry using real-life case studies.