What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

One of the most formative experiences in my career was playing a central role in the launch of PKO Bank Polski’s Romanian branch. PKO Bank Polski is the largest bank in Poland and one of the largest financial institutions in Central and Eastern Europe. Even before operations commenced, I collaborated closely with the legal team in Warsaw to design the legal architecture, secure regulatory approvals, and implement group policies into Romanian compliant frameworks. The process demanded: tight cooperation with the public authorities (including regulators) during the certification process, aligning cross-border compliance, preparing for client onboarding and financing operations. Beyond pure legal work, I was also involved in operational matters – collaborating not only with business, compliance teams, but also with technical departments such as payments, IT, in order to ensure a seamless functioning of the branch.

In addition to my role during the pre-operational stage of the branch (PKO Bank Polski S.A. Varsovia, Sucursala Bucuresti), I played a key role in negotiating and documenting the branch’s first financing transactions, balancing commercial needs with strict regulatory oversight, which was essential for earning trust with regulators and clients alike, requiring adaptability and foresight.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

I believe that strong values underpin resilience in difficult times.  These values are generally integrity, courage, responsibility, discipline, compassion, humility, patience, perseverance, and gratitude.

For our newly established Romanian branch, I prioritise early risk-mapping, close monitoring of regulatory developments, and maintaining strong communication with both group headquarters and local team and regulators. I focus on providing clear, business-oriented guidance that allows management to take timely, informed decisions without compromising compliance. Therefore, the legal function becomes not just a safeguard, but a key partner – able to anticipate challenges, reduce exposure, and ensure continuity of operations even in volatile moments.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

 As country legal counsel for the Romanian branch of the largest bank in Poland since its inception, I have been deeply involved in establishing and guiding the branch both through its pre-operational stage and also its first operational year. The opportunity to have a central role in the building of a new branch of an international financial institution in Romania can definitely qualify as particularly unique. Some of the most challenging aspects involved building the relationship with the clients, including structuring frameworks for client onboarding, ensuring alignment with both local regulations and group-wide compliance standards.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on that you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful of?

First, the increasingly complex foreign direct investment (FDI) screening regimes in Europe have become a decisive factor in structuring transactions, requiring proactive risk assessment and early engagement with regulators. Second, the rapid development of AI tools is reshaping compliance, due diligence, and risk monitoring, but also raising ethical and regulatory questions that legal departments must address carefully. Within the banking market, strengthening institutional resilience has become a priority, with legal teams heavily involved in cybersecurity, data protection, and fraud prevention frameworks.