Team size: 4

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

Over the past 12 months, I have participated in various large-scale projects of our Bank, including various financing projects, syndicated loans and project finance transactions. This experience has enhanced my commercial awareness and strengthened my ability to work under tight timeframes.

In addition to the above, I have been actively involved in the upcoming legal merger of our bank with another credit institution in Cyprus and of the ongoing legal integration of the two credit institutions — a complex and strategically significant merger for the financial and banking sector in Cyprus. I was involved in reviewing and drafting documentation, liaising with external legal advisors and relevant stakeholders and counterparties. It was a valuable and rewarding experience that deepened my knowledge of mergers and reorganisations, as well as equipped me with a better understanding of large-scale corporate transactions. As the project progresses, we continue to work closely with internal stakeholders and external advisors to align legal frameworks, manage transitional risks, and support the broader integration strategy. I strongly believe that navigating the ongoing demands of this collaborative project has reinforced my ability to manage expectations, work closely with all relevant stakeholders, establish trustworthy relationships and assist our Group to smoothly progress with the merger and integration of the two credit institutions.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organization’s resilience?

In the midst of geopolitical issues, shifts in economic volatility and rising regulatory complexity, organizations around the globe are considering their business structures and risk appetite. In-house lawyers are, thus, facing additional challenges to meet new business demands and find new ways to better support the operating models of their organisation during periods of either instability or crises. I take a proactive approach to legal risk management by rapidly identifying potential exposures, ensuring regulatory compliance, and enabling agile decision-making. I work closely with the organisation’s management to provide clear, solutions-oriented legal guidance that supports continuity and protects the organisation’s interests.

Managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, such as regulatory changes, economic or business instability, commences by working proactively and aligning business goals; such alignment will ensure organisational strength in such periods or crises. An in-house counsel may proactively identify legal risks and considerations and maintain a transparent relationship with business stakeholders to help the organisation navigate periods of instability or crises and subsequently rise stronger.

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

A modern in-house counsel must combine legal and technical expertise together with business and commercial understanding to best support their organisation; an organisation with an in-house counsel with the aforementioned skills and with strong interpersonal skills by its side, will thrive since such counsel will be able to align legal considerations with business targets in a constructive and solution-oriented manner. Moreover, creating and sustaining trusting relationships with relevant stakeholders’ aides in viewing an in-house counsel as a business partner.

In general, an in-house counsel must be a strategic partner to business stakeholders by contributing to the strategic thinking and decisions of the organisation and add, thus, value to business’s objectives and risk appetite.