Team size: Seven

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 organisational resilience?

Working in healthcare has reinforced my belief that legal leadership is about enabling confident decision-making in circumstances where every decision may affect patients, healthcare professionals, public resources and public trust.

As Head of Legal Department and Secretary of the Board of Directors of the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO), the largest healthcare provider in Cyprus, I support decision-making in a complex environment combining corporate governance, healthcare regulation, employment matters, public accountability, major contractual relationships and organisational transformation.

Leading a team of 7 supporting approximately 7,500 employees has proven that influence is not measured by the size of the legal department, but by its ability to provide timely, commercially sound and practical advice where it matters most.

My approach during crises is based on early involvement, understanding operational realities and ensuring that leadership has a clear assessment of risks, options and consequences.

For SHSO, organisational resilience means enabling the continuous delivery and improvement of public healthcare services whilst maintaining strong governance standards. I believe the role of legal is not simply to minimise risk, but to enable responsible, informed and sustainable decision-making.

How do you balance being a legal risk manager with being a strategic business enabler, and where do you see the biggest tensions?

For me, managing risk and enabling progress are not conflicting objectives. Effective legal risk management should not prevent an organisation from moving forward; it should ensure that progress is sustainable.

The greatest challenge is balancing appropriate caution with timely decision-making, particularly in healthcare where legal, operational and reputational considerations often converge.

In my opinion, the most effective legal teams are not those that explain why something cannot be done, but those that identify how it can be achieved responsibly. Our greatest value comes when we understand the organisation’s objectives, ask the difficult questions and identify the safest and most effective path forward.

A strong legal function protects the organisation. An outstanding one helps shape its direction, strengthens its governance and enables lasting organisational success.