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

Over the years, I have dealt with regulatory investigations, litigation, compliance issues, privacy incidents, market access challenges and periods of geopolitical uncertainty (from financial crises to wars) across Greece, Israel, Cyprus and Malta. If there is one lesson I have learned, it is that in a crisis you rarely have all the facts. At some point, you have to make a judgement call.

My role is not to eliminate risk and, to be honest, no lawyer can do that. But I can help the business understand which risks really matter, which can be managed, and where the organisation can move forward with confidence. In a highly regulated environment, legal, compliance, reputational and operational issues quickly become intertwined. What business leaders usually need is not a detailed legal analysis but clarity.

I have also learned that resilience is built long before a crisis arrives. It comes from trust, good relationships and the credibility of the legal team. When difficult situations arise, I want colleagues to pick up the phone early because they know legal will help them solve a problem, not simply explain why something cannot be done.

What is the biggest shift you have seen in the role of General Counsel in the past five years, and how do you see it evolving further?

The biggest shift is that we are no longer seen primarily as lawyers. We are increasingly expected to act as business leaders.

When I started my career, most questions coming to legal were legal questions. Today, many of the issues landing on my desk involve technology, AI, data, reputation, investigations or corporate culture. They do not fall neatly into a single function and often require balancing legal, commercial and ethical considerations at the same time.

I do not see this changing. If anything, the trend will accelerate. The growing complexity of regulation and technology means that organisations need people who can connect different perspectives, challenge assumptions and help leadership navigate uncertainty. That is increasingly where we add value.

How do you see AI and automation reshaping the legal profession, and how are you leveraging technology in your own legal team?

AI has become a major professional interest of mine. In addition to my corporate responsibilities, I represent the Athens Bar Association on the Greek Ministry of Justice committee examining AI in the judicial system, and I currently serve on the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) Network of Experts on the Future of the Legal Profession and the IT Committee.

I do not believe AI will replace lawyers. I do believe it will replace many tasks that lawyers currently spend time on, and that is a far more significant change.

For generations, lawyers derived much of their value from access to specialised knowledge. That advantage is disappearing quickly. Knowledge is becoming abundant while judgement is becoming scarce.

In my view, lawyers will increasingly act as evaluators, challengers and controllers of information produced by AI systems. The real skill will not be finding answers but knowing whether the answers are reliable, relevant and complete.

One concern I have is that legal education is not changing fast enough. Many law schools are still preparing students for a profession that is already evolving. The future belongs to lawyers who can combine legal expertise with technological literacy, business judgement and the ability to work effectively alongside intelligent systems. That, more than legal knowledge alone, will define the next generation of legal leaders.