What are the key projects you have been involved in over the past twelve months? Can you describe an instance where your legal advice directly influenced business strategy or commercial objectives?

In the past twelve months at Marguerite, I have been involved in several notable transactions, acting both as a buyer for our latest infrastructure fund, Marguerite III, and as a seller for our more mature funds.

On the acquisition side, these included AQS, a leading aquaculture vessel operator in Norway, and FibreConnect, a wholesale ultra-broadband telecommunications services provider in Italy. We also successfully completed two divestment processes, namely the sale of our stakes in a portfolio of 14 regional airports in Greece and in City Green Light, a leading independent public lighting and smart city operator, both originally invested in 2018.

These transactions are representative of landmark investments within their respective sectors. The acquisition of AQS supports the expansion of a leading Norwegian aquaculture services platform, with a strong focus on fleet electrification and the decarbonisation of maritime operations.

Similarly, our investment in FibreConnect contributes to the rollout of critical digital infrastructure in Italy, accelerating the adoption of fibre networks in underserved industrial areas and supporting the broader digital transformation of European businesses.

On the divestment side, the sale of our stake in the portfolio of 14 regional airports in Greece marked the successful exit from one of Europe’s most prominent transport infrastructure concessions, following a period of significant modernisation, capacity expansion and passenger growth that contributed to the country’s economic recovery.

Finally, the exit from City Green Light reflects the maturation of a leading energy-efficiency and smart city platform in Italy, delivering large-scale public lighting and digital services to municipalities and supporting the energy transition through innovative, sustainable infrastructure solutions.

In my role as head of legal, I had the pleasure of working closely with colleagues and local counsel to deliver robust legal documentation aligned with our commercial objectives. This included ensuring sustainable shareholder governance frameworks for our new investments and implementing disciplined, clean exit principles for our sale transactions.

What key trends should in-house counsel be monitoring over the next six to twelve months?

To keep the list focused, I would highlight two key trends affecting different aspects of fund operations.

First, the continued development of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools is set to transform how legal and business functions operate within investment platforms. While a number of solutions are already effective in law firms and large organisations, fully integrated systems that combine legal and non-legal workflows remain limited for mid-sized fund managers. Over the next six to twelve months, in-house counsel should monitor the maturity of these tools, particularly their ability to enhance efficiency, decision-making, and risk management across the organisation.

Second, the ongoing evolution of the European Union regulatory landscape will continue to shape capital flows into infrastructure funds. Recent and anticipated initiatives and reforms aimed at facilitating greater investment of pension funds and institutional investors into private equity funds are likely to have a material impact on fundraising, structuring and investor relations. In-house counsel will need to closely track these developments at both EU and national levels to anticipate opportunities and ensure continued compliance.

Beyond your legal role, is there a cause or initiative you are especially passionate about?

As head of legal, I interact both with partners on our projects and with investors in our funds. In the latter role, I am particularly passionate about supporting the development of private equity markets in Central Europe, a region where I spent a significant part of my professional career before joining Marguerite in 2010.

I see strong potential in the region, driven by its continued economic convergence with Western Europe, a growing pipeline of high-quality mid-market companies, and increasing interest from international investors. At the same time, there is a clear trend towards stronger capital accumulation from local investors, including pension funds and other institutional players, who stand to benefit from supporting the further expansion of long-term, locally anchored investment ecosystems.