Assistant general counsel, legal compliance, EMEA | Genpact
Director of legal and public affairs department and member of the executive committee | Up Romania
Legal manager, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia | STRABAG
Legal director, directorate member | RetuRO Sistem Garantie Returnare
Head of legal and secretariat general department | Bucharest Stock Exchange
Head of legal, regulatory and public affairs | MOL Romania
Corporate, external and legal affairs lead, Central Europe | Microsoft
Head of legal, pole agricole, Romania, Turkey, Croatia and Hungary | IPSO Agricultură
Legal counsel, Romania and Central and Southern Europe | Michelin Romania
Manager legal department, litigation and general corporate affairs | ING Bank Romania
Head of legal and general partner | Roca X Management
Legal and compliance lead, CEE | Haleon
General counsel, compliance officer and board secretary | Holcim Romania
Following the tremendous success of last year’s inaugural edition, the Legal 500 is delighted to present the GC Powerlist: Romania 2024. This publication is dedicated to honouring and celebrating the outstanding achievements of the nation’s leading corporate counsel.
The GC Powerlist highlights the pivotal role that in-house legal professionals play in driving business success across Romania. It underscores their expertise, leadership, and unwavering commitment to excellence. This year’s edition places a spotlight on their remarkable accomplishments and innovative strategies as they navigate the country’s dynamic legal landscape. From addressing regional conflicts and embracing technological advancements to fostering diversity and inclusion and strengthening partnerships with business stakeholders, the honorees demonstrate exceptional adaptability and vision.
Inside this edition, readers will discover in-depth profiles and exclusive interviews with some of the most influential and respected general counsel in Romania, spanning diverse industries. These professionals consistently exemplify their ability to craft legal strategies, mitigate risks, and offer strategic guidance that propels their organisations forward. Their success stories are a source of inspiration for the broader legal community, illustrating the transformative impact in-house lawyers can have on business strategy and organisational growth.
Beyond individual achievements, this publication delves into critical themes and challenges shaping the corporate legal sector. It provides valuable insights and thought-provoking discussions, offering a comprehensive overview of Romania’s legal landscape. Through these narratives, readers will gain a deeper understanding of the extraordinary contributions of the in-house legal community.
We extend our sincere congratulations and gratitude to everyone featured in this year’s GC Powerlist: Romania. Their dedication and success exemplify the very best of the country’s legal talent. It is with great pride that we present this distinguished list of the country’s most exceptional and diligent in-house lawyers.
Francisco Faria e Castro  |  Research Editor  |  GC Powerlist Series
We are delighted to present the most influential in-house lawyers and legal teams in Romania!
The second edition of the GC Powerlist Romania highlights some of Romania’s most experienced GCs who excel at what they do, lead groundbreaking legal work and generally make a significant contribution to the success of their companies. They are not only great leaders, strategists and visionaries, but also valuable legal experts. They are mentors who build a positive culture, empower people to grow and develop, and guide their organisations in an ever-changing business environment. Through their dedication and hard work, they transform law and business every day.
We congratulate all the honourees on the GC Powerlist Romania and we are confident that more and more successful General Counsels and Chief Legal Officers will be recognised in future editions to give an even more complete picture of today’s legal talent.
Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații is proud to be the exclusive partner of The Legal 500 for its GC Powerlist Romania 2024!
The Legal 500 was proud to host the third edition of the GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 at the Capitol Hotel Tokyu, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals operating at the highest level of Japan’s corporate legal landscape. Held in Tokyo, this year’s reception welcomed around 100 of the most respected and senior corporate counsel from across Japan. It was an unrivalled success, and cements Legal 500’s status as the leading force in legal media supporting the achievements of in-house counsel in Japan. The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 marks the continuation of our commitment to recognising excellence in-house, and this year’s edition represents the most competitive and selective list to date.
Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC powerlist publication at The Legal 500, opened the evening with an introduction that reflected on the growing prestige of the Japan list. He emphasised how the Powerlist has grown stronger each year, both in scope and quality, making the task of selection more difficult. This year’s honourees emerged from a deeply competitive field, making their recognition even more meaningful.
Boswell extended heartfelt congratulations to all honourees and acknowledged the critical support of key partners and sponsors who made the evening possible. Special thanks were given to Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, JustLegal, and SS&C Intralinks for their generous sponsorship and ongoing collaboration.
In a moment of reflection, Joe paid tribute to Tim Mackey, chief legal officer at SoftBank, who sadly passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. Tim had contributed to the Powerlist in each of its three editions and was known not only for his exceptional legal acumen but also for his warmth and generosity.
The evening featured insightful remarks from distinguished speakers representing our partners and the broader legal community: Mischa Mulligan, Japan Director at SS&C Intralinks; Hiroki Kodate, Partner and Management Committee Member at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune; Jeremy White, Global Co-Chair of M&A for Morrison Foerster; and, representing those awarded in the Powerlist, Naoki Hamada, General Counsel for Japan at HSBC.
Each speaker provided reflections on legal innovation, leadership, and the evolving role of in-house counsel in Japan’s corporate landscape. Their remarks added valuable context to the achievements celebrated throughout the evening.
The formal awards segment celebrated this year’s GC Powerlist honourees. With assistance from long-time collaborator Isaac Uchiyama who read out awardees’ names, recipients were invited to collect their certificates, pose for photographs, and be formally recognised by their peers.
Certificates were presented on stage by Hiroki Kodate or Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and Jeremy White of Morrison Foerster, whose participation further underlined the deep support of the Japanese and international legal communities.
The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 reception reaffirmed Legal 500’s commitment to spotlighting the very best of in-house legal talent. With record levels of interest and unmatched quality among candidates, the Japan edition continues to solidify its place as one of the most respected publications in the global GC Powerlist series.
We extend our sincere congratulations to all honourees and thank our partners, sponsors, and speakers for making the evening a success.
We look forward to returning to Tokyo again next year. As a parting gift, you can view Naoki Hamada’s excellent keynote address below, where he touches on a lot of issues and themes that many other GC, whatever country they operate in, will recognise:
‘Good evening, everyone. I am Naoki Hamada of HSBC. I am very pleased to be here speaking to you today. It is a great pleasure and honor, and at the same time, I feel a bit overwhelmed being surrounded by the busiest and most expensive lawyers in the industry—even if I know that nobody will be charging us for their time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Legal 500 for organizing such a great event, and Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, SS&C Intralinks, and Just Legal for sponsoring and supporting it. And, huge congratulations on the recognition each of you is receiving, which is truly a great accomplishment and the result of your hard work and the accumulated trust the entire industry has placed in you.
It must be emphasized that this award is given only to general counsels. Being a general counsel means a lot more than just being a subject matter expert. You are a most reliable strategic partner for the business, and I am sure that you have distinguished yourself from the crowd by your ability to identify underlying risks, devise legal solutions, ensure the right processes and governance for corporate decisions, influence others, and educate the next generation of lawyers. This is what you are being recognized for.
Looking back on my career, I have been hugely helped by lawyers in other companies through various industry communities. When I joined the in-house world 12 years ago from a Japanese law firm, large international banks were all struggling with a huge wave of regulatory reform. Back then, I was relatively new to that particular area of finance, and my hiring was somewhat potential-based. Nonetheless, I was assigned to lead the regulatory reform efforts locally. My predecessor had left the bank before I joined, there was no sufficient handover, and I was completely lost as to what to do. What helped me most were the industry peer group discussions, where in-house counsels from major banks would get together to discuss common issues. I learned so much from what was discussed there and absorbed as much as I could. Without that network, I am sure that I wouldn’t have survived that time.
However, our situation today is far more difficult. The changes in the landscape we face today are unprecedented. Technological developments and the corresponding shifts in geopolitical and industrial landscapes are completely unpredictable, and the speed at which they happen is far faster than before. We might face a time that requires us to pivot, forcing us to redefine how we add value and rebuild the way we work. That is somewhat intimidating. But, I am confident that a way forward will be found through the collective wisdom and effort of the people in this room. I would like to be a part of that, and this network of people is enormously valuable and truly priceless.
Finally, let’s have a drink and celebrate our achievements for now – before your CEO calls asking you to join a call! Thank you so much.’