Romania 2024
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
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!
Legal 500 was proud to host the second edition of the GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025 in Nairobi, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. This year’s reception brought together over 100 of the most influential and innovative corporate counsel from the region, and was an unrivalled success, cementing Legal 500’s role as the leading voice in recognising in-house legal excellence across Africa.
The evening was opened by Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC Powerlist publication at Legal 500, who highlighted the growing prestige of the East Africa edition and the increasing challenge of selecting honourees from such a deep (and rapidly growing) pool of talent.
Guests were then treated to some particularly relevant insights from distinguished speakers. Rachel Musoke, Head of ENS Uganda, delivered a thoughtful welcome that reflected on the importance of collaboration between private practice and in-house teams. This was followed by a powerful keynote from Habil Waswani, Company Secretary & Director Legal Services and Regulatory Compliance at Kenya Airways, who shared reflections on leadership, regulatory stewardship, and the evolving role of corporate counsel in East Africa.
The highlight of the evening was the certificate ceremony, where this year’s honourees were formally recognised. Certificates were presented by senior representatives of ENS, including Désiré Kamanzi (head of ENS Rwanda), Rachel Musoke, Nigel Shaw (head of ENS Kenya), Donald Nyakairu (Partner, ENS Uganda), Dieudonne Nzafashwanayo (partner, ENS Rwanda) and Binti Shah (Partner, ENS Kenya) whose participation underlined the depth of the firm’s support for the GC Powerlist initiative.
The GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025 reaffirmed The Legal 500’s commitment to shining a spotlight on the region’s most talented in-house lawyers. With an even stronger field of candidates, this year’s edition stands as a powerful testament to the influence and expertise of East Africa’s legal leaders. Habil Waswani’s excellent speech, which got a raucous reception from those in the room, is reproduced below with his permission:
‘My name is Habil Waswani, and I have been an inhouse legal practitioner for the past 21 years in different sectors (having done law-firm practice for 2 years before that). Tt is indeed a true privilege and honour for me to be here tonight, surrounded by the sharpest legal minds and calmest crisis-handlers the East African corporate world has to offer.
First, let me thank the Legal 500 and ENSAfrica teams, for organising such a fantastic event and for bringing us together in such style. Congratulations to each of tonight’s honourees. You represent the very best of general counsel in this very dynamic corporate space the businesses we support operate in. Strategic, ethical, resilient, and, let’s be honest, often underappreciated leaders of industry.
I am so happy that this evening is not about contracts, or compliance checklists, or board packs. Tonight is about celebrating you, the people behind all of that. The steady hands guiding companies through complexities, uncertainties, and ensuring that the opportunities that lie within those difficult circumstances are lawfully realized.
We all know the role of GCs has evolved. We are no longer tucked away at the end of a corridor marked “Legal” or labelled the proverbial “cost centres”. These days, the GCs sit at the big table – helping drive corporate strategy, shaping desired culture, providing leadership and safeguarding business reputations. We have become indispensable partners to businesses, interpreters, navigators, protectors… and on some (many) days, therapists with law degrees. And yet, we mostly do it all so quietly. No victory laps, no press releases. Often, success for us means the expected disaster didn’t happen.
But tonight, we break that rule. Tonight, we raise a glass to the GCs who’ve blazed the trail courageously, with clarity, conviction, and tremendous resilience that only matches the expectations of the Leadership Guru John Maxwell when he said, “resilient leaders don’t wait for the storm to past — they learn to dance in the rain”. You have managed to balance growth and governance, risk and reward regularly. And, of course, always managed to deal with those 10pm messages: “Hey, just a quick question…Are you able to talk right now…?”
Let this evening serve as a reminder that you are not just experienced legal advisors. You are leaders — spear heads and enablers of execution — and without a doubt critical pillars of business strategy.
To all the honourees, congratulations once again for the well-deserved recognition. This is for the heavy lifting that you do, the standards you uphold, and the impact you make – quietly, consistently, and brilliantly so. You’ve earned this spotlight.
