Event Report

On 30th January, The Legal 500 was delighted to return to Nicosia to host the GC Summit Cyprus 2024. The event brought together over 100 leading general counsel, private practice practitioners, and consultants based in Cyprus. They engaged in insightful discussions and exchanged ideas on cutting-edge legal topics through six outstanding panel discussions. 

 The opening panel, entitled ‘Strategies for Navigating EU Data Privacy, How AI is shaping the future of Law, and Whistleblowing Insights, kicked off the event in style. George Mountis, co-managing partner of Chrysostomides Advocates & Legal Consultants, produced and moderated this panel, which included panelists Alexandros Georgiades, Alexandra Kokkinou, Alexandros Efstathiou, and Pavlos Dekatris, all of whom are Chrysostomides Advocates & Legal Consultants members.

The dynamic interaction between the audience and the thought-provoking questions posed by the moderator turned this session into an excellent launchpad for the rest of the day.

The following panel, moderated by Michael Kyriakides, partner at Harris Kyriakides, gave the audience a clear understanding of the situation of the M&A industry in Cyprus today as well as the opportunities and challenges it poses to the various businesses that have made it a goal of theirs to engage in M&A operations both now and through 2024. Pavlos Masouros (Masouros & Partners), Andrea Newton (Harris Kyriakides), and Georgios Ioannou (KPMG) joined the discussion and provided practical insights and shared best practices.

Andria Koukounis, partner at EY Law, Koukounis, Karaolis LLC, led the third session of the morning, providing the audience with a timeline of the in-house legal team’s position as a catalyst for success in reorganisations.  This session analysed best practices for general counsel to serve as a compass and navigate all corporate transition elements, risks, and challenges to achieve a seamless transformation course, and was highly received by the audience.

Following the information-filled morning, the guests took a break. A networking session, headed by Deloitte Legal, Hadjianastassiou, Ioannides LLC, gave our guests the opportunity to consolidate their ideas and discuss what had occurred earlier in the morning.

Following the networking session, the last round of talks began with the panel titled “Introducing the Future of Legal Expertise: Welcoming a Virtual Junior Corporate Lawyer to the GC Team!”

The panel, which included Christina Ioannidou (partner, Ioannides Demetriou), Nayia Morphi (partner, Ioannides Demetriou), and George Kallinicou (director, Nobel Trust), as well as Demetris Eliades, head of international business banking at Eurobank (Cyprus)., This session was facilitated by seasoned attorney Katerina Hadjichristofi, partner at Ioannides Demetriou. The panelists primarily discussed the new era of constant change and innovation that corporate lawyers face, as well as the unprecedented challenges they face in navigating the legal aspects of a rapidly changing economic and technological landscape. 

The captivating panel on the “Remote Work Revolution” was skillfully moderated by Andrea Kallis, a seasoned expert in employment law and partner at Elias Neocleous & Co LLC. Joining her were Fabian Cabeza, an associate at the same firm, Aleksandra Mirgorodskaia, senior legal counsel at Gaijin, and the esteemed Tony Jamous, CEO at Oyster. Together, they delved into the dynamic landscape of corporate law in Cyprus, unraveling the intricacies of remote employment. The discussion not only addressed the challenges stemming from recent legislative changes but also provided insightful perspectives on how corporate lawyers can adapt to the evolving work environment. The anticipation of future legal developments to effectively manage upcoming challenges added an element of anticipation to the engaging discourse.

The event reached its zenith with a lively lunch, fostering an atmosphere where participants cheerfully exchanged ideas, opinions, and their event experiences.

We are grateful to all of our sponsors and the Cyprus in-house community for allowing us to collaborate with you in this fantastic event once more.

Until next time.

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