Event Report

On Wednesday, 29th May 2024, The Legal 500 travelled to the beautiful and historic city of Athens to host the annual edition of the GC Summit Greece at the charming King George Hotel, situated in the heart of the city centre. The event saw full attendance from in-house counsel, alongside key partners — Andersen Legal, AKL Law Firm, Lamnidis Law, JPA Law, Karatzas & Partners, Platis – Anastassiadis & Associates Law Partnership, and Papapolitis & Papapolitis.

The event commenced with a welcome address by Sara Maggi, The Legal 500’s editorial lead for the summit, who set the tone for the day.

Platis – Anastassiadis & Associates Law Partnership led the first session, exploring the ‘Latest developments on the digital work card’. Partner Maria Rigaki, joined by Marina Kolia, senior legal counsel for South Central Europe at Mondelēz International; Evy Kyttari, legal director at Athenian Brewery; and Maria Katsiapi, head of legal at Public Group, discussed technological advancements and evolving workplace dynamics. They highlighted the new role of the digital work card as a crucial tool for streamlining employee documentation and enhancing workforce management processes.

Andersen Legal moderated the second panel, ‘Decoding the AI regulation in the digital age and beyond’, with Dr Themistoklis Giannakopoulos, partner, leading a discussion joined by Konstantina Soultati, senior legal counsel for Greece at Lightsource BP; Catherine Karanikola, group chief legal officer at YNV Group; and Symeon Kretsis, NOMOS operations executive at Netcompany-Intrasoft. This panel focused on the complexities of AI regulation, exploring topics such as data privacy, transparency, and ethical considerations, navigating the regulatory frontier of artificial intelligence in the digital age.

Following a refreshing coffee break, JPA International Legal Services took the helm for the third session, exploring ‘Brexit Seven Years On! How is “London Law” Now Perceived Internationally?’. Altaf Kara, CEO, was joined by Martha Kyriakaki, director and legal counsel for Southeast Europe at Adidas Hellas; Izabella M. Tsirba, head counsel for finance and capital markets at TITAN Cement Group; Despoina Doxaki, chief legal counsel at the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund; and Georgios Kourgias, legal director for Greece and the Nordics at AbbVie Pharmaceutical. They navigated Brexit’s impact on the global enforcement of UK judgments, regulatory framework disparities pre- and post-Brexit, and the ensuing challenges and opportunities for Greek legal practitioners and firms.

Karatzas & Partners presented the subsequent session, ‘Navigating through the maze of compliance regulations: The tax law example’, with senior associate Eleonora Ligoutsikou leading the discussion. Eleonora was joined by experts Kakia Tzemou, general counsel at Prodea Investments, and Katerina Patsantara, general counsel at Gastrade. This session offered practical insights into effectively addressing tax and other compliance matters in Greece and on a global scale.

After a well-deserved lunch break, the fifth panel of the day was moderated by AKL Law Firm. The panel, ‘Managing Knowledge in Contemporary Law Practice’, featured speakers Alexandros Kosmopoulos, managing partner, and Sotiris Foteas, partner, alongside Marco Veremis, partner at Big Pi Ventures Capital, co-founder and chairman of the board at Upstream, and chairman of SEV’s Innovation Committee; Dr Seraphim Voliotis, founder of Sapientia et Veritas; and Dr Thaleia Emiri, chief legal counsel at Alpha Bank. They shared insights and experiences, providing attendees with crucial tips on innovative approaches and best practices for maximising the value of knowledge assets within law firms and legal departments, through dynamic discussions and real-world examples.

The final session of the day, ‘Exploring the Greek Energy Sector and Multi-Country Energy Investments’, was presented by Lamnidis Law. Thomas Lamnidis, partner, was joined by Alexia Trokoudi, group manager for the legal division on corporate holdings and energy regulation at HELLENiQ ENERGY Holdings S.A. (VALID); Nasia Kelveridou, legal manager and compliance officer for Greece and Albania at Heidelberg Materials Hellas; Alexandra Dellis, general counsel at Nea Odos & Odos Kentrikis Elladas, GEK TERNA Group; and Maria Tsiliakou, country senior legal counsel at ABB. This session featured insights from experts with deep knowledge of the Greek energy sector and extensive experience in multi-country energy investments.

After such an insightful set of sessions, attendees moved to a drinks and canapés reception. The Legal 500 was delighted to host the GC Summit Greece 2024 and exceedingly pleased with the positive turnout and the topics discussed. We look forward to returning to Athens soon!

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