What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

The ability to thrive in uncertain times is challenging, especially in this period coming out of the pandemic. In the financial market, the word ‘turbulence’ could be used to describe 2022. All individuals in the industry, whether lawyers or not, felt the pressure of a future recession. Since the publication of the wrongly named ‘Panama Papers’ and the last inclusion since 2019 in the FATF ‘gray list,’ the image of the country has been damaged. This affected not only the banking industry, but the country’s economy. I believe that we can all come together to lessen this weight by putting our best foot forward in our industries.

In which ways have you attempted to bring the legal department closer to your business colleagues?

Legal and compliance departments in the banking industry tend to have the reputation of being enforcement authorities. My approach, as a former compliance officer, legal director, and chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Committee, is that legal departments should oversee the institution’s affairs in a clear, respectable manor. Beyond this, I strongly believe that fostering human relations to interact with colleagues and solve problems, not only contributes to bring the legal department closer to my peers, but also to consolidate the corporate governance structure of our institutions.