Smaragda Rigakou is an attorney at law accredited at the Supreme Court (Athens Bar, 2010). She is currently the general counsel and director of legal, regulatory and compliance at the Athens Stock Exchange Group. She is a member of the Athens Stock Exchange Steering Committee, member of the board of directors of the Energy Exchange Clearing House and vice president of the board of directors of Athens Exchange Group Occupational Insurance Fund. With a specialisation in banking, financial, capital markets, European and competition law, she has worked in leading law firms in Athens distinguished by Chambers Europe and Legal 500. She has dealt with several complex financial transactions and had a leading role in the recapitalisation of Greek banks in 2015.

Smaragda graduated with honours from the Athens School of Law with an LL.M. in European Law and an MSc. in banking and finance (with distinction) and has achieved extensive academic work. She is the author of the book “State aid rules in the financial crisis” and co-author of the books “State Aid Law” and “Treaty of the European Union and Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union – Interpretation by Article“. Moreover, she lectures in e-learning courses at the University of Piraeus and courses of European Law in the Athens School of Law.

She has been a member of numerous legislative committees for the adoption of capital markets legislation (i.e., transposition of MiFID II, UCITS V Directive, AIFMD, Equity-based crowdfunding, SRD II) and participates in national and European fora regarding the revision of capital markets legislation. Smaragda is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Union of Listed Companies in Greece.