Head legal counsel at Macoil International since 2007, Anta Chamosfakidi prizes a proactive approach to the challenges faced by her legal team which allows it to deploy its full capabilities most effectively. ‘It is a priority for me that the legal department acts mainly on a pre-emptive basis rather than a reactive one’, she explains.

‘Thus, a great effort was made so that policies are adopted within legal that would enable the legal department to be proactive. After working closely with the operations and trading departments, policies and guidelines were also introduced to these departments that were flexible enough so as not to disturb their work methods and clear-cut to enable a non-legal person to understand that he or she needs to address a matter to the legal department at an early stage’. Chamosfakidi’s individual abilities are as impressive as her team’s. She is one of an extremely select group of in-house counsel in Greece who have a profound understanding of marine fuels and their specifications according to international standards.

She also advises herself to be ‘well-familiarised with the basic technical aspects of a vessel engine performance’, along with ‘vast knowledge and experience on various jurisdiction requirements and procedures in order to secure a claim of supplier against a vessel’. As such, she is ideally suited for her role due to her experience, character and technical legal expertise.