Elena Bosnidou has enjoyed a number of senior in-house roles in Greece over the course of her legal career which spans over two decades. Between 1997 and 2002 she was head of a legal department at accounting giant Arthur Andersen, where she took charge of a small legal team ‘in the context of a restrictive legislative regime and the support of the worldwide Andersen legal network’. After a three year spell as senior associate at Kyriakides Georgopoulos Law Firm, Bosnidou returned to in-house life in 2006 with a short stint as the head of international legal affairs at Piraeus Bank.

By 2008 she was head legal counsel for Greece, Turkey and Egypt at First Data. ‘I had to make due adjustments to the business agreements so as to follow the standards and group policies and make them compliant with Greek legislation while maintaining maximum protection of the company’s interests’, she recalls from her three years there. Over the course of these roles, Bosnidou established herself as a key contact to prepare and review legal agreements developing and perfecting a variety of legal projects in accordance with clients’ commercial policies and strategies. She had the following to say on her move to outsourcing services specialist, INSS Ltd: ‘In 2011, I felt that I was able to capitalise on my previous experience and I decided to participate actively in the establishment of “INSS Ltd” and undertake all legal issues relating to the start-up of a company that made an effort to enter into the Greek market without having the traits and support of a well-known and established organisation under adverse economic conditions’.

As the company’s legal director and only legal advisor she adds that, ‘the challenge has been to establish a sound corporate structure and set up all contractual arrangements with clients and suppliers supporting the company’s activities with a vision of growth and expansion’. Since helping found the company, Bosnidou has worked on its on its most significant projects including the transactions related to the launching of electronic services to a network of banks regarding the supply and maintenance of point of sale (POS) terminals and ATMs, representing highly reputed organisations in Europe and Asia. Additionally, having represented these major market leaders in complex transactions including privatisations, IPOs, project finances, M&As, she develops a cross-functional team approach with a clear understanding of international business protocols.