Part of the UK-incorporated multinational professional services network, Deloitte Greece provides audit, tax, consulting, risk advisory and financial advisory services. Since 2010, Emmanouil “Manos” Asikis, has been in charge of the in-house legal department of five lawyers at Deloitte Greece entities, worth over €40m in revenue with approximately 700 employees and four affiliates.

Over the course of his time with Deloitte Greece, Asikis has raised the seniority of the legal department within the structure of the company moving it from a cost-centre to a profit-centre, predominantly through internal compliance-based initiatives. ‘Such initiatives foster the culture that the in-house legal department may serve various roles and may assume multiple tasks that traditionally rested with the “stricto sensu” management team’, he says. Providing legal opinions of advanced complexity relating to audit law and in accordance with the International Standards on Auditing (ISA), he has proved to be ‘a valuable assisting factor’ to the various audit teams in the company.

One of his other improvements was to start and maintain a holistic contract review process with the aim of continually meeting the professional needs of all the functions. He prepared, reviewed and negotiated all engagement letters and contracts for this with clients and suppliers entered into by the four affiliates and the two branches of Deloitte Greece. Throughout his time with Deloitte, Asikis has led the legal function through a period of management change. More specifically, he crafted the main legal architecture of the transaction for the leadership transition within Deloitte Greece entities and successfully carried out complex negotiations between exiting founders and the new leadership.

With such career highlights it understandable why peers recognise Asikis as a legal professional with vast experience and expertise in corporate and commercial law and a highly experienced litigator. Prior to Deloitte, he worked for 13 years at Mantzouranis & Associates Law Office and has participated on committees implementing EU Directives into Greek legislation as well as ministerial decisions.