Publicly quoted, Attica Group operates international ferry services in Europe through its main trademark names, Superfast Ferries and Blue Star Ferries. Having worked at the company since 2002, general counsel and the director of legal and corporate affairs Yiota Krassakopoulou has a vast understanding of the company’s operations and the wider industry.

Prior to being appointed to her current role in 2015, Krassakopoulou impressed Attica’s senior management on a number of projects including a successful multi-jurisdictional litigation in Finland. In this case she worked on proceedings involving German seafarers over the sale of Greek vessels made in 2005, as well as the refinancing of the Group’s loans in 2014. Today she advises Attica’s CEO and board of director’s on legal, political and governmental relations, as well as the management of regulatory and political risk, providing input into strategic business decisions and initiatives in the process. It is to this end that Krassakopoulou continues to work on the most important company matters.

In 2016 she played a key role in the agreement between Attica and BMCE Bank, one of Morocco’s largest banks, which established Africa Morocco Links (AML), a Moroccan subsidiary with Attica Group holding a 49% stake. She oversaw the establishment of AML as a company under Moroccan law and the opening of a new ferry line between Morocco and Spain in a record period of three months. The following year, Krassakopoulou impressed peers again by facilitating the acquisition of Hellenic Seaways (HSW), the largest takeover effort in the sector in recent years, during which she led the negotiations and saw the successful completion of the project subject to the Hellenic Competition Commission’s approval. In addition to her position at Attica, Krassakopoulou contributes to the wider Greek ferry industry as a legal advisor to the Union of Greek Passenger Shipping Companies.

Having undertaken this role in 2004, she has since led the process of liberalisation of the Greek cabotage market which involved designing and implementing the legal and political strategy that led to the harmonisation of Greek cabotage legislation to EU law, leading to a profound change in the ferry services in Greece, one of Europe’s largest ferry markets. She also successfully led the defence strategy of the industry trade association and 14 ferry companies in an alleged cartel infringement of EU and Greek competition law. With such achievements on behalf of the company and for her contribution to the industry as a whole, it is easy to see why peers highlighted Krassakopoulou as worthy of recognition.