Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

Leading a sizeable in-house legal team which actively supports a group with vertical, very diverse, complex, and highly regulated activities at the forefront of technological and digital transformation, I cannot help but focus on innovation and efficiency when it comes to the way we support our internal clients.

I am not speaking about breakthroughs, but about small changes that make a big difference; digitisation, experimentation with new software, artificial intelligence, end-to-end accountability, ‘business partner’ concepts, and agility are key areas of focus.

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

OTE Group is, through several companies in Greece and abroad, active in a very wide spectrum of activities. Being the leading telecom provider in Greece, it builds and operates the largest fixed and mobile infrastructure network in Greece and provides the full range of telecom services. It also provides paid TV services through COSMOTE TV, digital banking payment services (through Payzy), online platform services for insurance brokerage and food delivery (COSMOTE Insurance and Box), and integrated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions for the public and private sector. Within the frame of its omni-channel customer experience strategy, it operates a very large “phygital” sales network. At the same time, it has a very significant real estate business and operates in Romania. It is worth noting that OTE also provides limited energy services.

Consequently, my team is deeply and actively involved in the legal and regulatory management of all these activities, which also involve a broad range of merger and acquisition transactions at national and international levels, restructuring and complex finance transactions, recovery and resilience facility (RRF), ESG-related transactions, labour issues, power purchase agreements (PPAs), corporate governance and capital markets, AI technologies, competition law and regulation, personal data, cyber security, and public affairs, among others.

In the past year, the group has been consistent in pursuing its vision to be the leading digital services provider in Greece and has been very active in all the above areas. Hence, my team and I have been heavily occupied in successfully completing these challenging responsibilities.

How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values? Are you likely to reconsider what firms you work with based on this?

Business ethics, transparency, respect, fairness, and professional integrity are at the core of our company’s values. These values are my gatekeepers in choosing our external lawyers, no matter what.