About

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Allegro.eu is a Luxembourg entity and one of the largest companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Created 25 years ago it is now an e-commerce platform used by millions across the CEE. As general counsel of the Luxembourg entity and chief legal officer of its main operating subsidiary, Tom has overseen the legal side of the growth, with his team building up talent due to Allegro’s listing – the largest in the Warsaw bourse’s history (market cap at IPO was approximately €10bn), as well as the group’s expansion into the Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Croatian and Hungarian markets alongside the ongoing development of Allegro’s financial services and logistics operations. Tom’s responsibilities range far beyond legal affairs, as he also oversees regulatory and public affairs, PR, and ESG matters, as well as compliance, risk, data protection, information security, BCM, and insurance and loss protection issues. It is never a boring day with such a scope of activities in an ever-growing international company. 

It has been a challenge to master the requirements of regulators across CEE and various businesses. Ensuring compliance across borders when so many EU regulations were supposed to unify the approach to the same matter has become fraught with difficulty as some countries delay the implementation of EU rules, whilst others amend them to their own jurisdiction’s needs. Top of mind this year for Allegro is preparation for the implementation of the new CSRD ESG reporting requirements, ensuring that the data capture needed for the reporting is robust enough to stand up to next year’s mandatory auditing process. His wide experience and Allegro’s growth have allowed Tom to become a leader of dialogue on behalf of not only Allegro itself but the European digital business sector as such. He offers deep understanding of complex EU digital legislation and how it interplays with local implementation in multiple national jurisdictions. Tom has also proven his abilities in managing often very complex relationships with regulators and government agencies throughout the CEE region, all topped off with one-of-a-kind conflict resolution skills. 

Tom is the president of the Allegro Foundation, which has contributed almost €100m euros over the last three years alone to the fight against Covid-19 and the consequences of the Russian war in Ukraine. Allegro’s online auction platform is available free of charge to hundreds of NGOs allowing them to collect almost €10m per annum in a variety of donations. Tom is keen on making sure that Allegro is socially responsible and ensuring that Allegro always does the right thing. 

Before Allegro, Tom – a graduate of the Warwick University Law School – worked as Of Counsel at the Polish law firm Wardynski & Partners, as a management board member at the WSE-listed telecommunications company Netia, and then at WSE-listed Apator and Magna Polonia. Tom was for six years the chair of the Brussels-based European Competitive Telecommunications Associations and served as deputy chair of the SOT KIGEIT in Warsaw. Tom Ruhan is also a member of the board at the “Dorastaj z nami” (“Grow with us”) Foundation, taking care of children of Polish soldiers, police, fire, and border guards who die in the course of duty.