Dec 10, 25

Moving in-house

Jelisaveta Folic Joins Max Bet as Legal Associate

Inside Insight: Berin Ridjanovic of Sarajevo International Airport

Reflecting on his path from a fascination with aircraft landings to leading Sarajevo International Airport’s legal team, Sarajevo International Airport Head of Legal discusses the complexities of air law, managing expansion projects, working with external counsel, and more.

Featured

Interview with Iwona Rykaczewska-Kuderska of Benefit Systems

General Counsel of Benefit Systems shares her leadership approach, what emerging regulatory trends are likely to have the largest impact on companies' employee benefits and wellness efforts, and more.

Ozlem Atak Joins Straumann Group as Ethics and Compliance Director Russia, Iran, Turkey, EE

"What drew me to this role is the company’s strong commitment to innovation, clinical excellence, and a truly customer-centric approach," commented Atak

Eleni Stathaki Joins Workable as General Counsel

"After almost 15 years leading Upstream’s legal team, joining Workable feels like a natural next step," commented Stathaki. "I was drawn to the company’s openness to innovation and AI, and the excitement that comes with scaling."

Monika Glowacka Joins Rezon Bio as General Counsel

Prior to joining the organization, Glowacka worked as the Head of Global Antitrust & Competition Law and Associate General Counsel Corporate Legal at Haleon between 2022 and 2025.

Inside Insight: Berin Ridjanovic of Sarajevo International Airport

Reflecting on his path from a fascination with aircraft landings to leading Sarajevo International Airport’s legal team, Sarajevo International Airport Head of Legal discusses the complexities of air law, managing expansion projects, working with external counsel, and more.

Ezgi Tali Boz Appointed Senior Legal Counsel at Mastercard

Boz has been with the company since 2022, joining as a Legal Counsel – Services – Business Development (EEMEA Region).

Majda Meric Iljazovic Becomes EVP Legal and Governance at Innomotics

Innomotics is a separately managed Siemens subsidiary in Germany. Iljazovic has been with Siemens since 2008, first joining as a Regional Compliance Officer Slovenia.

Izabela Jeznach Joins Dormakaba as Chief Legal Officer

Switzerland-based security solutions company Dormakaba has hired Polish lawyer Izabela Jeznach as its Chief Legal Officer.

Burcu Ozsevinc Joins Mikrogrup as Chief Legal Officer

Prior to joining the company, Ozsevinc worked at HotelRunner as the Director of Legal and Compliance between 2021 and 2025.

Victor Florin Mateescu Appointed to CLO at Shape Robots

The edtech company has appointed Victor Florin Mateescu as its new Chief Legal Officer. He also maintains his position as a Member of the Supervisory Board – Poland.

Interview with Iwona Rykaczewska-Kuderska of Benefit Systems

General Counsel of Benefit Systems shares her leadership approach, what emerging regulatory trends are likely to have the largest impact on companies' employee benefits and wellness efforts, and more.

Interviews

Inside Insight: Berin Ridjanovic of Sarajevo International Airport

Reflecting on his path from a fascination with aircraft landings to leading Sarajevo International Airport’s legal team, Sarajevo International Airport Head of Legal discusses the complexities of air law, managing expansion projects, working with external counsel, and more.

Interview with Iwona Rykaczewska-Kuderska of Benefit Systems

General Counsel of Benefit Systems shares her leadership approach, what emerging regulatory trends are likely to have the largest impact on companies' employee benefits and wellness efforts, and more.

Interview with Gligorije Brajkovic of UniCredit Bank Serbia

UniCredit Bank Serbia's Head of Legal Department shares leadership lessons he's learned over the years of managing legal teams, the developments in the banking and finance sector with the most lasting impact on the legal function, and more.

Interview with Mate Lapis of UNIQA Biztosito

Head of Compliance at UNIQA Biztosito shares his career trajectory, his team's role in the ethical deployment of AI solutions, the strategy for communicating complex regulatory issues to internal stakeholders, and more.

Interview with Marian Husar of J&T Finance Group and J&T Banka

General Counsel at J&T Finance Group shares his approach to aligning the legal strategy with business needs, what market dynamics are currently having the biggest impact on the banking sector, and more.

Interview with Andrius Digrys of BLRT Grupp

BLRT Grupp's General Counsel explains the benefits of building a career with the same company for more than two decades, the profound impact of geopolitical developments on the shipbuilding and maritime sector, and more.

Interview with Milan Lomic of L’Oreal

General Counsel of L'Oreal Adria & Balkan shares how his role has changed in the 13 years with the company, the impact of changing consumer expectations on the legal strategy, and more.

Inside Insight: Interview with Marek Kundrat of Corwin

Corwin Head of Legal Services Department discusses balancing legal precision with business agility, the realities of cross-border in-house work, and the shifting regulatory landscape in Slovakia’s real estate sector.

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Commentary

Future-Proofing Legal Operations: Insights into AI, LLMs, and Next-Gen Tools

Below is an excerpt from the Legal Automation Book: From Bottlenecks to Bots by Vasile Tiple, former General Counsel and Head of Legal Automation at UiPath Inc.

Crowdfunding in Kosovo: The Next Step After Capital Markets Legislation

Kosovo has no shortage of entrepreneurial talent. What remains limited is access to finance, especially for early-stage businesses that are too risky for traditional lending.

3D Chess: GCs on the Challenge of Multitasking

Taking a closer look at all the Deal 5 interviews, we sought to map out the biggest challenges that got in the way of smooth sailing.

Old Faithful: GCs on Returning to the Same Legal Advisor

Approximately two-thirds of GCs said that the reason behind choosing a specific legal counsel was their successful cooperation in the past.

Out Shopping: GCs on Picking a New Law Firm

We analyzed the fundamental factors that play a role in GCs’ decision-making process in terms of choosing a new law firm to work with.

2022 Corporate Counsel Handbook: Risks and Compliance

describe what is at the top of the agenda for their compliance and risk functions and how they nurture a culture of compliance within their companies

Corporate Counsel Handbook

your go-to guide for all things in-house legal

Packed with insights from GCs all over CEE, this issue covers everything from team leadership and budget hacks to risk management, compliance, working with external counsel, and so much more. Whether you’re an in-house pro looking to shake things up or a law firm eager to get inside the minds of your corporate clients, the 2024 CEE Legal Matters Corporate Counsel Handbook has something for everyone!

Internal moves and promotions

Ezgi Tali Boz Appointed Senior Legal Counsel at Mastercard

Boz has been with the company since 2022, joining as a Legal Counsel – Services – Business Development (EEMEA Region).

Majda Meric Iljazovic Becomes EVP Legal and Governance at Innomotics

Innomotics is a separately managed Siemens subsidiary in Germany. Iljazovic has been with Siemens since 2008, first joining as a Regional Compliance Officer Slovenia.

Victor Florin Mateescu Appointed to CLO at Shape Robots

The edtech company has appointed Victor Florin Mateescu as its new Chief Legal Officer. He also maintains his position as a Member of the Supervisory Board – Poland.

Andreea-Paula Armanu-Costache Appointed Senior Legal Counsel at European Investment Fund

"I look forward to bringing my experience to this new role and contributing with a strong commitment to the EIB Group’s mission," commented Armanu-Costache.

Henkel Croatia Appoints Anita Pejic Ilisevic as Head of Legal Adriatics

lisevic has been with the company since 2014, initially joining as the Head of Legal - Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. In 2018, she took on additional responsibilities of overseeing the legal function for Slovenia.

Aladar Kuun Appointed Legal & External Affairs Manager at EcoPro BM Hungary

Kuun has been with the company since 2023, previously working as Legal Manager. "I am honored to take on the role of Legal & External Affairs Manager at EcoPro BM Hungary," commented Kuun.

UiPath Appoints Diana Tatulescu as Global Employee Relations & HR Compliance Director

Tatulescu has been with UiPath since 2019, joining as Senior Employment Legal Counsel (EMEA). In 2023, she was appointed Legal Counsel Director.

Agata Dymel Appointed to Director of Investment Banking Legal at PKO Bank Polski

Dymel has been with the organization since 2023, previously working as Legal Counsel – Coordinator of Legal Services for Investment Products.

Sylwia Raszplewicz-Czyzewska Appointed Legal & Compliance Manager for Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary at Chubb

Raszplewicz-Czyzewska has been with the company since 2002, previously working as Legal Counsel CEE.

moving into private practice

Radoslav Saly Returns to Private Practice by Joining AKF Legal

Saly spent four years at YIT Group, between 2021 and 2025. Prior to that, he worked at Strabag Group as a Chief Legal Officer between 2013 and 2021. 

Judit Gulyas-Kovacs Returns to Private Practice by Joining Partos & Noblet

Before the move, Gulyas-Kovacs spent 12 years at Erste Bank Hungary, where she worked as Legal Counsel, Head of Corporate Work Out and Restructuring Legal Department, and, finally, as Head of Corporate Legal Department.

Firat Aydin Returns to Private Practice by Joining Egemenoglu as Partner

Aydin returns to private practice after spending almost 20 years in-house, first at Turkland between 2006 and 2007, and then at Denizbank between 2007 and 2025.