Moving in-house
- Saida Ayupova
- Andrija Djonovic
"With over a decade of experience in the railway industry, he brings strong legal expertise, deep regulatory knowledge, and a proven track record in managing complex multi-stakeholder projects," read a company press release.
- Radu Cotarcea
Featured
Kourniotis is a Partner on Leave at Lambadarios Law Firm, where he worked since 2018, leading project finance, PPP, energy, and infrastructure projects.
- Saida Ayupova
Ekinli has been with the pharmaceutical company for almost two decades, joining in 2007 as its Corporate & Legal Affairs Director.
- Saida Ayupova
Sarajevo International Airport Head of Legal discusses the complexities of air law, managing expansion projects, working with external counsel, and more.
- Radu Cotarcea
- Radu Cotarcea
"With over a decade of experience in the railway industry, he brings strong legal expertise, deep regulatory knowledge, and a proven track record in managing complex multi-stakeholder projects," read a company press release.
- Saida Ayupova
Kourniotis is a Partner on Leave at Lambadarios Law Firm, where he worked since 2018, leading project finance, PPP, energy, and infrastructure projects.
- Radu Cotarcea
Prior to joining the company, Dalga worked as an AI Governance & Privacy Manager and Data Privacy Officer at Allianz between 2023 and 2025.
- Saida Ayupova
Burcu Dal Gokalp has joined Erciyas Holding as its Head of Legal. Before joining the company, Gokalp was a Partner at Guner Law Office between 2024 and 2025.
- Saida Ayupova
Prior to taking on this role, he was the General Counsel & Board Secretary at Hedef Yatirim Bankasi between 2023 and 2025.
- Radu Cotarcea
Regulatory compliance solutions provider RabbIT Solutions has hired Rumen Valkov as the Director of International Expansion.
- Radu Cotarcea
Prior to joining the organization, Tosun spent more than three years in the Asset Management division of the Macquarie Group.
- Saida Ayupova
Ekinli has been with the pharmaceutical company for almost two decades, joining in 2007 as its Corporate & Legal Affairs Director.
Interviews
Sarajevo International Airport Head of Legal discusses the complexities of air law, managing expansion projects, working with external counsel, and more.
- Radu Cotarcea
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.
- Saida Ayupova
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.
- Saida Ayupova
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.
- Saida Ayupova
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.
- Saida Ayupova
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.
- Saida Ayupova
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.
- Saida Ayupova
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.
- Teona Gelashvili
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Commentary
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.
- Contributor
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.
- Radu Cotarcea
Approximately two-thirds of GCs said that the reason behind choosing a specific legal counsel was their successful cooperation in the past.
- Radu Cotarcea
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.
- Radu Cotarcea
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
- Radu Cotarcea
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
Ekinli has been with the pharmaceutical company for almost two decades, joining in 2007 as its Corporate & Legal Affairs Director.
- Saida Ayupova
Turkish lawyer Yildirim has been with the company for more than a decade, joining in 2014 as a Senior Group Legal Counsel CU Turkey & Iran in the Turkish office.
- Saida Ayupova
Boz has been with the company since 2022, joining as a Legal Counsel – Services – Business Development (EEMEA Region).
- Saida Ayupova
Innomotics is a separately managed Siemens subsidiary in Germany. Iljazovic has been with Siemens since 2008, first joining as a Regional Compliance Officer Slovenia.
- Radu Cotarcea
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.
- Saida Ayupova
"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.
- Saida Ayupova
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.
- Radu Cotarcea
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.
- Radu Cotarcea
Tatulescu has been with UiPath since 2019, joining as Senior Employment Legal Counsel (EMEA). In 2023, she was appointed Legal Counsel Director.
- Saida Ayupova
moving into private practice
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.
- Radu Cotarcea
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.
- Andrija Djonovic
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.
- Radu Cotarcea
Future-Proofing Legal Operations: Insights into AI, LLMs, and Next-Gen Tools