Rafael Colonia is the General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer for Zeekr (Geely Group) in Europe, currently leading the legal and compliance strategies to drive electric vehicle adoption.

Previously, Rafael served as the Chief Legal Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Europe at Genesis Motor Europe, where he has significantly contributed to Genesis' European expansion. Additionally, he spent almost eight years with Volkswagen, almost two of which as General Counsel for the Volkswagen Group Middle East, where he was integral to several technology and mobility projects. Earlier still, he spent seven years with K.Electronic as a Senior Legal Counsel focusing on international law.

Rafael obtained his LLB degree from the Universidad de las Americas Puebla and holds master's degrees from the University of Oslo, Leibniz Universitat Hannover, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, Universidad de Salamanca, as well as La Salle BCN.

Karel Budka is the Senior Legal Counsel at Envista Holdings Corporation, where he oversees the legal framework for the EMEA region. In his current position, he is responsible for managing a broad spectrum of legal matters including corporate, labor, contractual issues, and medical device advertisement law, as well as overseeing litigations in collaboration with external advisors. He also provides crucial compliance support to the US-based Compliance department and extends legal guidance for strategic projects in the region.

Before his current position, Karel served as General Counsel & Member of the Board of Directors at Invia, where he contributed significantly to the company’s legal strategy. His previous roles also include working as a Lawyer for the Photon Energy Group, focusing on investment protection and corporate law, and as a Junior Attorney at Belina & Partners.

Karel holds an LLM in health law from Charles University in Prague, a juris doctor degree from Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale), and an LLM degree from Charles University in Prague. He is a dual-licensed attorney, eligible to practice law in both the Czech Republic and Florida.

Andras Nemeth is the Director for Legal and Corporate Services at Audax Renewables, a Hungarian power and natural gas retail company, and also heads the group regulatory function of Audax Renovables. He holds a law degree from the University of Pecs, an LLM degree from Universiteit Maastricht, and a nuclear law degree from Universite de Montpellier.

Since November 2007, he has been working as an attorney and then as an in-house lawyer, providing legal advice on matters related to the energy sector, in particular electricity and natural gas commercial issues, power plant projects, energy regulation, and infrastructure investments. He has previously worked for GDF Suez (later Engie), E.On, and the Paks nuclear new build project.

In addition to his corporate role, Andras has been actively involved with the Hungarian Energy Traders’ Association, contributing as a legal expert, chairman of the HETA legal committee, and, since 2015, a member of the supervisory board. He also participates in the market committees of the Hungarian organized electricity markets.

With over 25 years of membership in the Bar Association, Mihaela Scarlatescu currently holds the position of Head of Legal & Compliance at the Phoenix Group in Romania. Her role spans three companies: Help Net Farma, Farmexim, and EL Pharma Romania, all under the umbrella of the Phoenix Group, a European company operating in pharmaceutical wholesale, pharmacy retail, and pharmaceutical industry services.

Mihaela previously served as the CEE Head of Legal & Compliance for the A&D Pharma Group, following a tenure as Legal Director at Actavis, a generic medicines manufacturer. In these capacities, she provided extensive legal support to the pharmaceutical business, contributing to numerous M&A projects, organizational restructurings, and business integrations.

Her academic credentials include a law degree from the University of Bucharest and a specialization in European Business Law from Sorbonne University in Paris. She is currently studying for an EMBA at Maastricht University, honoring her ongoing commitment to professional development.

Andras Levai is the Group Legal Director at Market Epito Zrt, Hungary's premier civil construction company.

His journey in the legal field began at Tesco, where he served in various capacities from 2009 to 2019, evolving from in-house Legal Counsel, through Head of Legal for Tesco in Hungary, all the way to Head of Ethics & Compliance for the Central European region, encompassing Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. In this role, Andras not only managed standard legal duties but also played a crucial role in supporting significant projects such as Clubcard, Tesco Mobile, and the introduction of online business, while accumulating extensive experience in compliance.

In October 2019, Andras transitioned to Market Epito Zrt. As its Group Legal Director, he and his team offer comprehensive legal support across the company group, navigating complex legal landscapes and driving ethical business practices.

Petr Zatopek has been the Managing Director at ALPEKR since January 2020. His core specialties are interim management, strategic advisory, compliance, legal project management, and innovations.

Before joining ALPEKR, Petr was the Head of the Legal Department at Skoda Auto DigiLab, leading legal and compliance matters for the Skoda Auto subsidiary. He also contributed significantly to strategic projects including joint ventures in Israel and the Czech Republic, and has managed the legal aspects of AI projects and mobility services.

Petr holds a master’s degree in law from Charles University in Prague. His expertise extends to corporate law and compliance, legal project management, and strategic legal advisory for board-level managers. Petr’s career also includes serving as a Member of the Supervisory Board at HoppyGo, where he oversaw the legal aspects of market expansion and business setup assessments.

Viktor Fonth is the Country Head of Legal for Hungary at the HB Reavis Group, an international workspace provider with projects in the UK, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary and with the mission to bring remarkable experiences to people’s lives through its real estate solutions.

He started his career at the State Supervision of Financial Organizations. Viktor then moved to the Corvinus International Investments Limited Private Company, where he was the only in-house lawyer on the team for seven years, before joining HB Reavis in March 2007 – where he spent the last 17 years and counting.

Viktor graduated from ELTE's Faculty of Law in Budapest in 1998, followed by an MBA from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in 2003.

Currently serving as the Chief Legal Officer at the I&F Group, Dunja Hasanovic is a highly experienced legal and compliance professional with expertise in IPR, employment, M&A, and company law. In her current role, she oversees brands such as McCann, Universal Media, Initiative, Drive, and Adrenalin across ten markets, specializing in providing comprehensive legal support and ensuring compliance.

Dunja joined the I&F Group team over 11 years ago as a Legal Specialist before becoming the Head of Legal and HR in 2014 and the Regional Head of Legal and Compliance in 2016. Her career includes stints with the FCG Finnish Consulting Group, a public utility company, and Synovate, among others.

With an LLM degree in European Company Law along with other certifications, Dunja is recognized for her strategic leadership and expertise in navigating complex legal landscapes, backed up by over 15 years of experience.

Gizem Zeynep Bolukbasi is the Vice President of the Turkiye Wealth Fund's Legal and Compliance team, overseeing a diverse portfolio of cross-border and domestic transactions, including M&A, capital markets, and financing projects. Her successful track record includes pivotal roles in deals like the acquisition of Turkcell, that of Turk Telekom, and the consolidation of Turkiye Sigorta.

Her expertise extends to banking, finance, and Islamic finance transactions, where she has led initiatives like Islamic green project bonds and Sukuk projects. Before joining the Turkiye Wealth Fund in 2019, Gizem spent over two years with Kolcuoglu Demirkan Kocakli, one and a half with the Somay Hukuk Burosu, and another one with Paksoy.

Gizem graduated summa cum laude with an LLM degree in Investment Law and International Arbitration from Uppsala University and has an LLB degree from Koc University, where she ranked first in her class.

Michal Matejka is a Partner at PRK Partners specializing in IT law, intellectual and industrial property law, commercial contract law, international trade, and related dispute resolution.

Before joining PRK Partners in October 2018, Michal spent almost 17 years with Baker & McKenzie’s Prague office.

He graduated from the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague and the Faculty of International Relations at the University of Economics in Prague. He passed the bar to become an Attorney at Law in 2008. In 2018, Michal obtained his qualification as an established European lawyer authorized to provide legal services within the territory of Slovakia.

Michal has extensive experience in representing global and multinational clients in judicial, contractual, and regulatory matters. He regularly lectures on ICT and intellectual property law at the Faculty of Information Technology of the Czech Technical University and the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague.

Andrej Sovik has years of experience leading in-house legal workstreams and is now in charge of legal support in Europe for Chart Industries, Inc. (NYSE: GTLS), a global manufacturer of highly engineered cryogenic and compression equipment servicing multiple applications in the clean energy and industrial gas markets. Andrej joined Howden, in 2017 and since 2019 served as Senior Legal Counsel for Europe, offering legal assistance to eight Howden business units throughout continental Europe. Recently, Andrej has assumed role of Head of Legal Europe for Chart Industries group that acquired Howden in March 2023. In this role, Andrej, together with his team, manages legal support for all group companies in Europe. Andrej is part of a wider team comprised of around 25 in-house lawyers, contract managers and compliance officers based all over the globe.

Andrej is a graduate of the master’s program in law in the Czech Republic, Masaryk University in Brno, politics from KU Leuven, Belgium and currently, he is enrolled in Leiden University, the Netherlands to obtain LLM in European law.

Aslihan Evcimen currently serves as the Country Head of Legal & Compliance for Turkey at the Vaillant Group, an international company headquartered in Remscheid, Germany. The company operates in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technology, with a focus on environmentally friendly electric heat pumps, efficient gas heating appliances, intelligent systems, and comprehensive services.

Throughout her career, Aslihan has worked in both private practice and in-house roles, providing legal counsel to well-known companies across various industries, including bus manufacturing, milk and dairy production, pharmacy chains, and smart city solutions. Her experience spans several prestigious law firms where she advised notable Turkish companies.

Aslihan holds a law degree from Marmara University in Istanbul and furthered her education with a post graduate Business Administration and Management degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Aslihan is admitted to the Istanbul and Turkey Bar Associations.

Former Paysafe Associate General Counsel Christopher Fischer is a keen legal strategist and executive with extensive expertise in the global financial services sector.

Christopher spent almost five years with Paysafe, almost four of which as its Vice President of Legal Affairs. Before that, he spent almost 14 years with Western Union as a VP & Associate General Counsel, Head of Legal for Europe and the CIS Region. There, he led a team of 25 to 30 professionals, overseeing legal support throughout the EMEA-SA regions, engaging in regulatory outreach, and participating in public policy initiatives within the EU.

Earlier, Christopher spent four and a half years with IBM as a Senior Attorney and, before that, over three years with Oesterreichische Kontrollbank as a Senior Manager, where he honed his skills in contractual negotiations, mergers & acquisitions, and financial regulations. He was an Of Counsel with Wolf Theiss’s Vienna office between 1995 and 1996.

Christopher holds a JD degree from the SMU Dedman School of Law and an LLM degree in German and European Law from the University of Muenster.

Christian Blatchford, who specializes in M&A, projects, and finance, holds the position of General Counsel at Energo-Pro in the Czech Republic. 

He has been a part of Energo-Pro since 2018 when he initially joined as General Counsel, and has also been serving as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board at the company since 2021.

Christian’s professional journey started after graduating from the University of Law in Guildford, UK. He then relocated to the Czech Republic, where he began his career as a trainee at Altheimer & Gray in 2001, before moving to CMS in 2003. In 2006, he joined KSB and eventually became a Partner in January 2017.

Warsaw's own Krzysztof Mazurek is Precision Medicine Group's Deputy General Counsel, Head of Legal Europe, and Director of Global Compliance & Privacy. These days, he focuses mainly on global privacy, corporate compliance, and global compliance process design.

Before joining the Precision Medicine Group in 2021, Krzysztof spent seven years with Bayer, initially as Legal & Compliance Director for CEE and Management Board Member, then as Global Anticorruption Lead, and later as the Head of its EMEA Team for Regional Legal & Compliance Operations. Before that, he spent three and half years with Eli Lilly Polska as Legal Counsel for the Central European Cluster. Before moving in-house, he spent one year with White & Case and almost four with CMS.

He believes his experience working in Asia-Pacific and M&A integration brings a lot of interesting background and different perspectives regarding culture, cross-Atlantic bridges, connecting the US and EU ways of working, and the optics of a US GC or Executive contrasted with the optics of EU or CEE- based GCs and businesses.

A Deputy Managing Partner with Musat & Asociatii, Iulian Popescu is a reputed authority in various fields. He leverages over 20 years of legal expertise and a generational family legacy of attorneys. He is particularly appreciated for his strategic, business-focused, pragmatic, holistic, and highly professional approach.

Iulian has contributed to complex transactional work involving public-private and B2B components, including privatizations, PPPs, concessions, and cross-border M&As. With extensive experience in corporate & commercial, he advised clients on joint ventures, regulatory matters, and commercial contracts across various industries, including energy, environment, technology, and transport.

He is also proficient in public procurement, assisting multinational corporations on large civil infrastructure projects and strategic military acquisitions. Additionally, Iulian supports global companies in navigating TMT, e-commerce, data privacy, and digital asset matters, working with giant telecom, media, and technology operators.

Holding degrees from top universities, he also possesses in-depth knowledge of shipping, aviation & transport, and European Union law, which have been invaluable in managing litigations, arbitrations, mediations, and non-contentious matters.

Lucie Kubenova is Pfizer's Eastern Europe Cluster Legal Lead and its Legal Director for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

She has been working in the pharmaceutical sector for more than 14 years, with different roles within legal and compliance departments at Medtronic, AstraZeneca, and Sanofi. Lucie joined Pfizer in November 2017 as Legal Director for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Lucie assumed extra responsibilities in 2022, when she also became responsible for directly supporting Ukraine. Since December 2022, she has been Pfizer's Eastern Europe Cluster Legal Lead.

Lucie was selected for The Legal 500 GC Powerlist: Central and Eastern Europe 2017 and listed in the Queens of Czech Law in 2018 and 2019 (listing women attorneys, judges, prosecutors, and 30 best in-house counsels in the country). She has been shortlisted for the LMG Life Science General Counsel of the Year Award EMEA 2023 and 2024. Lucie has been a Qualified Attorney since 2004 and finished her LLM degree in 2017.

Outside of Pfizer, Lucie enjoys spending time with her family, reading, skiing, and cooking.

Marek Wojnar is a Managing Partner in the Polish office of act legal, Europe's fast-growing legal powerhouse with 11 offices across the region, where he co-heads the Real Estate and Construction department.

Focusing on integrating ESG principles into investment projects related to real estate, construction, and infrastructure, Marek is an experienced professional in real property sales and acquisitions, leasing processes, and infrastructure projects (energy and motorways) where he has advised renowned international developers, construction companies, and investors. He is also known for his expertise in corporate matters and M&A, with vast experience advising IT and telecommunications companies, providing legal advisory services, and facilitating cooperation with start-ups.

Additionally, he has a long track record of high net worth individual-focused advisory involving the sale, chartering, and lease of planes, helicopters, yachts, and superyachts. Co-heading the firm’s Italian Desk, Marek also assists numerous Italian clients in Poland and Polish clients operating in Italy.

He is recognized by The Legal 500 EMEA 2024 in Real Estate and Construction, Commercial, Corporate, and M&A and is fluent in Polish, English, and Italian. Marek is a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw.

Jonathan is head of Slaughter and May’s insurance practice and of one of the corporate groups. He has a corporate and corporate finance practice and has been involved in demutualisations, fund-raisings, joint ventures and private and public acquisitions.

His clients range from insurers and asset managers to government departments and outsourcers.

Jonathan is one of the partners at Slaughter and May responsible for the CEE region, and has been involved in advising a variety of clients across the region.

Jonathan is listed as a leading individual in the Legal 500 rankings, and also ranked in Chambers, for his work in the insurance sector.

Sandor Zorad is the Legal Director of MET Group's Western and Eastern European Sales Division and a key member of the MET Group's broader legal team. He reports directly to Group General Counsel Michel Brunner.

Sandor started his journey at the MET Group in January 2016, as a Corporate Lawyer for E2 Hungary, and then joined the MET Services M&A legal team in July 2017, where he worked on various M&A transactions on behalf of the MET Group throughout Europe. In recognition of his significant achievements in successfully closing large transactions, he was promoted to Senior Legal Counsel in January 2021, managing all legal aspects of M&A deals throughout their full project cycle. He was appointed Legal Director in October 2023.

Before joining his current team, he spent three years in the Corporate/M&A and Employment practice groups of Baker McKenzie's Budapest office. He started his career with the Szecskay Law Firm back in 2011. He has an MBA degree from John Von Neumann University and a law degree from Eotvos Lorand University.

Pawel Borowski is the Head of General Legal at Prague-based pharmaceutical company Zentiva. He leads an international team of lawyers and oversees the legal operations of Zentiva, while also focusing on compliance and risk management.

Before his current role, Pawel worked in-house at Takeda in Zurich and Juul Labs in Warsaw, after serving as a Partner and the Head of Life Sciences with the Kochanski & Partners law firm in Warsaw. Earlier, he spent two years with Chalas & Partners, more than four years with Weil, a year with Hogan Lovells, and two years with Wardynski & Partners.

Pawel obtained his law degree from Warsaw University and was admitted to the Warsaw Bar in 2011.

Szymon Galkowski leads the Legal Operations (Global Contracts Legal) team in Poland, established in Gdansk five years ago as part of the Legal Division at State Street. The team now supports all business lines globally and negotiates directly with State Street clients on certain agreement types like Non-Disclosure Agreements, ISDA Documentation, Account Control Agreements, and many product agreements. The GCL team takes a very active role in many transformation and automation initiatives within the Legal Division.

Szymon has almost 15 years of working experience, including in international law firms. Before joining State Street and moving to Gdansk, he was a Partner and the Head of Banking & Finance with Kochanski & Partners, where he spent seven years. Between 2008 and 2011, he worked with several law firms, including Dubinski Fabrycki Jelenski, CMS, Allen & Overy, WeilGotshal & Manges, and SK&S. Szymon holds LLM degrees from the University of Warsaw and the Jagiellonian University.

Martin Matula is the General Counsel of the CPI Property Group, one of the largest owners of income-generating real estate in Europe. He is also the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of S IMMO AG, and a member of the Supervisory Board of Immofinanz. Within CPIPG, Martin is responsible for the strategic guidance and coordination of legal matters across the group. He is also a member of CPIPG's ESG Committee.

Martin joined CPIPG in 2014 and has overseen the group’s expansion in recent years. Before joining CPIPG, he spent eight years with the Orco Property Group and over a year with Zeleziarne Podbrezova.

Martin holds a JUDr degree from the Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice and an LLM degree from the University of Groningen.

Legal advisor and patent attorney Marta Ziolkowska-Nasinska joined the international Ferrero Group in June 2015. Since 2017, she has overseen all legal affairs for the Ferrero Group as General Counsel in Poland and the Baltic States, including the management of Ferrero's third-largest production plant globally.

Marta's professional achievements have earned her recognition in the GC Powerlist Central and Eastern Europe 2019 by The Legal 500 magazine, as well as inclusion in the Forbes Women Poland's list of the 25 best lawyers in business in 2021. She was one of the first women in Poland to be appointed to Ferrero's Board of Directors.

Marta also serves as a member of the anti-bullying and anti-discrimination committee and acts as Ferrero's Ambassador for Diversity and Inclusion. In her day-to-day work, she actively supports social responsibility programs. Marta represents Ferrero in the Polish Federation of Food Producers and is affiliated with various professional associations, including the Polish Association of In-House Lawyers and the Women in Law Foundation.

Irmantas Berzauskas is the Chief Legal and Governance Officer at the AB Lithuanian Railways Group, part of the LTG group – the largest railway group in the Baltic States – which actively contributes to the development of Lithuanian business abroad, and also successfully cooperates outside Lithuania.

Irmantas supervises all legal matters throughout the LTG group and also supports the business teams on corporate governance and risk management. He also serves as a Board Member at LTG Link, a passenger transport company of the LTG group.

Before joining LTG, Irmantas worked for AB Klaipedos Nafta for almost ten years, as a Head of Legal and in other senior positions. KN is the biggest oil and liquified natural gas terminal operator in the Baltics, with international aspirations. The highlight of his tenure at KN was the acquisition of the 'Independence' floating storage regasification unit: the world’s first new-build LNG FSRU that enabled Lithuania's energy independence from Russia since 2014.

Wojciech Kowalewski is the General Counsel for Eastern Europe, South-West Europe, Turkiye, and Central Asia at Siemens Energy and also serves as a Member of the Management Board of Siemens Energy in Poland.

Wojciech’s responsibilities encompass the management of legal topics and leading the legal team that advises Siemens Energy's business activities in the region. He has vast experience in legal support for projects in the infrastructure, energy, industry, and healthcare sectors, particularly on public procurement and contract law, as well as in dispute resolution and M&A transactions.

Before focusing on the energy business at Siemens Energy, Wojciech had worked at Siemens, which he joined in 2000, advising on all parts of its product portfolio and serving as its General Counsel in Poland for almost 17 years, and a Management Board Member of Siemens Poland for over 11 years.

Michal Zwirski has been the Director of the Legal Office at the Polish International Development Fund (PFR TFI) for the past three years. PFR unites a group of financial and advisory institutions geared towards entrepreneurs, local governments, and private individuals investing in sustainable social development and Poland's economic growth. PFR TFI specifically focuses on the creation and management of investment funds, currently managing a total of 14 investment funds.

Before joining PFR TFI, Michal was the General Counsel of TISE – Towarzystwo Inwestycji Spoleczno-Ekonomicznych and, earlier, he spent five and a half years with Dubinski Fabrycki Jelenski i Wspolnicy. Before that, he spent a year as a Project Manager with Opera TFI and, earlier still, almost three years with Copernicus Securities, most recently as a Deputy Director of the Closed-End Investment Funds Department.

Before 2011, Michal also spent a year with CMS as an Associate and over three years with the Polish Financial Supervision Authority. He holds an LLM degree from the University of Warsaw.

Pawel Szczepaniak is a Deputy General Counsel at mBank, where he leads the corporate and investment legal support units. With nearly 20 years of experience in banking and finance, capital markets, M&A, corporate, and civil law, He is an experienced manager currently focused on developing the younger generation of in-house lawyers and fostering a legal support culture within the rapidly changing business ecosystem.

Pawel participates in multiple working groups at the Polish Banks Association, Polish Supervision Authority, Ministry of Finance, and ICMA and has authored numerous articles on capital markets. Before joining mBank in 2009, he spent five years with Weil Gotshal & Manges, ING PTE, and Clifford Chance.

Pawel is a legal advisor admitted to the Polish Chamber of Legal Advisors, and a graduate of the Law and Administration Faculty at Warsaw University, the English and European Law Center at Cambridge University in cooperation with Warsaw University, the American Law Center at the University of Florida in cooperation with Warsaw University, and of the Impact Investing Program (ESG) at Oxford University.

Ronald B. Given has 40+ years of experience in the practice of law, first as a Corporate and Finance Partner with the international law firm Mayer Brown, concentrating on Asian and US matters, then as the General Counsel of a listed, global insurance group. This was followed by more than a decade of living in and managing law offices in Zagreb, Prague, Kyiv, and Warsaw, as well as Central Europe, for Vienna-based Wolf Theiss and Deloitte Legal.

Ronald has also served on the Board of Directors of various profit and not-for-profit organizations and is an active member of the Association of Corporate Counsel.

From Chicago, Ronald currently focuses on coaching law firms and lawyers in the Americas and Europe.

Richard has a wide-ranging financing practice covering bank lending, debt capital markets, securitisations, structured finance, project finance, asset-backed lending and derivatives. He has acted for a number of high profile clients, including both listed and private companies, banks and other financial institutions, pension funds, private equity firms and various governments. He is head of the firm’s securitisation practice.

Richard has experience across a wide number of industries, including the banking, consumer credit and wider financial sector, insurance, retail, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, construction and energy and natural resources.

Richard is one of the partners at Slaughter and May responsible for the CEE region, and has advised on a wide range of financing-related matters involving various CEE jurisdictions over the years.

As ESG Chief Officer for Central and Eastern Europe, Andrzej Gutowski is responsible for implementing global ESG goals in the CEE region, as set out in Colliers’ global ESG approach. Additionally, he strongly focuses on expanding and strengthening competencies within the company’s ESG teams across the region and creating a valuable service offering for clients.

In the past 11 years spent with Colliers, Andrzej has been advising and coordinating the certification processes of commercial properties in Central and Eastern European countries. With an eye on the unique characteristics of each building and its interiors, he helps property owners and tenants reach their sustainability objectives by establishing green practices and tailoring sustainability plans to meet the needs of businesses.

He has consulted on the certification processes of over 100 properties, including new and existing buildings and commercial interiors, through his expertise in LEED, BREEAM, WELL, and Fitwel, as well as safety systems like WELL HSR (Health-Safety Rating). Before joining Colliers, Andrzej spent a year and a half with Citrus and over four years with JG Management.

As the Chief Legal Officer of RTV Euro AGD and the founder of her own coaching practice, Izabela Wisniewska combines nearly two decades of diverse professional expertise with a passion for coaching and mentoring.

In her capacity as the RTV Euro AGD Chief Legal Officer, Izabela has successfully managed legal teams and HR departments across multiple countries, overseeing significant commercial transactions, including numerous lease negotiations, sale and purchase agreements, and mergers and acquisitions, primarily within the real estate and retail sectors.

Before starting her engagement with RTV Euro AGD in 2021, Wisniewska spent two years in private practice, a year in-house with RF Corval, and over four years as the CEE Legal & Compliance Director with the Multi Corporation. Earlier, she spent three and a half years as the Head of Legal with Inditex (Zara Polska), a year in-house with Neinver, as well as a further three years with DZP. Wisniewska started her career in 2005, with Magnusson, where she spent a year and a half.

Ewa Swiderska is the Head of Legal and Compliance at the Empik Group, where she oversees the group's companies' legal affairs, including for one of the leading omnichannel retailers in Poland, with a large e-commerce platform.

Previously, Ewa was a Counsel at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, where she headed the financial institutions and services practice and provided extensive legal, regulatory, and compliance support to the financial institutions sector. She spent more than 18 years with CMS.

Ewa is a graduate of the University of Warsaw and the University of Copenhagen. She also graduated from the British Centre for English and European Legal Studies in cooperation with the University of Cambridge.

Livia Dumitrescu is the Head of Legal at Franklin Templeton, an asset management company with more than seven decades of experience.

Before joining her current team, Livia spent a year and a half as the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Orange Romania, over a year as the Executive Director for Legal, Ethics & Compliance with the Renault Group, almost two years as Director of Legal & External Affairs with Vodafone, and close to a year as Director of Compliance with Bancpost.

Earlier, she spent six years in-house with OMV Petrom between 2012 and 2018; six and a half years as a Senior Associate with Pinsent Masons in London, including almost two years on secondment as Advisor to the EIB; almost four years as a Senior Associate with Hunton & Williams, including two and a half on secondment as Counsel to the  Black Sea Trade & Development Bank.

Finally, Livia also spent over four years with Dewey & LeBoeuf between 1997 and 2001, two years with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and two years as Counsel with Romania's Eximbank, starting in 1991.

Livia is a graduate of the University of Bucharest and holds an MA degree from the University of Hull and an LLM degree from Harvard Law School.

Magdalena Kowara is the Senior Legal Counsel for CEE at Bolt, a European platform offering urban mobility solutions, including ride-hailing, e-scooters and car-sharing, and solutions for food delivery and groceries. Magdalena manages legal services for all of Bolt's business lines in the Central European region, while also supporting antitrust compliance within the Bolt Group and Bolt's expansion into international markets.

Before joining Bolt in 2022, Magdalena spent almost ten years in private practice in Poland working on competition and consumer law. She spent eight years with Hogan Lovells, a year with Dentons, and close to a year with White & Case.

Kowara graduated from the University of Warsaw and the English and European Law Centre at Cambridge University in cooperation with the University of Warsaw, and completed an LLM degree in European Business Law at Lund University, in Sweden.

Mariusz Sudol is the Chief Compliance Officer at Nest Bank, responsible for managing compliance and regulatory risk.

Before joining Nest Bank in 2022, Mariusz spent ten years with Hitachi, almost eight of which as its Operations Director CEE. He provided services to the Hitachi concern by performing legal assessments, commercialization, and implementation of innovative technological projects into regulated sectors, mainly the banking sector. Before that, he spent time in the Banking & Finance departments of both White & Case and Clifford Chance.

Mariusz cooperated with EU institutions in legislative processes and issued opinions on changes to EU Regulations and Directives in the field of banking. He holds an LLM degree and a PhD from the University of Warsaw. He is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Warsaw, giving regular lectures on banking law, financial supervision, and economic law. Additionally, he completed a scholarship to pursue business law studies financed by the Swiss Government at the University of Zurich.

For the past five years, Kamila Bury has served as the Director of the Legal Department at Capgemini Poland, an IT services provider with over 11,000 employees in Poland and nearly 360,000 worldwide as part of the Capgemini Group. The legal department she oversees provides services not only in Poland but also in other jurisdictions, such as Austria and Ukraine. In addition to her role as Director of the Legal Department, she serves as a Country Board Member and Ethics and Compliance Officer and is an Executive Sponsor of CSR initiatives.

Before joining Capgemini Poland in 2019, Kamila spent three and a half years with AECOM as the Managing Counsel for Poland & DACH Region and, earlier, two and a half years as a Senior Legal Counsel with GDF Suez. Previously, she spent almost three years with Bird & Bird and three years with Gleiss Lutz.

She holds an LLM degree from the University of Gdansk, an LLM degree from the University of Duesseldorf, and an LLM degree from Vanderbilt University. She is a legal advisor to the Warsaw Bar of Attorneys and an Attorney licensed in New York.

Olga is an associate in the disputes and investigations group at Slaughter and May. She has a multi-specialist practice advising clients on a wide range of contentious matters, including competition claims and mass tort claims. 

Olga has acted on a number of complex multi-jurisdictional cases, including before the High Court, Competition Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal. Olga has experience across a number of industries, including banking, insurance and natural resources. Prior to joining Slaughter and May, Olga completed a PhD in private international law at the University of Cambridge.

Olga has a keen interest in the CEE region and has advised clients in various CEE jurisdictions.

Piotr Marucha is an Attorney-at-Law and the General Counsel and Vice-President of Hitachi Energy in Poland, where he is also responsible for the EEU countries and Turkey.

Earlier, Piotr was Head of the Legal and Integrity Department in ABB in Poland, a position he's held since 2003. Before that, he was the General Counsel of the Saint-Gobain Group in Poland, a lawyer, and the Compliance Officer of Societe Generale Securities Polska. He specializes in contract law, M&A, anti-trust, and compliance.

Piotr graduated from the Law Faculty at the University of Warsaw. He studied at the Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio, for one year, and completed the Trial Advocacy Seminar in Tampa, Florida, as well as the European Law course at the European University Institute in Florence. In 2008, he completed the Executive MBA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Warsaw University and was awarded by Capgemini for the best final advisory project. He is a Co-Founder and Vice-President of the Polish Company Lawyers' Association.

Laura Rudnyanszky is the Chief Legal Officer at Teleperformance in Romania, where she is instrumental in providing strategic legal guidance to bolster the company's operations. Since joining Teleperformance in 2018, as the company's first in-house counsel, she has been pivotal in crafting the organization's legal framework and ensuring its alignment with industry standards.

Laura is also the Privacy and Regulatory Compliance Officer at Teleperformance, a position she has held since 2020. In this capacity, she oversees the development and execution of privacy and compliance initiatives, ensuring Teleperformance upholds robust data protection measures and fulfills its regulatory obligations.

Laura brings over 15 years of extensive legal consultancy experience across diverse sectors, including law firms, private enterprises, and the public sector, with a specialization in Telecommunication Law. With a bachelor’s degree in management, an LLB degree, and an LLM degree in Private International Law, she possesses a solid academic foundation complementing her practical expertise.

Ioana Knoll-Tudor is a Partner in the Paris office of Addleshaw Goddard and a member of the firm's International Arbitration practice. Ioana has over 15 years of experience with arbitral practice and procedure, both in commercial and investment arbitration. She has represented and advised clients in numerous international and domestic arbitrations (both institutional and ad hoc), with a particular focus on the energy, construction, competition & distribution, and post-M&A sectors.

Ioana also acts in post-arbitration proceedings before French courts, and regularly sits as arbitrator before major arbitral institutions, both international (ICC, ICSID, VIAC) and regional (CICA-CCIR, CCIJ), including with states and state-owned parties.

Ioana has extensive knowledge of the CEE region, having dealt and worked with every Eastern European jurisdiction, and having spent ten years in the Warsaw and Budapest offices of an international law firm. The first Romanian arbitrator appointed on an ICSID panel, Ioana is currently the Secretary General of the Paris Arbitration Week and a member of the SCC Board, as well as of the VIAC International Advisory Board.