Zepos & Yannopoulos

Zepos & Yannopoulos acted as local counsel for Diorama Investments, a private equity fund managed by Deca Investments AIFM , on the sale of a minority stake in the leading European pharmaceutical developer and manufacturer PharOS Ltd to a shareholder consortium of Viessmann Generations Group and Armira. Latham & Watkins acted as international counsel to PharOS and Diorama Investments for this transaction.   Our team has been advising Diorama on its strategic cooperation with PharOS since 2019, which following an international sale process culminated in Diorama’s exit from the company highlighting its successful track record on mid-market transactions in Greece. Pharos’ founders will retain the majority control of the company, while their new partnership will foster PharOS’ further growth and strengthen its impact on the global healthcare industry.   Our team was led by Stathis Orfanoudakis, partner, working together with Stefanos Charaktiniotis, head of M&A, and supported by Elia Bastali, associate. Elina Filippou, head of Private Clients, and Elina Belouli, senior associate, advised on specific tax aspects relating to the transaction.

Athina Skolarikou, head of Corporate & Commercial, Sofia Tzianoumi and Gina Dimitropoulou, senior associates, and Elena Chatzidaki, associate, contributed to the Chambers and Partners Shareholders' Rights & Shareholder Activism 2024 guide, sharing valuable insights into the regulatory framework and key challenges of shareholder activism in Greece.   Delve into the guide here: bit.ly/4few2m8

Rania Papakonstantinou, head of Employment & Labour, and associates Alexandros Lamprou and Ilia-Danai Tsigkri, contributed to the fourth edition of the Employment Law in Europe publication, authored by Bristows LLP, providing an in-depth analysis of key aspects of the employment laws in Greece.   The edition offers an overview of key employment law considerations in Europe, focusing on the regimes and differences between the jurisdictions, aiming to identify areas of risk and an understanding of timings and mandatory procedures. Find out more: bit.ly/4dUMQxn

Our Corporate Tax practice group is seeking to recruit an associate to join our constantly growing team.   Combining the transactional expertise of a leading, internationally-oriented, law firm with our experience in tax and accountancy services, our dynamic practice offers our clients comprehensive solutions for complying, managing tax impact, and understanding the critical tax considerations of transactions.   Find out more here: bit.ly/3BXaf3S

Who is atypical? What does it mean to be a parent of a child with autism? How can a neurodiverse person fit in the workplace? Most importantly, what is our role, as a company and as people, in fostering a true sense of belonging and inclusivity?   These and many more questions were addressed by our esteemed guest speakers Katingo Hadjipateras Giannoulis, clinical psychologist, Michael D. Mangos, psychologist, Yiannis Olympios, founder of Power of a Flower, Ada Stamatatou, founder of Race for Autism GR and Andreas Theodoropoulos, Managing Partner of Happy Act, during our event “Atypical: a discussion on neurodiversity and autism”, hosted in our offices, earlier today.   Our goal was to raise awareness on issues surrounding neurodiversity, engage in a discussion on what the private sector can do to move from theory to practice, and what are the steps we need to take to embrace our responsibility and bring about change.   A few of the issues we touched upon were:   / the responsibility each of us has in creating bids for connection and inclusion, whether it is something as small as saying hello to actively including neurodiverse children and adults in our social life;   / the responsibility of employers in creating the type of environment that a neurodiverse employee can join and thrive in;   / the benefits and opportunities in creating and empowering a neurodiverse workforce.   The event was part of our Breakfast Club discussion series, an initiative where we invite civil society representatives in an open dialogue, aiming to raise awareness on diverse issues, and inspire our people and the community to take action. 

Our firm was a proud contributor to the 22nd annual Corporate Responsibility conference, The Pale Blue Dot, organised by the American - Hellenic Chamber of Commerce. Elina Konstantinou, Director of Marketing & Communications, hosted a fireside chat with Maria Clara Martin, UNHCR Representative in Greece, and moderated the conversation which explored the matter of cultural integration, presenting the challenges and opportunities for local societies. She was joined by Professor Maria Gavouneli, President of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, Sofia Kouvelaki, CEO of the HOME Project and Matina Tzortzi, Head of Communications & Consumer Marketing in Greece, Cyprus and Malta for Mastercard.   Exploring the role that the private sector can play in advancing sustainable, socially responsible and inclusive practices is of paramount importance in the way we perceive our responsibility as corporate citizens and joining our voice in these discussions is integral to our activity. 

Stamatis Drakakakis, head of Antitrust & Competition, will participate at the panel discussion “Key Antitrust Developments from the Practitioners’ Perspective” at the 8th International Competition Law & Policy Conference. The conference, organised by NOMIKI BIBLIOTHIKI on 17-18 October, will welcome industry experts and academics from Greece and abroad, to consider key issues in EU antitrust laws and enforcement.   For more information: bit.ly/3Np72MV

Key legislative developments on e-delivery documents and real-time tracking of goods’ shipment have been introduced by virtue of Ministerial Decisions A. 1122/2024 and A.1123/2024 published recently, the former setting the general framework, timeline and phases of implementation and the latter setting the content, format and technical specifications of transmissions of the e-delivery documents and digital monitoring of goods through the IAPR’s myDATA platform.   Explore the key takeaways of the recent developments in our Tax & Accounting newsletter.   bit.ly/4h3CYEg

The Lex Mundi Bank Finance and Regulation Practice Group meeting that we hosted at our offices last week, brought together lawyers from around the world to discuss key jurisdictional and pan-European developments and share valuable insights. We were honored to welcome Christos Gortsos, Professor of Public Economic Law of the National Kapodistrian University and President of the Academic Board of the European Banking Institute and Vassiliki Lazarakou, Chair of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission and member of the IOSCO and ESMA Management Board. Professor Gortsos provided an in-depth overview of the legal aspects of the forthcoming Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in the euro area covering issues ranging from the type of digital currency (wholesale vs retail) and the DLT technology used to produce such to the bankruptcy remoteness of the CBDC and its legal tender nature. Vassiliki Lazarakou deepened delegates’ understanding of ESG regulations on the EU level (including the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), whilst ‘green washing’ issues were also addressed. Our Head of Finance, Paris Tzoumas, delivered a presentation on the Consumer Credit Directive 2 (covering its key implementation milestones, its scope of application and potential new licensing requirements for creditors and credit intermediaries) and on AIFM Directive 2 regarding provisions on loan originating funds as an alternative to traditional types of lending. Vivian Efthymiou, associate of our Finance & Capital Markets practice group, delivered an in-depth analysis of the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) 6 focusing on the new minimum requirements (including reporting and capital endowment rules) for third country branches in the EU.   Thank you Lex Mundi for providing us the opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues and be part of an international network.

Greece takes one step closer to licensing non-State universities, by introducing reforms that are set to reshape the Greek higher education landscape.   Earlier this year, the Hellenic Parliament enacted Law 5094/2024, which paved the way for the introduction of non-State universities in the Greek education market and established a framework intended to address the peculiarities pertinent to their organisation and operation. Joint Ministerial Decisions no. 7363/2024 and 7341/2024, most recently published in Government Gazette 5460/B/01.10.2024, are the latest, long-awaited, concrete step towards the licensing of non-State universities.   Delve into our recent Education newsletter for a thorough understanding of the latest legislative developments. bit.ly/3zTMf0S