Cyprus Investment Funds Conference – India

Senior Legal Advisor, Cyprus Investment Funds Association

Nicole Kallasides is a Cyprus-qualified lawyer and currently holds the position of Senior Legal Advisor at CIFA. Among others, her role revolves around pursuing legal research, including comparative legal research on the legal frameworks of other EU jurisdictions, aiming towards the further improvement of the legislative framework of the fund industry in Cyprus. She possesses solid professional experience within the funds industry, since prior to joining CIFA, she worked at the Investment Fund Services Department of a Big 4 Firm, advising clients on the formation, structure, operation and ongoing regulatory compliance matters relating to fund vehicles and fund management companies. She also worked as a lawyer in leading law firms in Cyprus and Brussels where she specialised in financial, corporate and commercial law. Nicole is a holder of an LLM in Commercial Law from the University of Bristol, an LLM LPC in International Legal Practice from the University of Law, UK, and an LLB (Hons) in Law from the University of Leeds.

High Commissioner of India to Cyprus

High Commissioner Madhumita Hazarika Bhagat is a career diplomat and joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1999. She has been educated in New Delhi and has done her graduation in Political Science (Honours) and followed it with an LLB. High Commissioner Madhumita Hazarika Bhagat began her diplomatic career in the Embassy of India in Moscow, Russia (2001-2004) and thereafter, was posted to Embassy of India in Almaty, Kazakhstan (2004-2006). She subsequently served as Under Secretary on deputation in the Ministry of Commerce, Trade Policy Division, New Delhi (2006-2008) with a stint as Deputy Secretary in the Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. She was First Secretary in the Embassy of India, Stockholm, Sweden (2008-2011) for Commercial & Economic, Cultural and Information affairs. Later, she joined the Embassy of India, Moscow, Russia (2011-2014) in the capacity of Counsellor, Economic & Commercial and Culture. She served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, Ankara, Turkey (2014-2017). High Commissioner Madhumita Hazarika Bhagat was appointed as India’s first National Coordinator and Joint Secretary for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (June, 2017 - October, 2019). She assumed charge as High Commissioner of India in Cyprus on November 11, 2019.

Dr George Theocharides is the Vice-Chairman of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission. As an Associate Finance Professor at the Cyprus International Institute of Management (CIIM) and Director of the MSc in Financial Service Programme from September 2010 until July 2020, he has extensive work experience in the wider financial sector. Prior to joining CIIM, he worked as an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Sungkyunkwan University of South Korea from 2006 to 2010. In 2006, he has also worked as an International Faculty Fellow at the Sloan School of Management of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In the past, he served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), a member of the Interim Board of Bank of Cyprus, Chairman of the Board of the Cyprus Blockchain Technologies Ltd, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus -Kuwait Business Association. He also served as the Chairman of the Board of Management of The English School, from July 2016 until July 2020, a member of the Training/HR Committee of the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA), as well as a non-executive member of the Board of Directors for a number of organisations and companies in the financial services sector. He is also an Associate member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) and a Research Associate at the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies (UCL CBT). Dr Theocharides holds a degree of BΕng (Hons) in Electrical Engineering & Electronics from the University of Manchester (U.M.I.S.T.), an MBA from the University of San Diego and a PhD in Finance from the University of Arizona.

George Campanellas is the Chief Executive Officer of the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency (Invest Cyprus). He has nearly twenty years of professional experience in Cyprus and abroad, working with the DG Competition in Brussels and directly with the Cypriot Ministers of Health and Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism. Mr. Campanellas has been actively involved with the development of the oil & gas sector in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone, dealing with licensing, exploration and exploitation activities, as well as promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation at a regional level. Throughout his career, he also had an active role in drafting the regulatory framework and running the relevant licensing procedures for attracting Foreign Direct Investment in sectors of strategic importance and large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the LNG terminal at Vasilikos Energy Center, Cyprus Techno Park, EuroAsia Interconnector and the City of Dreams Mediterranean, Europe’s largest integrated casino resort and Cyprus’ largest FDI project. George Campanellas has been elected to the Steering Committee of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) and has the position of the Regional Directorship of Eastern Europe.

 

Andreas Yiasemides is the President of the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA) and Partner, in charge of Funds Services at PwC Cyprus. On his graduation from the University of Manchester with a first-class degree in Economics, he joined PwC in 1999 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant (FCA). He continued his career with the Bank of Cyprus, holding various positions including heading the Custody and Trusts Unit. He then moved on to an organization of professional services where he set up and led the Fund Services Unit. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Cyprus and of the Central Bank of Cyprus and is the President of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Investment Fund Association (CIFA). He is also a member of the Cyprus National Advisory Council of the Charter Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI).

Andria Koukounis is a Partner and the Head of the Financial Services, Funds and Capital Markets of Koukounis, Karaolis LLC, law firm member of the EY global network. Andria has extensive experience in sectors such as commercial, real estate and employment, as well as niche areas of law such as fintech, licensing, data protection and compliance. She has taken part in NPL portfolio processing, advised on landmark financial transactions and is regularly advising financial institutions on legal and regulatory matters. Andria is a holder of the CySEC Advanced Certificate, a member of the Legal and Regulatory Committee of CIFA and member of the Cyprus Bar Association’s Financial Services Committee.

Michalis Vasiliou is a Board Member and Head of the Asset Management Services at KPMG in Cyprus. Michalis graduated from the University of Manchester with a first-class degree in Accounting and Finance and is a Fellow (FCA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (“ICAEW”). He primarily services groups operating within the investment funds and financial services sector. Michalis is also a member of the Department of Professional Practice at KPMG in Cyprus, providing technical support on the correct application of IFRSs requirements. He is a presenter for IFRS seminars to the staff of KPMG, to clients and the public through KPMG Academy. He is also the Chairman of the Investment Funds committee of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Cyprus (ICPAC) and the Chairman of the Alternative Investment Funds committee of the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA).

GOLD was first published in 2011 as the first monthly English-language business magazine in Cyprus. Today, it not only consistently promotes good business practices, focusing on the promotion of Cyprus as an international business centre, but has a unique readership, comprising High Net Worth Individ­uals, executives of international companies, and English-speaking Cypriot and non-Cypriot busi­nessmen and women.

As the flagship publication within IMH’s media brands, IN Business magazine, has a 16-year history, during which thousands of examples of good business practices by businesses and businesspeople, brands, commercial practices and developments have been showcased. The aim of IN Business was – and continues to be – the promotion of good Cypriot business. www.inbusinessnews.com