CySEC 25 Years: The Past, Present and Future of Financial Development and Innovation

Constantinos Petrides assumed office as Minister of Finance of the Republic of Cyprus on the 3rd of December 2019. Prior to his appointment, he served as Minister of Interior (1 May 2017 - 3 December 2019) and Deputy Minister to the President of the Republic of Cyprus (1st March 2013 – 30 April 2017). From September 2011 to February 2013 was the Director of the Office of the President of the Democratic Rally. In 2006 he was hired at the European Commission in Brussels where he worked as an economist at the Directorate-General for Agriculture and the Directorate General for Competition until September 2011. He studied Economics at the University of Nottingham and then acquired an MSc in Political Economy of Transition in Europe from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences.

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.

Born 9 January 1974, Chris Koutouroushis joined Bizserve Consultants Ltd as Managing Director in April 2007 following a 10 year career in banking. He joined Marfin Laiki Bank in 1997 as a Private Banking Portfolio Manager. In February 2001 he joined Alpha Bank as Manager of the Private Banking Unit. In the 6 years with Alpha Bank he also served from a number of posts including Head of the Affluent Segment of Retail Banking and Head of Product Developments for Retail Banking. Chris spent his academic life in the UK. He holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Warwick, an MSc in Finance & Economics from Queen Mary and Westfield College of the University of London and an MBA from Warwick Business School. Chris is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Firm as well as its business development affairs. He represents the Firm by undertaking presentations and road shows to potential overseas markets and also participated in various international forums, often as speaker. Since February 2013 he is involved with the Cyprus Fiduciary Association, starting as Chairman of the International Business Committee, moving on to Director of the Board, Vice President and since October 2019 President of the Association.

President, Association of Cyprus Public Companies

Stavros Leptos is the President of the Association of Cyprus Public Companies. In 1964 he graduated from Kykkos High School and then studied at the Law and Economics School of the University of Athens. After his service in the National Guard he enrolled and practiced law in Nicosia from 1971 until the end of 1982. From 1983 until today he is Internal Legal Advisor of Leptos Group of Companies and Secretary of numbers of public and other companies. He actively participates in the activities of Cyprus Land and Building Developers Association since its establishment. He is the President of Cyprus Association of Listed Companies (SYDEK) and the CSE Issuers Committee.

Chairman, Invest Cyprus

Michalis P. Michael is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency since January 2018. He has a long professional career in business and audit services, both as a sole practitioner and as a Partner in KPMG Cyprus. Michael has a vast experience in the Ukrainian market, and he is the Chairman of the Cyprus-Ukraine Business Association from 2012 until today. Michael has been actively involved with public life since his early career. Formerly, he served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (1996-2000), Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Organisation of Land Development (2000-2003), Member of the Committee for the Supervision and Development of Cooperative Societies (2003-2013). He was also Member of the Board of Directors of The Cyprus University of Technology (2014-2016) where he held the position of Vice-President (July 2016-2018). Michalis is a Chartered Certified Accountant, a Fellow member of the UK Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus, of which he served also as a Member of the Board of Directors.

European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union

Mairead McGuinness is European Commissioner for financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union. The Commissioner’s vision for the portfolio is focused on ensuring the financial sector’s strength and stability, so that it can deliver for people, society and the environment. Before joining the Commission in October 2020, Ms McGuinness was First Vice-President of the European Parliament. She served as an MEP from Ireland for 16 years. In the Parliament, she served on committees covering agriculture, environment, public health, and constitutional affairs. In 2006-2007, Ms McGuinness chaired the Parliament’s investigation into the collapse of the Equitable Life assurance company, identifying issues around weak financial regulation. Prior to becoming an MEP, she was an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and commentator.

Chairman, Association of Cyprus International Financial Firms

Demetris Taxitaris is the Chief Executive Officer of MAP S.Platis, a leading consulting Group in the provision of solutions in licensing, regulatory compliance, internal audit, risk management, human resources, regulatory technology, information technology, business resilience, information security including cybersecurity, governance, executive training and innovation to regulated and other firms. In the past, he worked at Bank of Cyprus as Head of Asset Management with local and international clients, individuals and institutionals, across all industries. Prior to that, Demetris worked at Deloitte in London where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant, becoming a member of the ICAEW. Demetris is a member of the Boards of Directors of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (‘ICPAC’) and the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (‘CIFA’) and a Chairman of the Association of Cyprus International Financial Firms (‘ACIFF’).

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).

Chairman, Cyprus Stock Exchange

Mr. Christodoulides studied Economics at the Athens University of Economics & Business. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), as well as a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC). He is also a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors of Cyprus (IIA Cyprus) and of the International Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA). He also holds the ACCA Diploma on Corporate Governance. Mr. Christodoulides worked for 6.5 years at the Cyprus Stock Exchange, initially as Officer in the Listing and Continuous Obligations Department and subsequently as Head of the Internal Audit Department. During his CSE employment, he delivered and participated in several seminars and conferences on Corporate Governance. From April 2014 to February 2016 he held a post as an independent non-executive member of the Board of Directors of a bank, Periferiaki SPE of Nicosia, serving as Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committees. From December 2006 until today, Mr. Christodoulides is the Group CFO of Latomia Pharmakas Plc. The Group comprises of a diverse portfolio of companies / businesses, located in Cyprus, Oman and Iraq. From June 2015 he has been serving on the board of the Cyprus Stock Exchange, initially as Vice-Chairman until May 2018, when Mr. Christodoulides was appointed by the Council of Ministers, as Chairman of the CSE’s Council. As of June 17, 2018, he is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Energy Exchange (HEnEx) in the context of CSE's shareholding. He is also a member of the Audit Committee of this organization.

Board Member, Cyprus Financial Services Firms Association

Alexandros is the Head of Investment Advisory at One Plus Capital Ltd a licensed financial services provider regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, member of the Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) and member of the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE). He is a CFA Charterholder with experience in developed markets in both equities and fixed income. Communicating daily with a broad range of investor types he has developed excellent client relationship management skills. He began his career at Sharelink Securities and Financial Services Ltd at the Reception and Transmission unit where he focused on Fixed Income trading. Alexandros has received a BSc in Accounting and Finance from University of East Anglia.