Chryso Pitsilli-Dekatris

Practice Areas

Chryso Pitsilli-Dekatris is the firm's co-managing partner and leads its multi-disciplinary corporate and commercial department.

She has worked with an impressive array of multinational corporations, banking institutions and high net worth individuals on, inter alia, the implementation of joint ventures or mergers and acquisitions in a variety of industries and service sectors, the preceding due diligence and tender procedures, as well as the subsequent restructures or consolidation measures. In addition, Chryso regularly advises on and acts in relation to multi-million financing transactions, involving Cyprus holding companies or obligors.

She is a licenced insolvency practitioner, undertaking the role of liquidator in members voluntary winding up procedures.

Career

Chryso began her career at Chrysostomides Advocates & Legal Consultants, joining the firm as an associate following the completion of her training for admission to the Cyprus Bar Association.

Professional Memberships

Cyprus Bar Association (1986)

Publications

Chryso has contributed a number of articles on legal developments in professional journals, and has participated in conferences and seminars, including delivery of papers and lectures.

Languages Spoken

English, Greek

Experience

Corporate & Commercial

Chryso relies upon her foundational knowledge of corporate and commercial law and, utilising opportunities and efficiencies found in the Cyprus legal and financial infrastructure, tries to offer turnkey advice and options to both international and local clients. For over thirty years, she has had first-hand experience of Cyprus’ development into an international business centre and its evolution into a highly regulated EU state within the Eurozone which is conducive and facilitative to businesses.

Drawing upon her insightful multi-practice expertise, she works within the full spectrum of corporate law, ranging from advice on the options, strategies and requirements prior to incorporation, the completion of the process of incorporation, the annual maintenance, operation and compliance of companies operating in Cyprus and eventually their dissolution or even reinstatement. She has amassed great experience in the drafting and consummation of all related agreements or corporate instruments, ranging from subscription, options, joint ventures, shareholders agreements (and their mirroring into companies’ Articles of Association, as appropriate) board and shareholders resolutions. She has also extensively advised on capital injections, directors’ duties and liabilities, shareholders’ rights and potential disputes.

Chryso is frequently involved in the performance of due diligence exercises, sometimes involving a number of Cyprus based vehicles within the target group, and the issue of due diligence reports or capacity opinions. The due diligence exercises often lead to the drafting of share purchase agreements, business transfer agreements and more generally restructures or mergers. She has been involved in the due diligence and consequent acquisition of a number of high profile organisations within the banking, insurance, infrastructure and energy sectors in Cyprus.

Cross Border Transactions, M&A & Restructures

Building on her substantial expertise in corporate and commercial law, Chryso has dealt with major cross border, M&A transactions and restructures, often involving a number of Cyprus based vehicles within the target group. These multi-faceted assignments may include the performance of due diligence exercises, the issue of due diligence reports or capacity opinions, the drafting of share purchase agreements with the appropriate warranties and representations, conditions precedent, financial retentions, business transfer agreements, escrow agreements and when required, the application for regulatory permits.

She has been involved in the due diligence and consequent acquisition of a number of high profile organisations within the banking, insurance, infrastructure and energy sectors in Cyprus. Indicatively, she has been involved in the sale of the Cyprus subsidiary of a foreign bank, the sale of two insurance undertakings in Cyprus and abroad, the acquisition of a petrol distribution company and the acquisition of the entire interest in both the concessionaire of the retail operations and the concessionaire of the food and beverage operations at Larnaca and Paphos International Airports.

She has worked on the merger of local companies, as well as the cross border of companies and in this context, she has offered advice on the procedure and requirements and prepared the necessary notifications, publications, merger plans and court applications. Chryso has also advised on exit strategies, spin offs and internal restructures, as well as methods of dissolution of Cyprus companies. Being a licenced insolvency practitioner, she also acts as the liquidator in members’ voluntary winding up of companies.

Trusts, Wills & Succession

Through her long and varied experience in trust law, corporate law and high-value cross border transactions, Chryso has had the opportunity to work closely with high net worth individuals and to assist them in managing their private wealth. She has been involved with trusts from the start of her career and she has closely followed the development of trust law in Cyprus over the past thirty years, participating in several conferences, often as a speaker. She has assisted with the creation of more than 70 trusts on behalf of both local and international clients, within a practice area which has developed in parallel with legal developments in Cyprus, notably, the introduction of the International Trusts Law first enacted in 1992, and further ameliorated in 2012. In meeting clients’ needs, she has advised on, or drafted trust deeds for all types of trusts, including testamentary, discretionary, fixed, bare, or trusts created in the framework of management option schemes or escrow agreements and has advised extensively and on a regular basis on a wide range of trust issues. She combines into her trust practice, the skills and efficiencies built from her extensive and varied experience in the areas of corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, tax, finance, banking and securities, with emphasis on international high-value cross-border transactions.

Banking & Secured Financing

Chryso regularly advises large European financing institutions and local banks that repeatedly entrust her with new engagements. She is well versed in the complexities and time critical requirements of high-value, multi-jurisdictional financing transactions, including project financing, syndicated, subordinated and mezzanine financing and in this context, she has drafted or reviewed loan and facility agreements, fixed and floating charges, mortgages, corporate guarantees, share pledge agreements, assignments of receivables and other security documents. She has also dealt with the due diligence of borrowers and other obligors, the review and collection of the required corporate approvals, corporate documents and conditions precedent, and has advised on or assisted with stamping of the various documents and the registration and release of charges and mortgages with the Registrar of Companies, the Land Registry and other authorities in Cyprus.

At the same time, she has advised banks and other financial institutions on complex regulatory and compliance matters concerning banking regulation, corporate governance, new and existing banking products and insurance law.

Telecommunications, Media & Technology Law

Throughout her career Chryso has had the opportunity to work with an impressive array of multinational corporations, counting amongst them some of the bigger names in telecommunications, and global professional consulting companies specialising also in technology and innovation. She contributes to clients operating in these industries, her expertise in evaluating target companies through legal due diligences, structuring and negotiating cross-border acquisitions and mergers, joint ventures, enterprise capitalisation and financing and related services which support the corporate infrastructure of players in this sector.

Education