Gold Magazine February - March 2013, Issue 23 | Page 28

COVER STORY

tions. The pool of qualified professional women
is growing but old-fashioned sexist attitudes are
still common. Firms that encourage both men
and women to contribute to the maximum of
their abilities will ultimately be the most successful. They need the “best” person for each
job and gender is not a factor. CHANGE:
Today it’s important to restore investor and
depositor confidence in our financial sector and
to repair the damage to Cyprus’ reputation.

THIS IS ANOTHER
CONFIRMATION OF
THE STRENGTH AND
CAPACITY OF THE
PROFESSIONAL

FINANCIAL
SERVICES

HELEN
HADJICHRISTO UDIA

ELIA NICOLAOU

MANAGING DIRECTOR, AMICORP
(CYPRUS) LTD

In the fiduciary services industry, women are
given equal opportunities to prove themselves
and their capabilities in managing and growing such companies and stakeholders trust us.
Women can be more pragmatic, thorough
and diligent in their dealings, better at handling sensitive issues and charming negotiators
in client transactions. Nevertheless, women
and men can complement each other to offer clients a truly comprehensive proposition.
CHANGE: The most significant contribution
today would be ensuring the alignment and
compliance of all service providers with the
EU’s anti-money laundering regulations.

ANASTASIA
ANASTASSIADES

HEAD OF INVESTMENT CONSULTING
IN CYPRUS, AON HEWITT

When I started my career, I often encountered discriminating behaviour and I left the
country. I was glad to see that this had changed
on my return. Women demonstrate higher
levels of compassion and team-building skills.
They’re persuasive, assertive, honest, hardworking and they like a challenge whereas

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, D.I. ROSS & CO LTD

The blatant discrimination which plagued the
workplace in the past has largely faded, and
although women are still underrepresented
in managerial positions, the balance appears
to be shifting towards a well-diversified team.
Studies show that women often surpass men
in terms of leadership qualities such as innovative thinking, inspiring motivation in others
and initiative. Clients also recognize the more
personal and honest approach a women can
convey. CHANGE: It is now key to restore
confidence in the nation’s banks and bring
capital flowing back into the country.

ZOE KOKKONI

DIRECTOR, ABACUS LTD

There is no denying that my profession is still
very much ä man’s world” but with plenty
of room for those women who believe in
themselves and their abilities. The challenge
for women is to undertake this role in their
own style, not after having adopted the style or
accepted norms of their male counterparts or
superiors. CHANGE: We need to improve the
overall professionalism of all those involved in
servicing, from the lawyer, accountant, banker,
civil servant, secretary to the receptionist.

JOANNA ELIA

men are better in negotiation and they convey
more confidence. A bi-gender team is thus
more able to have a holistic view of a situation.
CHANGE: I would impose a maximum time
for regulators/authorities to process and progress requests/applications.

MARINA ZEVEDEOU

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER, ASPEN
TRUST GROUP

Though the majority of employees in our profession are women, this is not reflected in the
percentage of women executives or partners.
On the other hand, the service industry has the
highest number of women entrepreneurs owning their own companies, which suggests that
no-one can hold back a determined woman!
Women’s special qualities such as teamwork,
intuition and creativity are valued highly by clients. CHANGE: We must expand our range
of services as a Business Centre and take active
steps to create a positive image for Cyprus.

DEMETRA KALOGEROU
CHAIR, CYPRUS SECURITIES &
EXCHANGE COMMISSION

The sad reality, as reflected in the statistics, is
the notable under-representation of women
within the corporate and governmental hierarchy of the financial sector. Women’s representation on the boards of private companies and
in decision-making positions in the public sector in Cyprus is negligible. In these challenging
times, ruling out 50% of suitable candidates
because of their gender could be detrimental.
CHANGE: I would strengthen the financial
sector supervisory authorities as a first step
towards cultivating trust in the regulatory and
supervisory infrastructures of the Cyprus securities market.

DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
SERVICES DIVISION, EUROFAST TAXAND

Workforce demographics have changed dramatically since I began working in this industry. Nowadays, women professionals account
for a bigger proportion of the total workforce
and I’m pleased to see that many firms are
investing in and advancing talented women
professionals. Our industry is largely a personal relationship-based one and I believe that
women have the edge when it comes to communication, responsiveness and conflict resolution. Clients value women’s ability to view
things from their own perspective. CHANGE:
We need to differentiate Cyprus from less strict
offshore jurisdictions.

ANGELA KATCHIES

MANAGER, LEGAL DEPARTMENT,
FIDUCENTER (CYPRUS) LTD

It may have been “a man’s world” some
years ago, but the legal profession in Cyprus
is one area where women’s presence has
been apparent for some time now. Whether
you are a woman or man, you need to be
confident, believe in your abilities and put
yourself out there. CHANGE: There is a
lot of work to be done to the Registrar of
Companies system. For starters, the normal
procedure should be to incorporate companies in 48 hours and print certificates online
instantly.

CHRISTINA ROSSI

MANAGER, INTERNAL
ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT,
FIDUCENTER (CYPRUS) LTD

The business world is generally a man’s
world and the top positions in many financial organisations are held by men. However,
I believe that this is gradually changing and

26 Gold THE INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT, FINANCE & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES MAGAZINE OF CYPRUS

cover_story.indd 26

01/02/2013 13:45