Senior Legal Counsel, Elias Neocleous & Co LLC: The positives far outweigh the negatives in Cyprus

Born in Australia, Michael Pelosi says the professional environment in Cyprus is very different from his homeland but also that his Italian roots have helped him quickly adapt to the Mediterranean way of life.

Describe your current job in Cyprus.

I work in the Corporate and Commercial Department of the firm, advising corporate entities and their management on their business operations in and through Cyprus.

What led to your move from Australia to Cyprus?

My wife wanted to be closer to her family and friends.

How does the professional environment in Cyprus differ from that in Australia?

The professional environment in Cyprus is very different from Australia. You regularly hear that Cyprus is a small place or a small market but what is not said – although it becomes obvious when you get involved in business dealings – is that the small size of the market means that professionals and everyone in the business community are more closely interconnected and commonly know each other on enduring personal levels. This is very different from other markets, where professionals generally know each other only by reputation or through professional connections. In Cyprus these connections and relationships run deeper, meaning that the market operates, for better or worse, with a strong focus and reliance on these personal relationships and the intimate knowledge of those you are dealing with, creating a genuinely unique professional environment.

How do you view the business environment in your particular industry?

Whilst there are a lot of similarities with the legal industry in Australia, the practice of law in Cyprus is very different. The way lawyers see themselves and their position in the community often means that businesses and their lawyers are more interdependent, resulting in the practice of law in Cyprus taking on a very different complexion. The lines of demarcation between legal and commercial considerations are less prescribed or enforced by lawyers in the Cypriot legal market, meaning you regularly see lawyers taking a more active role in their clients’ business decisions and operations. Whilst this does have some advantages, it also has the potential to cloud the independence of the legal advice being given.

How do you find working and living in Cyprus? How easily did you adapt to life here?

My friends tell me that I have adapted far too quickly to the Cyprus way of doing things (which my wife does not always see as a good thing!). Growing up in an Italian family made for an easier transition to the Greek way of life and I have therefore found it easier than some of my other expat friends to adapt to life on the island. Cyprus is an amazing place in which to live and work, and in large part it is the people that make it what it is, but as with everywhere there are positives and negatives. Having been here for five years now, I feel at home, I love life on the island and I can comfortably say that Cyprus has succeeded in creating an environment where the positives far outweigh the negatives.

• Country of origin: Australia
• Job Title: Senior Legal Counsel
• Company: Elias Neocleous & Co LLC
• Office Location: Limassol
• Time in Cyprus: 5 years
• Other countries he has lived/worked in: Australia
• Favourite restaurant in Cyprus: Crosta Nostra, Nicosia.
• Favourite bar in Cyprus: Any bar that can make a real Negroni!
• Activities he enjoys in Cyprus: Taking his kids to the beach, sailing

This interview first appeared in the March issue of GOLD magazine. Click here to view it.