The New Regulatory Landscape: Implications for Compliance
19 Oct 2023

The New Regulatory Landscape: Implications for Compliance
19 Oct 2023
About the speakers
- Marjolein De BackerPartner at Eversheds SutherlandMarjolein is a partner at Eversheds Sutherland’s Competition, Trade & Foreign Investment practice in Brussels. Marjolein practices in the areas of EU and Belgian competition law. She has over 15 years of experience advising on merger control, competition investigations and sector inquiries, and state aid. Marjolein also advises on foreign direct investment and national security control as well as competition law related questions in the fields of ESG, patent licensing, and routes to market. Marjolein has represented clients before the EU, UK and Belgian competition authorities and courts. She is qualified in Belgium and New York and registered as a foreign lawyer in the UK. Marjolein has worked for multinationals across different sectors including, energy and commodities, financial services, manufacturing, media, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, technology and the internet of things, and transport and logistics. Marjolein frequently publishes and speaks at conferences on key competition law developments and reforms. She has been particularly invested in the questions raised in relation to digital developments, including the related regulatory changes, and the interplay between competition law and sustainability. Marjolein has been recognized and recommended over several years as a leading lawyer for competition law in legal directories such as Chambers Europe since 2019, The Legal 500 EMEA since 2022, and Euromoney since 2018. Marjolein was also named a “future leader” and “global thought leader under 45” in competition law by Who’s Who Legal in 2022 and 2023.
- Steve ThomasGeneral Counsel at KelkooSteve Thomas is General Counsel at Kelkoo Group, an ecommerce marketing platform (under the brands Kelkoo, LeGuide and Ciao) connecting both publishers and merchants with consumers through qualified traffic. Kelkoo provides monetization opportunities for both online shops and retailers, with over 20 years of experience in the digital sphere. With extensive experience in the digital and technology sectors, Steve has overall responsibility for legal and compliance issues in 40 countries and across the Kelkoo, LeGuide and Ciao businesses. Based out of the company’s London office, Steve has a key role in advising on both strategic and operational matters across the Group. Prior to joining Kelkoo Group, Steve occupied a variety of positions for Colart, Bristows and Simmons & Simmons.
- Xanthi G. BitzidouSenior Lawyer, Competition and Regulation at Hellenic Telecommunications and Postal Commission (E.E.T.T)Ms. Xanthi G. Bitzidou is a Senior Greek lawyer with an extensive experience on the full range of EU and Greek competition law, regulation and litigation. Her 20+ years practice focuses in the areas of network industries and mainly in the TMT sector, competition law, tech law and the digital markets. Ms. Bitzidou is a Senior lawyer at the legal directory of E.E.T.T (Hellenic Telecommunications and Posts Commission) since 2005. She has successfully handled numerous Greek and EU competition law cases (merger and antitrust procedures) in the Electronic Communications and Postal markets. She has been extensively involved in the full spectrum of regulation, implementation, complex policy issues and litigation, in close co-operation with a number of national regulators (NRAs), ministries, EU bodies, the EU Commission and private stakeholders. A Greek qualified lawyer, she obtained her Law Degree from Greece, and holds a D.E.S in EU Law (Belgium) and a Masters’ degree from the UK in Competition law and the TMT sector. Prior to joining E.E.T.T, Ms. Bitzidou has worked in Brussels, where she practiced EU law and competition law.
- Kayvan Hazemi-JebelliPrincipal at EVALUSIONKay Jebelli is principal at EVALUSION, an independent consultancy focused on the digital sector. He also serves as Competition & Regulatory Counsel for the Computer & Communications Industry Association in Brussels, representing a broad cross-section of technology industry players. Kay has over a decade's experience working as a competition lawyer in private practice, in the European Commission Directorate-General for Competition, in academia, and as Senior Legal Counsel at a leading UK media and communications company. Before starting his legal career, Kay worked as a computer engineer.
Key takeaways