Kyriakos Fountoukakos

Kyriakos Fountoukakos is a partner in Herbert Smith's Brussels office and a member of the firm's EU, competition and regulation group. He deals with all aspects of EU and UK competition law including merger control, acquisitions and hostile takeovers, joint ventures, cartels, antitrust investigations and advice, dominance, and competition litigation before the EU courts. He has advised clients in a broad range of sectors including in particular media, telecommunications, IT, energy, oil and gas, financial services/insurance, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and consumer goods.

Kyriakos has particular expertise through his background as an EU official. He has held positions at the European Institutions (2001-2005), first as a European Commission official at DG Competition's Merger Task Force and then as a Référendaire (Legal Secretary) in the cabinet of the President of the EU Court of First Instance (now known as the EU General Court).

Kyriakos frequently speaks at competition law conferences in Europe, the US and Asia and has authored or co-authored several articles on competition law. He is co-author of the mergers chapter in the current edition of the well-known textbook Faull & Nikpay: The EC Law of Competition; co-editor of Jones & Van der Woude's EC Law Handbook; and Senior Editor of Global Competition Policy (GCP).

Kyriakos is acknowledged as a leading competition law expert in major legal directories including the International Who's Who of Competition Lawyers and Economists. He was identified by Global Competition Review as one of the world’s leading 40 competition lawyers under the age of 40.

Kyriakos has studied law and European Studies at the University of Athens (degree in law), King's College London (LLM), University of Cambridge (MPhil in European Studies) and Columbia Law School, New York (LLM). He is qualified as a Greek lawyer and as a solicitor in England and Wales. Kyriakos is fluent in English, Greek and French.
 

• M-real on the sale of its Reflex mill to Arjowiggins (EC Phase II conditional clearance) and on the sale of its Graphic Coated Paper Business to Sappi (EC Phase I clearance)
• Dutch paper merchant MAP on obtaining EC merger control clearance for the acquisition by French paper merchant Antalis
• BP and British Sugar on obtaining EC merger control clearance for the establishment of a joint venture for the construction and operation of a bio-ethanol plant in the UK
• Lonmin on merger control issues in connection with a hostile bid by mining company Xstrata
• AUR Resources on its acquisition by mining company Teck Cominco (EC Phase I merger clearance)
• Tata Limited on the EC merger control aspects of its acquisition of a jointly controlling interest in a Joint venture, alongside Mubadala and Ferrari, in Piaggio Aero Industries SpA (EC Phase I merger clearance)
• Websense on obtaining UK merger control clearance in relation to its US$400 million acquisition of SurfControl (IT software sector)
• Time Warner on obtaining UK merger control clearance in relation to the sale of Time Warner Book Group to Hachette/Lagardère
• Pilkington on the European Commission's investigations into alleged cartel conduct in the European flat and automotive glass sectors and on its appeal of the Commission's car glass decision to the Court of First Instance of the EU (now known as the EU General Court)
• a financial institution as an intervener before the Court of First Instance of the EU (now known as the EU General Court) in proceedings lodged by MasterCard against a European Commission decision on multilateral interchange fees
• a telecommunications company on its appeal to the Court of First Instance of the EU (now known as the EU General Court) challenging a European Commission decision under the Framework Directive for electronic communications
• a gas company on competition issues relating to contractual negotiations with incumbent companies, in particular in relation to liberalisation and potential abuse of dominance issues
• a major European manufacturer on reviewing its distribution arrangements and terms to ensure compliance with the EC competition rules