By
Laura Hyde |
Boasting over 25 years of expertise in law, finance, and strategy, Dr Ece Gürsoy is the chief legal officer for Global Ports Holding, the world’s largest cruise port operator. Her exceptional achievements have earned recognition through prestigious awards including Lawyer Hot 100, Legal 500, and Halsbury Legal.
Gürsoy uses her legal expertise to advance growth for the business. “While it is a big achievement to operate in so many countries, managing the legal risks is not easy,” says Gürsoy. “There’s no uniform set of regulations and structures making it challenging to comply with each jurisdiction. While jurisdictional differences are inevitable, it would create great results if we had a seamless set of rules regulating core behaviour and services globally across the sector. The key is to develop the law and commercially viable contracts that work in tandem not only with the day-to-day business but also for the strategic steps towards the future of the business.”
Along with her team, Gürsoy works hard to provide the right legal structures to address the daily commercial, operational and financial needs of all GPH ports. “We work side by side with all the commercial teams and use legal skills and knowledge as a tool to advance the company’s business and create sector-specific law,” she explains. “We act not only as preventative lawyers, but also create the structures for the mergers and acquisitions and operational teams at the outset of projects. This is in addition to all the other functions we carry out.
“GPH has already paved the way for the next five years and has undoubtedly secured its place as the world’s largest cruise port operator. There is still room for improvement, and we must ensure that passengers continue to get the best services through the right legal structures. GPH will continue to introduce solutions to enhance the quality of its port management services without stopping the growth activities.”
This article was first published in the Autumn/Winter 2023 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed. Subscribe to Cruise & Ferry Review for FREE to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox.