A multi-lingual Oxford University graduate and a fellow chartered accountant of the ICAEW, Ms. Pilides served as the Director General of the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency ("Invest Cyprus") for the past two years. Her work experience includes more than twelve years in the private sector, including nine years at PwC in Cyprus, Milan and London. Ms. Pilides has worked in management positions in the areas of audit, tax and consulting, providing services to multinational companies active in the fields of banking and finance, insurance, energy, construction, shipping and FMCG. She was also the Regional Chief Operating Officer for Baker Tilly in South East Europe, heading the departments of Finance, Marketing, HR, Administration, Operations and IT for Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova. Her experience includes training and delivering courses both for professional staff and ICAEW, ACCA and CIMA students, in the areas of audit, tax, corporate law, financial accounting and reporting with BPP, one of the leading professional studies organisations in London and internationally.