Adam Blair

Adam Blair

Adam Blair

London, U.K.

Our People

Adam Blair is a Senior Legal Counsel at Cleveland & Co, where he brings over 15 years of deep, cross-sector experience advising financial institutions on complex regulatory frameworks, fund structuring, corporate governance and distribution strategy. Based in London, Adam supports clients across the EMEA region, specialising in UK and EU financial services regulation, investment management, and governance. His work spans both traditional and alternative fund structures, including UCITS and AIFs, with additional focus on ESG, Consumer Duty, and regulatory perimeter analysis.

A solicitor qualified in England & Wales since 2010, Adam is known for his collaborative, transparent, and approachable style, providing clients with technical precision alongside commercial practicality. His prior experience includes senior in-house leadership as Executive Director at a global investment manager, where he managed cross-border regulatory issues, implemented multi-jurisdictional compliance programmes, and advised on firm-wide responses to evolving regimes including AIFMD, MiFID II, SMCR, and SFDR. Earlier in his career, Adam practiced at Simmons & Simmons during a time of wholesale regulatory change, equipping him with a resilient and solutions-oriented mindset.

Adam’s broad expertise covers ACD and ManCo structures, distribution and marketing arrangements, authorisations, governance frameworks, stewardship, outsourcing, remuneration, and product governance. He routinely advises on market entry and change-in-control scenarios, drafting and reviewing regulatory applications, intra-group arrangements, client agreements, and fund-related disclosures.

Clients trust Adam not only for his legal acumen but for his calm, pragmatic approach under pressure. He is committed to building strong partnerships with clients that reflect Cleveland & Co’s ethos of clarity, executional excellence, and long-term impact.

Outside of work, Adam is passionate about fitness and wellbeing, and enjoys exploring interior design and travelling with family and friends, always bringing a sense of curiosity, balance, and creativity to life beyond the office.

Expertise

Adam has developed a variety of skills, specifically in relation to:

  • Appointed Representative
  • Approved Persons
  • Authorisations
  • Change of Control
  • Client Categorisation
  • Conflicts of Interest
  • Consumer Duty
  • Corporate Governance Policies
  • Cross border marketing and approvals
  • Culture, Conduct Risk, Consumer Duty and TCF
  • Design & Disclosure Obligations and Target Market
  • Director and NED appointments
  • Financial Promotions
  • FPO and exemptions
  • Full scope AIFM requirements
  • Governance Arrangements
  • Inducements
  • MiFID activity restrictions for AIFMs
  • Non-EEA AIFM requirements
  • Outsourcing
  • Perimeter – AIFMs and AIFs
  • Perimeter – Investment business
  • Private Placement and NPPR
  • Product Governance
  • Regulated Activities, PERG and exemptions
  • Remuneration Codes
  • Reverse Solicitation
  • SMCR and COCON
  • SYSC Application (Annex one)
  • Terms of References
  • UK & EU Financial Services Legislation
  • Variation of Permission

Work Highlights

Global & Local Compliance Leadership
Designed and implemented both local and global compliance programs to meet evolving regulatory requirements, ensuring seamless adaptation across jurisdictions.
Corporate Governance Expertise
Advised clients on a wide range of governance matters, including board and committee composition, terms of reference, and regulated persons oversight, strengthening organisational decision-making frameworks.
Regulatory Structuring & Scoping
Provided in-depth regulatory guidance on business structuring, from the establishment of branches and subsidiaries to managing complex regulatory applications and approvals.
Regulatory Training & Awareness
Developed and delivered tailored training programs to clients on current and upcoming regulatory changes, enhancing organisational readiness and compliance culture.
Full-Spectrum General Counsel Support
Acted as a trusted advisor, offering broad-ranging legal counsel on day-to-day operational matters, from contracts to risk management, ensuring clients receive timely, practical, and commercially aligned solutions.

Professional Appointments/Memberships

  • Law Society of England & Wales

Qualifications

  • Admitted in England and Wales 2010

  • Legal Practice Course, The University of Law, 2007

  • LLB in Law with American Law, University of East Anglia, 2006

Languages

  • English

Argyro Leoutsea

Argyro Leoutsea

Argyro Leoutsea joined Cleveland & Co in 2022 to support the financial services and general corporate and commercial team. Throughout her career, Argyro has developed an in-depth expertise of banking, corporate, including corporate governance, M&A, securities and financial law. She has represented hundreds of Greek based and international companies and banks at all stages of their life cycle as well as investment services companies, private equity firms, funds and other institutional investors.

Argyro is proficient in negotiating, presenting, and resolving complex legal issues, researching and calculating possible risk factors while efficiently determining appropriate courses of action. As a common law educated lawyer with significant civil law experience, Argyro has become a flexible, motivated and business oriented advisor. When off work, she craves to dance and staying fit while trying to keep up with her active children

Expertise

Argyro has developed a variety of skills namely in relation to:

  • AIFs, RAIF, UCITS, SEIS/EIS passporting
  • Capital Markets
  • Company Secretarial
  • Corporate and commercial contracts
  • Corporate Governance
  • Custodian services and CSDs
  • Debt arrangements and restructuring
  • EU Financial Services Regulation
  • FinTech
  • Legal Research
  • Listing on Exchanges
  • M&A
  • Regulated services contracts including introducers agreements, brokerage agreements, distribution agreements, investment advice and management
  • Regulatory & Compliance

Experience

  • Wethaq (Capital Markets) Ltd, UAE: Head of Corporate & Compliance in a UAE based DFSA regulated Fintech building infrastructure for the issuance and administration of securities with Islamic characteristics. Held a multifunctional role involving among others regulatory compliance, dealing with day to day corporate matters but also complex commercial arrangements of the company with its partners and clients, corporate secretary duties, communication with external lawyers and auditors.
  • Tsibanoulis & Partners Law Firm, Athens : As a Partner, Argyro advised on a broad range of general and specialised capital markets, corporate, corporate finance and transactional matters in various projects from day one till completion. Heavily involved in numerous privatisation projects of State-owned companies and the consolidation of the Greek banking sector.
  • Seconded Associate, Goldberg Kohn Attorneys at Law, Chicago, IL: Worked as a secondee on financing and lending transactions, restructuring and corporate law, assisted partners with commercial due-diligence and bankruptcies, reorganizations, sales and liquidations, as well as out-of-court settlements.
  • Emporiki Bank (now Alpha Bank), Athens: Provided support for and handled litigation matters, including court and out-of-court filings, in Business Loans Litigation Department, Legal Services Directorate. Filed, tracked and maintained files. Prepared and drafted correspondence and assisted with ad hoc legal projects on an as-needed basis.

Professional Appointments/Memberships

  • Hellenic Bankers Association UK
  • Hellenic Law Association (UK)

Qualifications

  • Qualified as a lawyer in Greece (Athens Bar Association)
  • Registered as a Foreign Lawyer with the SRA
  • LL.B. in English Law (University of Essex)
  • LL.M in Corporate and Commercial Law (University College London)

Languages

  • English
  • French
  • Greek

Our People