Personnel note: Constantine Karides joins Florida Chamber’s board of directors

Congratulations to Constantine Karides, who is joining Florida Chamber’s board of directors.

Constantine Karides is the newest member of the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors.

The Chamber recently announced Karides’ appointment to the panel. A partner at Reed Smith LLP, Karides adds global business experience to the 50-plus member body.

“The Florida Chamber believes a globally competitive business climate helps Florida businesses and families succeed,” said Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson. “Constantine brings a wealth of experience to our Board and we look forward to working with him and our members to grow private sector jobs to make Florida more competitive.”

At Reed Smith, Karides works for the Financial Industry Group. He counsels companies on issues ranging from distressed credit to corporate governance. As well, he boasts “considerable cross-border experience representing foreign companies operating in the United States,” a Chamber news release said.

Karides’ international involvement includes work in the following sectors: transportation, defense, energy, media and entertainment, retail, food and beverage, heavy manufacturing, life sciences and commercial real estate.

The Florida Chamber is no stranger to international trade.

Representatives from the organization tagged along during the state’s recent trade mission trip to Israel, where the Chamber entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce and the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce to promote partnerships between Israel and the Sunshine State.

Trade, the Chamber has said, was responsible for $147.8 billion of Florida’s gross domestic product during 2018.

The Reed Smith law firm ranks among the best corporate law firms in the country with 28 offices across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It was named among the world’s top 20 strongest law firm brands in the 2018 Acritas Global Elite Was Firm Brand Index.

“We at Reed Smith see Florida as the gateway to the world,” Karides said. “It is imperative that we work with other leaders to ensure Florida’s economic future is secure.”