Rita Paukštė is Head of Legal at ILTE, Lithuania’s newly established national development bank, where she leads the development of legal and governance frameworks as the institution moves into full operations.

Previously, as Head of Legal Services at Lithuanian Railways, she oversaw a team of 20 lawyers across Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, guiding the legal function through significant organisational transformation including the adoption of LEAN-based principles.

Rita spent over a decade in leading Pan-Baltic law firms, heading Competition practice and co-leading the EU, Regulatory & Competition group. Her expertise in regulated sectors earned recognition from The Legal 500 EMEA as a “Next Generation Partner” and “Rising Star” in EU & Competition (2020–2023).

She holds LLM degrees from Utrecht University and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, and is a qualified mediator and lecturer

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