Financing - Assurance Advisory
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There’s a simple truth in human behaviour: we act faster to relieve pain than to prevent it. A headache sends us reaching for a painkiller immediately. A vitamin, despite its long-term benefits, is easy to postpone, ignore, or underestimate. Organizations behave in much the same way; too often, compliance is treated as a response mechanism. […]
We are living in a fascinating moment for our cities. Digitalization, data, and artificial intelligence are creating unprecedented opportunities to rethink how public services are designed and delivered. Yet the discussion about smart cities often focuses mainly on technology. During a recent Fireside Chat on “Smart Cities & Good Governance: Accelerating the Resilient Transition to […]
Greek entrepreneurship has learned to grow through contradictions. Strong family-owned businesses, with deep market knowledge and a strong sense of responsibility toward their name and reputation, are now operating in an environment that is changing faster than ever before: demographic pressures, rising productivity demands, new markets, and new sources of capital that no longer follow […]
In the past – and as I have experienced first‑hand – lending to businesses often required two things: hard collateral and a personal guarantee from the business’s owners. The logic was simple: to tie the lending risk to the personal financial strength of the owner. After the financial crisis and during waves of regulatory reform, […]
During a recent fireside chat on unlocking capital for Greek and Cypriot enterprises, one message stood out clearly: what brought SMEs to today’s success will not necessarily carry them into their next phase of growth. Profitability, asset collateral, personal guarantees, and long-standing banking relationships were once enough. I still recall the classic question when assessing […]
In an environment where decisions are increasingly made under conditions of uncertainty, an organization’s ability to identify, assess, and manage risks is not a luxury — it is a prerequisite for survival. Yet, human nature tends to avoid risk. The fear of regretting a decision often leads to excessive risk aversion, inertia, and ultimately stagnation. […]
Public Interest Entities, by nature of their size, societal impact, and role in economic stability, are held to a higher standard in governance, internal controls, and transparency. This includes: Impressive, right? But here’s the real challenge: How often do these principles genuinely shape the way organizations operate—and how often are they reduced to mere checkboxes […]
Are you navigating with purpose—or just hoping the wind holds? We Greeks have always had salt on our skin-the sea is in our stories and in our rhythm of life. For generations, our ancestors crossed waters on wooden boats—with no GPS, no radar, no predictive weather models. Just the stars, the wind, and their experience. […]
A dear friend described rock climbing as a search for the perfect movement on the wall. That it’s not about raw strength or force but about precision, thoughtful planning, and the careful execution of each move, he said. This metaphor deeply resonates with leadership; it’s about finding the right approach in each situation. In leadership, […]
If I asked you to describe the ideal leader, what image comes to mind? Are they male or female? Are they from Greece or from the Philippines? Do they wear a suit or simply a comfortable sweater and sneakers? Would you call them “Mr. Chairman,” or just “George”? Governance, as the way businesses are managed, […]
