Greece changes brand
The crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the European Union’s sizable Recovery Fund have opened up great opportunities for our country. Kathimerini asked the top chief executives of Greek companies for their views on the key question of what it will take to truly restart the economy.
Economic development is a practical matter – it requires common sense but also a vision. Greece has managed to overturn the negative image that was created during the years of economic crisis thanks to its handling of the pandemic. The country showed that, with the right leadership, the Greek state can respond effectively to an extremely difficult challenge.
Changing the country’s brand will give Greece the opportunity to attract serious foreign investment and also to convince Greeks who left the country to return and work in cutting-edge sectors. It is strange that people with a good knowledge of Greece who are not Greek strongly believe in this country’s potential.
Such examples include US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, the billionaire investor Prem Watsa, billionaire executive Andrew Liveris and founding partner of Index Ventures, possibly the largest venture capital fund in Europe, Neil Rimmer. These are some of the important names in global business who have contributed to today’s supplement.
There is general agreement that Greece can get back on the path to recovery but also move to another level, by following the example of countries such as Israel. But the recipe for this change will come from the people who have a deep knowledge of the Greek market and reality – that is, the main protagonists of the recovery.
In this supplement, leading Greek CEOs offer their own views and describe their own vision and plans for the future of the Greek economy. The current juncture is extraordinary. The country has a government that believes in entrepreneurship and growth and has political stability, while the coronavirus is, paradoxically, creating historic opportunities.
As Neil Rimer said in his own way, the slogan must be “Let’s go guys!” Today, the dream team of Greek entrepreneurship tell us how to do it.
