The businesses which, with their achievements and their hard and methodical effort are leading the country and the economy forward, were honoured in the Award Ceremony for the tradition-awards for Greek Business “Protagonists of the Greek Economy,” that was organised for the fifth time by Direction Business Network on Monday, 10 June 2019.

In the packed Banquet Hall of the Athens Concert Hall, with more than 600 high-ranking executives and representatives of the academic world in attendance, businesses were honoured for that they constitute the brilliant present and future of Greek business, which are preparing Greece’s future.

The awards were based on the official financial data of the companies as they appear in the financial reports included in the edition “The Strongest of the Greek Economy” by Direction Business Network, which just came out.

Initially, Industry Protagonists, comprising of leading businesses of the Greek economy’s key industries were honoured, on the basis of their turnover, gross profits and cash on hand. In this category, the following companies were awarded: Amvyx S.A. (Alcoholic Beverages), Iaponiki S.A. (Auto parts), Giotis S.A. (Food Industry – Baby Food), Spot Thompson (Advertising Companies), The Mall Athens (Commercial Centres), PPC S.A. (Energy), Athenian Brewery (Brewing Industry), Plaisio Computers (PC – Technology), Acme Education Group (Private Post-Lyceum Education), Nireus Aquaculture (Aquaculture), Cavino S.A. (Wine Production), AB Vasilopoulos S.A. (Super Market), Accenture S.A. (Business Consulting Services), ACS Postal Services S.A. (Courier Services) PEIFASYN (Pharmaceutical Wholesalers), MEGA Personal Hygiene Products S.A. (Personal Hygiene Paper Products) and Coca-Cola HBC Greece S.A. (Juice -Beverages)

In addition, APSI-Pindos and Lidl Hellas were honoured for their significant activities in the fields of Development and Investment, while Bic VIOLEX S.A., Barba Stathis S.A., Pavlidis S.A Marble – Granite, Pharmathen, Selonda Aquaculture SA, Septona S.A., and Uni-Pharma received awards because they stood out in the field of Business Extroversion.

Turnaround Business awards were distributed to the companies Hyundai Greece S.A., Premier Capital Hellas (McDonald’s) and Venus Growers, in recognition of their achievement in overcoming any difficulties they face, and for returning on a trajectory of growth.

In addition, Greek Business Champions were awarded, companies with an annual turnover that exceeds 10 million euros, which, as it arises from their financial data for 2017, managed to increase their turnover at the same time as their gross profits by more than 20% during that specific year.

More specifically, the following companies were awarded in this category: Active Computer Systems S.A., Violanta S.A., Carrier Frigel Apostolou, FCA Greece S.A., HAFCO S.A., HST S.A., Thrakon Mortars of Thrace, Imagin Facility Management, Inventor A.G. S.A., IFET S.A., Mavrogenis D. “Nippon” S.A., Mellon Technologies S.A., MSPS S.A. Navicon S.A., NCR (Greece) S.A., Novastar LLC, NRG Trading House Energy S.A., Pavlidis S.A. Marble-Granite, Polisan Greece S.A., Proporeia LLC “Avance”, Siemens Healthcare S.A., SEKE S.A., Tanko Petfood S.A., L. Tasoulis S.A., Teoren Motors S.A., Tourists Enterprises of Chalkidiki, West S.A., Hydromarin S.A., and Zeus International.

Hellenic Railways, which are celebrating the 150th anniversary from their foundation this year, as well as. Titan Cement S.A., which was founded in Greece in 1902, were awarded as Historical Enterprises. In addition, Panos Germanos, Founder of the Olympia Group, was honoured with the International Greek Entrepreneur Excellence Award which has been established since 2017 to honour entrepreneurs of Greek origin who have excelled within and beyond the borders of Greece, while Ioannis Karagiannis, the Group’s Chairman, received the award.

Finally, the competition’s top honour, Company of the Year, went to Papastratos, following a vote which was held for the third year in a row among 7,500 high-ranking executives of the largest Greek companies. Twenty of the most important Greek companies with a positive trajectory and dynamic growth activity were candidates, which resulted following a pre-selection procedure with which the competition’s special awards committee proceeded.

Upon receipt of the award, Christos Harpantidis, Chairman and Managing Director of Papastratos stated that “The true protagonists in Papastratos being awarded Company of the Year are my 1,420 colleagues who, through their work, and with their dedication and boldness, have put their stamp on this especially important distinction and grant me the privilege of coming here on their behalf to receive this award. We at Papastratos believe that it is our duty and obligation to come out ahead, to create possibilities so that what is good can increase manifold, and to take as many people as possible along with us. We bear the responsibility of our role as a social and business leader. We shall not wait for the world to change in order to forge ahead. We have decided to change the world together, and we shall take as many people as we can along with us, so that we can continue for a better future.”

The journalist Dora Panteli was the event’s presenter, while the evening was launched by Evangelos Papalios, Publisher-Director of Direction Business Network, who highlighted that “all the companies that received awards as well as all the companies mentioned in the edition “The Strongest Greek Companies” represent the present and the future of Greek business. Through their achievements, they demonstrate that whichever government may be in power after 7 July, it must have entrepreneurship as its No. 1 goal.”

With the support of Piraeus Bank, for yet another year, the tradition falls under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance & Development as well as SEV. Max Media Greece was the major sponsor.

Wind was the Telecoms Provider, while the companies IRI, Evin Intzoglou and Amvyx (Glenfiddich) were Sponsors. Supporters included Greek Wine Cellars, The Design Agency, and CEO Clubs Greece. In addition, the competition was supported by Weber Shandwick, Image Pro, We For Media (Official Partners), PressiousArvanitidis, Polichromo, Mass Courier.

The 1st edition of FLEET BUSINESS is in circulation, the magazine that records the beat in the corporate vehicles and mobility sector, both in our country and in Europe. This edition is included in the new publishing venture of Direction Business Network, which comes to fill the information gap in the field of Fleet and Mobility Management

This project includes the electronic edition “Fleet News”, which has already circulated in 20 editions, covering market-related issues on a weekly basis, as well as the portal fleetnews.gr for the Fleet Management and Mobility market.

Addressed to executives in the Auto market, Leasing and Rental, Transports, and Mobility in general, as well as companies that possess corporate vehicles, offering up-to-date and prompt information on the latest trends and developments in Greece and internationally, current affairs, executive transfers, regulations, taxation, fleet management, technology etc.

Direction Business Network is supported in its new venture by the collaboration with Belgium-based Nexus Communications, the international leader in business-to-business communication within the corporate fleet management and mobility sectors.

In the first edition, the views of representatives of the market itself are presented with regard to its trajectory, the major trends that will prevail in the automotive industry and mobility up to 2030, as interpreted by its executives, as well as the trends that determine the future of vehicle leasing. In addition, issues related to telematics and fleet cards are included, lightweight industrial vehicles, new alternative fuels, as well as information on the EU auto market.

With Metro/My market as the major protagonist, the 17th Awards ceremony was concluded for the competition “50 Years PLAISIO – RetailBusiness Awards 2019”, as the company was selected as Retailer of the Year, while its CEO Aristotelis Panteliadis, was honoured with the Retail Manager award. The great celebration of Retail Trade and Industry was held on Monday 18 February at the Athens Concert Hall, in the presence of more than 600 executives of the Retail, Industry, and Communications market, as well as representatives from the world of journalism. The hosts for the evening were journalist Dimitris Kampourakis and the athlete and presenter Dora Panteli.

Fully updated and following the trends and the needs of the market, the “50 Years PLAISIO – Retails Business Awards 2019” introduced in this year’s competition, for the first time, new award categories, both for retailers as well as suppliers, always true to their logic and philosophy that the awards must result through clear and completely transparent and merit-based procedures.

It should be mentioned that the winners, for yet another year, were selected following evaluation and voting by a wide-ranging evaluation committee, in which representatives from 19 institutional organisations and institutes of the Greek market participated (SEVT, IFES, ESVEP, NCHC, GRECA,HAA, the Franchise Association of Greece, HRBA, SEV, IELKA, European Communication Institute, Supply Chain Institute, IAB Hellas, SEPOA HMA, IPE, ECR Hellas, HIM and the Greek Marketing Academy), heads of data and research companies (GfK, IRI, Nielsen) and recognised representatives of academia, with KPMG constituting, this year also, being the competition’s audit body.

Suppliers of the Year, based on the survey that was carried out once again, exclusively for the magazine RetailBusiness and for Direction Business Network, by the Athens University of Economics, with Professors Giorgos Panigyrakis as scientific head, included Unilever Hellas (Non Food), Barba Stathis (Food & Drink), B/S/H (Appliances and Audiovisual Equipment) and Huwaei Hellas (Technology).

In addition, Honorary Awards were granted to Lidl Hellas for its successful 20 years in our country, to Plaisio for its 50-year anniversary of activity, and to AB Vassilopoulos for being present on the Greek market for 80 years. OPAP was honoured with the Rising Star award for developing the Play network, while REDS received the Retail Investment Award for its significant expansion at Smart Park.

The statements by the protagonists

“Today marks 17 years of a continued presence, which is clear proof on the one hand of the importance of the tradition, and on the other of the momentum of the market and its people”, mentioned the publisher of Direction Business network, Vangelis Papalios, in his welcome speech, adding that “our long-standing principle, moreover, and our sole objective from the very beginning was to support and honour Values and Excellency. This is the “secret” to success and, thanks to this logic it established itself, essentially from its very first steps, as the most important and distinguished tradition for Retail Trade and Industry in Greece, and one of the most important in Greek Business.”

On his part, Retail Manager Aristotelis Panteliadis, who is also the Managing Director of Metro/My market, selected Retailer of the Year, stated the following regarding the double award: “I am very happy about the two awards, because I believe that they pertain to our entire team and all the work we did and completed after a three-year plan to incorporate Veropoulos, which was crowned with success. We worked a great deal and very hard but, at the same time, it was a process that was exciting and interesting. We had planned a three-year course including all the stages. Now that this period has passed, I can say that we truly achieved everything we had planned. Of course, we must continue to better ourselves, and to meet the needs of consumers in the best possible way. We cannot stop improving, and this is what we will do. I hope that the most difficult part is behind us, and that we can be optimistic about the future. Nonetheless, better things won’t come on their own. We must work and strive towards this.”

Additionally, George Gerardos, Chairman and CEO of Plaisio Computers, which was the Title Sponsor of the competition, in his introductory greeting, referred to the 50-year landmark which the chain is celebrating this year, and set the tone for the future, stressing that “we have profited all 50 years. We profited during the recession and we had very good cashflow. What we are proud of is the fact that, during the entire duration of the recession, we did not reduce the salary of any employee. We are now entering 2019 with half a century of history, experience, and absolute trust. This is the heritage offered to us by our 50 years. We will therefore forget the recession and make new investments. A new generation of executives follows, the great team of 1,500 people we have, and to whom we owe our success. Thus we move forward to the next cycle of growth. We deserve it, as does Greek society.”

The Competition

The “50 Years PLAISIO – RetailBusiness Awards 2019” were organised by Direction Business Network and the magazine RetailBusiness, and were held, as they are every year, under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance and Development. They were organised in collaboration with the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE) and the Hellenic Retail Business Association (HRBA), while KPMG Sworn Auditors S.A., for the 14th year in a row, was the competition’s audit body, safeguarding the validity of the process.

Plaisio was the title sponsor, while OPAP was the Major Sponsor. AB Vassilopoulos was a sponsor in the categories “Supplier of the Year” Food & Drink and Non Food, and My Market was a sponsor for the categories Supplier’s CSR Campaign, Supplier’s Brand Campaign, and Supplier’s Social Media Campaign. Wind was the Telecoms Provider, and sponsors included Sklavenitis, Dimello, West Sales & Marketing Agency, EVIN Intzoglou, Zagori Natural Mineral Water, Screens Hellas and Tzortzis S.A., while Official Partners included Ogilvy, The Design Agency, ImagePro, Music4Media, flexbook, Future Μodels Management and Greek Wine Cellars. In addition, the competition was supported by Pressious Arvanitidis (Printing), Polichromo (Digital Printing) and Mass Courier (Courier Services) Web communications sponsors included Advertising.gr, BusinessNews.gr and Euro2day.gr, while the television communications sponsor was SBC.

*A detailed table follows which includes all the winners.

On Monday, 18 February, the great celebration of retail trade and industry was held at the Athens Concert Hall, the Awards Ceremony “50 Years PLAISIO – Retails Business Awards 2019”, organised for the 17th year in a row by Direction and the magazine RetailBusiness.

RETAILBUSINESS AWARDS, the distinguished tradition in the field, just like every year, falls under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance & Development and are carried out in cooperation with Hellenic Retail Business Association (HRBA) and the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE).

Plaisio is the title sponsor, while OPAP is the Major Sponsor. AB Vassilopoulos is a sponsor in the categories “Supplier of the Year” Food & Drink and Non Food, and My Market is a sponsor for the categories Supplier’s CSR Campaign, Supplier’s Brand Campaign, and Supplier’s Social Media Campaign. Wind is the Telecoms Provider, and sponsors include Sklavenitis, Dimello, West, Evin Intzoglou, Zagori, and Screens Hellas. Official Partners include Ogilvy, The Design Agency, ImagePro, Music4Media, flexbook, and Future Models Management.

In addition, the organization is supported by Pressious Arvanitidis (Printing), Polichromo (Digital Printing) and Mass Courier (Courier Services). KPMG is the audit body for yet another year, while it is reminded that the Evaluation Committee is comprised of representatives of the market’s most important organisations (Supply Chain Institute, SEV, ΗΑΑ, IFES, ESVEP, HIM, NCHC, HRBA, IELKA, IAB Hellas, SEVT, HMA, IPE, SEPOA, ECR Hellas, ECI, GMA, GRECA, the Franchise Association of Greece, market research companies (GFK, IRI, Nielsen) and academic institutions.

Aliki Perroti reminds everyone of the value of Giving during the in-depth interview that she granted to Direction Business Network’s Business News Magazine, which is the main topic of the new edition – seventh in a series – of the monthly business magazine. This emblematic Greek woman speaks about the milestones in her life, which seems to be straight out of a fairy tale, and she explains how the love for her country is always an incentive for her as regards the numerous and significant charitable actions she has realised, among which the large donations to the Konstantopoulio Hospital in Athens and the American Farm School in Thessaloniki stand out. The interview is also accompanied by photographs from the Aliki Perroti’s private archive.

Additionally, Business News Magazine, in its new edition, presents Mohed Altrad, owner of the Altrad Group, who was in our country recently for the presentation of his book. Mohed Altrad, who is a multimillionaire, is one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the world today. But 70 years ago, in 1948, he was born in a Bedouin tent in the desert. At seven years old, having lost his mother, abandoned by his father, but thirsting for learning and knowledge, daily walked many kilometres barefoot in order to go to school. Finally, with determination, he managed to reach Montpellier, to study engineering, thanks to a scholarship offered by the Syrian government, and this was the starting point for the poor boy born in the desert, who managed to become one of the planet’s richest people. “One can start from the bottom and reach great heights if one believes in it,” he says, while mentioning that “life is by definition short, and we are able to remain on this earth for a limited period of time. In order to take advantage of this in the best possible way, we must do good things for ourselves, as well as for others.”

Also, Business News Magazine, in its seventh edition, presents the financial information of the Greek Market’s leading industrialists, while it showcases the 10 CEOs who stood out in 2018. It highlights the businesses that insist on investing in Greece, even during the period of economic crisis, while it analyses the issue of medical marijuana and the benefits that commencement of its cultivation can have for the domestic economy following recent initial loans. In addition, just like in every edition, it features topics on the start-up ecosystem, business development in Greece and abroad, the labour market, management and marketing.

It should be reminded that Business News Magazine is sent to 5,000 senior executives and leaders of the 1,500 largest businesses in Greece and to those who are actively interested in the developments and trends of the modern business world within and outside Greek borders. It includes presentations of businesses, sectoral research, exclusive interviews with CEOs, opinions and news reports, as well as retrospectives of historic Greek businesses, covering a wide range of domestic and international entrepreneurship.

Guided by the belief that only healthy entrepreneurship can serve as a catalyst for Growth, Business News Magazine represents a new undertaking by Direction Business Network, complementing its effort to support business in our country through the business portal businessnews.gr, the annual edition “The Strongest of the Greek Economy” and the “Protagonists of the Greek Economy” awards.

For more information, please contact Direction Business Network, Panagiota Georgiadi at 210 7712400 (223) georgiadi@direction.gr