Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece chose to honor entrepreneur Panos Germanos, founder of Olympia Group, this year by awarding him the 8th Business Unusual Award for his continued contribution to Greek business. The 8th Business Unusual Award ceremony took place at Anassa City Events and brought together top representatives from the business and academic world.
Who is Panos Germanos
Mr. Panos Germanos belongs to the generation of entrepreneurs who understand success as a collective matter. With consistency in his values and sharp insight in his decisions, he has built organizations that combine international competitiveness with a sense of purpose, proving that responsible leadership generates both economic and social value.
The Alba Business Unusual Award institution
The Alba Business Unusual Award institution was established in 2010 and is awarded every two years to personalities of the country who have transformed their professional success into a positive impact on the Greek economy and society, serving as brilliant examples of personal and professional behavior with broader resonance.
The secret is to inspire those around you to see what you see
While receiving his award, Mr. Germanos engaged in a brief discussion with Mr. Pavlos Tsimas in which he stated, among other things: “I didn’t plan anything. I worked from 7 in the morning until 12 at night and I didn’t feel tired, I felt successful. The secret isn’t just strategy, it’s inspiring those around you to see what you see, to believe what you believe. This is what’s unusual in entrepreneurship: doing something with all your soul and then having the maturity to let it go and move on to the next thing.”
Statement from the ALBA Association President
Dr. Axarloglu, President of the ALBA Association, referred to the personality of the multifaceted entrepreneur, emphasizing: “Today with the 8th Business Unusual Award we honor Mr. Panos Germanos, a man whose business journey is described by one word: creation. His path is not that of an entrepreneur who found himself at the right time in the right place; it’s the path of a man who repeatedly created the ‘right place’ before it became visible to others. A journey that teaches us that the greatest business success is not predicting the future; it’s envisioning and contributing to its creation.”
What Dr Edward Wingenbach mentioned
During the 8th Business Unusual Award ceremony, the President of The American College of Greece, Dr. Edward Wingenbach, welcomed the guests and stated: “Tonight we honor a leader whose career gives concrete meaning to the phrase ‘business unusual’. Mr. Panos Germanos embodies exactly the leadership that Alba exists to study and cultivate: the ability to build successful businesses while expanding opportunities for others, strengthening communities and demonstrating character in action. At The American College of Greece we believe that entrepreneurship, innovation, meritocracy, humility and humanism are not separate from business; in Mr. Germanos’ journey they constitute the very way business creates value. This is the model that the Business Unusual Award recognizes.”
In turn, Mr. Stelios Argyros, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ALBA Association, stated: “Guided by excellence, without any compromise in the quality of faculty and students, with excellent and dedicated administrative staff, we have managed to earn the trust and support of the business community, as well as the appreciation of similar institutions in Greece and abroad. Our goal is to educate executives who will act as agents of positive change in the business community.”
The proceeds from the 8th Business Unusual Award ceremony will be allocated to support applied research and disseminate its results for the benefit of society, thus giving Alba the impetus to continue serving its timelessly inspired mission of creating and spreading knowledge.
During the event, a tribute video dedicated to Mr. Panos Germanos and his business journey was shown. You can watch it here:
