Athens Investment Forum 2015

Stock Exchange Financing for Future Growth

 

The Union of Listed Companies and the Hellenic Institute of Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development (I.E.A) had organized successfully, in collaboration with Boussias Communications, the Strategic Conference “Athens Investment Forum 2015”.

Tuesday 31 March 2015, Grande Bretagne Hotel, Athens

The Conference highlighted the contribution of Greek listed companies and the Athens Stock Exchange to the new, developing Greek entrepreneurship model that is based on economic growth, export activity, innovation and energy efficiency, as well as on modern infrastructure, sustainable practices and market and business transparency. The Conference was relevant to non-listed companies as well, since they were facing the challenge of adapting to new funding requirements which depended more on the markets and less on the banks, thus they could learn from the experience of already listed companies.

The Conference agenda emphasized the important issues concerning the current investment and business opportunities framework that defines the parameters for sustainable and extroverted growth for Greek companies. It aimed to address the most significant questions concerning the Greek economy, on its current state and presented the initiatives which needed to be taken so as to exploit the capacity of the Greek economy, in all sectors: primary (agriculture and mining), secondary (manufacturing and heavy industry) and tertiary (tourism, shipping and services).

The new model of entrepreneurship promotes the export activity for Greek companies, attracts transparent investments and funding, and intends to prevent the Greek “brain-drain” and give initiatives to talented Greeks to stay in their country.

Members of the government, senior business executives, investors with worldwide acclaim, distinguished experts from academia, as well as members of Business Associations and Chambers of Commerce presented their propositions on the reinforcement of growth prospects in Greece, investment strategies that apply to the whole of the production cycle and modern entrepreneurship practices with growth perspective.

Key issues

International Practices and Contributions

  •  Analyzing geopolitical issues in relation with the prospects for development of the Greek economy.
  • Analyzing the contribution of the most important sectors of the Greek economy (maritime, transports, tourism, manufacturing, logistics).
  •  Exploiting infrastructure assets such as ports and airports, and the mineral and aquatic resources of the country.
  •  Attracting international funds to invest in Greek listed companies.
  •  Attracting foreign investments in high quality tourism projects.
  •  Evaluating the growth prospect of regional Greece.
  •  Presenting Communication Technologies as a pillar of growth, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship as the main elements of sustainable growth.
  •  Demonstrating the experience of Greek listed companies in their international presentations as a means for attracting and maintaining long term relationships with foreign shareholders.

Hellenic Growth

  • Presenting Athens Stock Exchange as the main element of the Greek recovery and its contribution to the funding of listed companies (IPOs, Capital Increases etc.).
  •  Examining the prospect for growth and the potential of specific industries, such as energy (natural gas, hydrocarbons, energy infrastructure), telecoms, tourism etc., in order to become the basic pillars that will kick off development.
  • Increasing the Greek companies’ competitiveness and strengthening their production and export capacity (pharmaceuticals, cement, metallurgy, textiles, food industry, services, etc.)
  • Entrepreneurship and innovation as the proper combination for sustainable development.
  •  Highlighting the importance of Greek listed companies in the growth of the Greek economy.
  •  The importance of funding heavy industry through the capital markets.
  •  Examining the 1999 experience, in reference to the funding prospects of listed middle companies through the Athens Stock Exchange, as a prerequisite of immediate growth and the increase of competitiveness.

Institutional Reform and Regulatory Obstacles

  •  Institutional reform, investment framework, the role of the banks as the cornerstone of Greek recovery and new alternative means of funding and enhancing the creditworthiness of Greek companies, in order for them to be in the spotlight of the international market, though big projects.
  • Legal and regulatory framework for the Greek and European capital markets, in comparison with the international competition and the future investment challenges.

The conference aimed to:

  • Highlight the contribution of Athens Stock Exchange (Athex) in attracting investments and emphasize the input of the listed companies in the Greek economic recovery.
  •  Promote the significance of listed companies in enhancing Greek export activity in investing in their expansion and in attracting foreign investments to Greece.
  •  Present the considerable support Athex could provide to companies not yet listed on the Exchange.
  •  Encourage the public dialogue on the role of listed companies in the new economic environment and the investment framework in Greece.
  •  Present initiatives for increasing the competitiveness of Greek companies.
  •  Propose investment strategies that apply to the whole of the Greek economy.

The main purpose of the conference was to present the best practices for attracting investments, as applied by the listed companies, in order to further strengthen the Greek economy, in quest of sustainable development.

The conference was addressed to representatives of public authorities, business associations and chambers of commerce. It was of interest to the listed companies of Athens Stock Exchange, and to non-listed companies, since it provided an encompassing informative approach to the prospects, the benefits and the funding potential from the market, for Greek companies. It was relevant to financial sector executives (from the Greek and the international market). The issues raised were of concern of executives from Greek Industry and Commerce; for senior public and private sector executives; for high-level diplomats from the European Union and Eastern Mediterranean Countries; for experts and representatives of academia; and from countries interested in the investment and business prospects of Greek companies.
The Forum concluded with a reception in honor of Government Representatives; Embassy officials; our sponsors; our speakers; our distinguished guests and the members of the Union of Listed Companies (ENEISET).
Personal invitations were sent to the participants.
The conference was under the auspices of the Ministries of: Economics/Foreign Affairs/ Development & Competitiveness/Tourism/Infrastructure, Transports and Networks/ Environment, Energy & Climate Change/ Health, as well as of the Capital Market Commission, the Athens Stock Exchange, the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry etc.