Press Release

Honorary Doctorate Degree award ceremony of the President and CEO of the Grivalia Group, Georgios Chrysikos by the University of Piraeus

On Monday, September the 9^th 2024, at the Municipal Theater of Piraeus, the Department of Banking and Financial Management of the School of Finance and Statistics of UNIPI organized the Honorary Doctorate Degree award ceremony of the President and CEO of the Grivalia Group, Georgios Chrysikos.

The ceremony began with an address by the Rector of the University of Piraeus, Professor Michael Sfakianakis, and was followed by the commendation speech (Laudatio) made by the Chair of the Department of Banking and Financial Management, Professor Seraina Anagnostopoulou.

The Rector of the University of Piraeus, Professor Michael Sfakianakis, in his opening speech, stated that the award is an act of the highest honor that the University reserves for personalities who promote successful entrepreneurship, as well as valuable contribution and solidarity to the people and the society. As he underlined, this is the kind of entrepreneurship that we need, the one that creates prospects for the country, hope for the younger generations and teaches by example, thus acting as a paradigm.

The Chair of the Department of Banking and Financial Management, Professor Seraina Anagnostopoulou presented the truly impressive life path of the honoree. Georgios Chrysikos combined his dual academic background in engineering and finance to open new entrepreneurial avenues in our country. She further emphasized that the existence of multipleskills may often work as a stand-alone skill with the ability to multiply individual skills, thanks to combining individual strengths, while this is an example that that academic teachers seek to impart to students.

The awarding ceremony ended with the speech of the honoree, who thanked the University and the School for the honor they bestowed upon him and emphasized that education is the basis for the progress and development of a society, and that he strives to contribute with all his powers towards this end. After so many years of work, his success came based on team spirit and personal sacrifices, including the undivided support of the  Founder and CEO of Fairfax Mr. Prem Watsa. However, corporate ethics and transparency in business have always been his guiding principles. The impart of morality for everyone begins from home and from one’s family to then develop through education at schools and universities. He closed his speech with the wish that we should reflect on the possibilities we have and dream of the future, strive for excellence, promote innovation and remain committed to the values ​​of education and knowledge.

Representatives from the political and wider business field, executives of independent administrative authorities as well as several academics and students honoured the ceremony with their presence.