Press releases

The “OPAP Forward’’ program continues dynamically for a second consecutive year with 21 new medium sized companies

True to its strategy of creating value for Greek society and economy, OPAP continues the implementation of the Corporate Responsibility Program "OPAP Forward" for the second consecutive year.

OPAP's business development program will enroll 21 new SMEs this year, all of which will receive a comprehensive range of services that will make a decisive contribution to their development. Specifically, the program will provide participating companies with:

• Integrated strategic guidance by a significant network of successful businesspeople and experienced professionals
• Training seminars on strategy, financial management, operation and human resources, sales and communication issues
• Access to financial tools (investments and lending) in cooperation with a leading banking institution
• Potential access to international markets and networking actions

The selection of 21 new companies that will be included in the program’s second cycle will be made according to a series of quantitative and qualitative criteria that concern both companies and the business executives themselves. The deadline for applications is Monday, February 26th, 2018 (24:00).

Significant benefits in the program’s first year of operation

The twenty businesses that participated in the first successful cycle of the program have managed to increase their total turnover by 20% (25 million Euros) to date. At the same time, they created 111 new direct working positions and support 2,236 new jobs indirectly, through the partnerships that they developed in the market.

Since the launch of the program in April 2017, 120 meetings between the companies and the mentors of the program took place, along with 90 counseling sessions with the network of high-level executives, 40 contacts with major companies from abroad and 18 training seminars.

Procedure and selection criteria

The "OPAP Forward" program, which is being implemented in collaboration with Endeavor Greece, the international non-profit organization which supports entrepreneurship, is geared towards SMEs in all sectors of the economy. Specifically, special emphasis will be given to those in which Greece maintains a competitive advantage such as tourism, agriculture, the food and beverage industry and sectors with growth potential, such as new technologies.

Following the initial assessment, companies that meet the quantitative criteria will participate in the interview phase, during which they will be evaluated in areas such as:

• business strategies
• innovation
• potential for future development in accordance with the size of the market in which they operate
• business models
• qualitative characteristics of each businessperson

When the interviews are completed, a list of the finalists will be drafted, from which the final selection of the companies that will participate in the program will be made. Upon completion of the final selection phase, and fully ensuring the transparency of the process, all companies participating in the interview phase will be informed of their results and will receive helpful advice for their further development.