The Greek economy experienced a severe recession for a decade following the global financial crisis of 2007-2008. Numerous articles, books, and official publications have addressed the causes of the crisis and the principles for adjustment. As normality returns, it is a good time to evaluate the Greek economy's status and prospects.
There are divergent views on the way forward, with policy recommendations either emphasizing the continuation of reforms for substantial efficiency gains or advocating extensive sectoral reallocation for growth rebalancing. However, the well-informed perspectives of market participants are less prominent in the public discourse. Greece now has a unique opportunity to accelerate reforms and leverage external funds by focusing on boosting investment, productivity, and trade for long-term sustainable growth, alongside revamping policy capacity in line with best international practices. Considering the need for in depth debate on these challenges, this event will gather the Chief Economists from the four systemic banks to discuss growth options for the Greek economy drawing on their valuable knowledge of real time market dynamics and macroeconomic trends.
Meet our panelists, moderator and chair
Dr Tasos Anastasatos is Group Chief Economist of Eurobank as well as General Manager, Chairman of the Steering Committee for Economic Analysis of the Hellenic Bank Association and Member of the Executive Committee of the Hellenic Bank Association. Dr. Tasos Anastasatos is also a Research Associate at the University of Piraeus. Previously, he has served as Secretary General of the Hellenic Ministry of Finance and Chairman of the Council of Economic Experts (SOE), EuroWorking Group Member for Greece; Visiting Member of Staff, Athens University of Economics & Business; Economist, Bank of Greece; Lecturer, Loughborough University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Warwick, an M.Sc. (Warwick) in Economics and Finance, and a B.Sc. in International and European Economic Studies from the Athens University of Economics and Business. Dr. Anastasatos has published extensively in market research publications, academic journals, and the media in the areas of macroeconomics, financial economics, and the Greek economy; he has co-authored three books.
Dr Panayotis Kapopoulos is Chief Economist and Head of Economic Research and Analysis at Alpha Bank. He holds a PhD from the AUEB. He was Head of Risk Management at Emporiki Bank and served as member of the BoD of Tiresias S.A. He is currently teaching at the University of Piraeus. He is the author of four books, for one of which (co-authored with G. Provopoulos) he received the Award from the Academy of Athens in 2003, as well as numerous articles in academic journals such as, inter alia, the European Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Policy Modeling, Corporate Governance, Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Managerial and Decision Economics, Open Economies Review and Economics Letters.
Dr Ilias Lekkos is the Group Chief Economist and Head of Investment Strategy with Piraeus Bank, one of the largest banks in Greece. He is also Chairman of the Advisory Committee to the Hellenic Statistical System, a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation of Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE). Finally he is a member of the External Advisory Committee of MSc in Quantitative Management at Actuarial and Financial Risk. He is also a member of the Council of Economic Advisors of the Hellenic Bank Association. As Chief Economist with Piraeus Bank, he leads the division which reports on developments in the Greek economy and the Greek banking system. He also monitors macroeconomic developments at the G7 economies and is responsible for devising the investment strategy and asset allocation policy of Piraeus Bank Group. Before joining Piraeus Bank he was a Senior Economist at Eurobank-EFG and prior to that he has worked at the Bank of England, HBOS-Treasury Services and Standard and Poor’s. Dr. Lekkos holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Athens University of Economics and Business, an MSc in Economics and Finance from Warwick University and a PhD in Finance from Lancaster University. His research has been published in a number of academic journals.
Dr Nikos S. Magginas is the Group Chief Economist of the National Bank of Greece (NBG), Head of the Economic Analysis Division of the Bank and member of the Steering Committee for Economic Analysis of the Hellenic Bank Association. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the Department of International and European Economic Studies, Athens University of Economics and Business. He has published extensively in market research reports, as well as in academic journals and in collective volumes in the fields of monetary policy analysis, inflation-forecast formation, non-performing loan dynamics and structural & economic policy aspects of Greece's economic crisis.
Anthony Bartzokas is Professor of Development Economics at the University of Athens, Research Associate at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Professorial Fellow at the United Nations University with extensive experience in academia and policy relevant research. He is a former EBRD Board Member. His research focus has been on financial systems, corporate investment and innovation dynamics with financial support from international institutions and continuous interaction with Multilateral Development Banks, the EU and UN agencies. In his role as knowledge manager, he has coordinated international research teams and benefitted from the interaction with policy makers and the business community, especially when it comes to project structuring and the evolving dynamics of capital markets and innovation.
Vassilis Monastiriotis is the Hellenic Observatory Centre Director, Eleftherios Venizelos Chair of Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor in Political Economy.
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