The founded role of the Super Fund as a driver of economic and social value was mentioned by the CEO of Superfund, Giannis Papachristou, at the Delphi Economic Forum.

Speaking at the panel entitled “Building Geopolitical Muscle: How Companies and Organizations Turn Insights into Strategic Advantage”, organized by BCG, Papachristou presented the “3+1” strategy that underpins the management of the Group’s diverse portfolio. As he noted, the three main pillars relate to the transformation of subsidiaries, the infrastructure development and the investment in the New Economy, while the fourth is to accelerate the maturation and tendering of strategic projects through the Strategic Procurement Facility (Project Preparation Facility – PPF).

He mentioned upgrading public transport (75% electric buses by 2027), the ambitious project of mapping 36.000 properties of the EBRD and the exploitation of 1.000 of them, as well as the restructuring of ELTA to improve sustainability and services.

The transformation of subsidiaries is accelerating, with new business models, three-year strategic plans, clear KPIs and corporate governance incentives. There is also a focus on human resources through targeted education and training programmes, and in one year 60 new board members were appointed.

Referring to the use of critical national infrastructure, he noted that the tender for the 22 regional airports is underway, while the start of the tender procedure for the port of Elefsina is expected.

As for the Hellenic Innovation and Infrastructure Fund (Hellenic Innovation and Infrastructure Fund), stressed that it is a key step in the transformation of the Hellenic Sovereign Wealth Fund into a Sovereign Wealth Fund, aiming at the implementation of co-investments in high value-added sectors of the New Economy. The Fund is expected to mobilise capital of €1 billion over the next few years, contributing to the creation of new jobs.

She also made special mention of the PPF project, which as of 2021 has conducted more than 850 tenders, leading to contracts worth more than 2.5 billion. In total, it has undertaken projects for tender with a budget of more than €2.2 billion, while it has undertaken projects with a total budget of more than €10 billion.

At the debate organised by the Association of Higher Education Executives (EASE) entitled “Productivity Leap through Innovation, Human-Centric Organizations, Corporate Governance”, Mr. Papachristou highlighted the education-market gap as a critical problem, while stressing the need for a productivity gap to converge with other European countries. “The productivity leap rests on three pillars: education-economy link, strong governance and applied innovation,” he said, adding that “Greece has strong human capital, flexibility and proven resilience.”

The presence of the CEO of the Superfund concluded with his participation in the panel “Investment Strategies for an Unstable Era”, where he highlighted the transformation of the Group into an active investor, through an integrated platform of investment tools. This includes the HIIF, the FAISTOS investment fund, the Hellenic Defence Innovation Centre (ELKAK) and the PHAROS (AI Factory), the first AI factory in Greece. In this context, the investment pipeline for the next 18 months includes:

  • The attraction of a strategic investor for Hellenic Salt Flats.
  • At least three investments in the New Economy through HIIF placements.
  • The redevelopment of the facilities of DETH-HELEXPO, the development of real estate projects in Dioriga Korinthos, iconic railway stations of GAIAOSE and properties of ELTA and ETAD.
  • The operational launch of Pharos, the first Artificial Intelligence factory to support next-generation technologies and startups.
  • The launch of tenders for the development of regional airports, ports and logistics centres.