The CEO of BIC VIOLEX, Olga Vagena, in an interview with the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency.
She attributes BIC VIOLEX’s success over the past 50-plus years to the fact that “all these years we have been continuously investing in research, development, technology, quality, and above all, in human resources.”
As she emphasizes, “...we need to take the scientific knowledge possessed by our universities and transform it much more efficiently into products, innovation, and production processes. And that is where this connection with both universities and research centers is needed.”
Ms. Vagena, as the head of a Greek company with more than 50 years of presence in the Greek market and investments totaling over 500 million euros—if I’m not mistaken—over all these years, what conclusions have you drawn regarding this market?
As you quite rightly said, BIC has been operating in Greece for 50 years. As you know, we have one of the group’s largest shaving product manufacturing plants here in our country. We also have our research and development center for these products here. We employ 1,500 people and export 98% of our production. Therefore, it is an industry with a very long history and a very high level of activity. We have achieved this because, over the years, we have continuously invested in research, development, technology, quality, and, above all, in our human resources.
In the age of Artificial Intelligence, the so-called AI, how are these investments faring?
Look, first of all, let’s make a point here that is important: that industry, and specifically manufacturing—as BIC is—are key pillars of applied innovation. Therefore, innovation is everywhere, in all our production stages, sometimes visible and sometimes not. It may be in the development of our products, or in the way we evolve. It may be digital or non-digital. So, it is integrated into our strategic plans.
The bottom line, however, remains growth and boosting competitiveness. What are your conclusions, and how could these be applied to the Greek market?
The productive capacity of industry in Greece is extremely important, especially these days. And by productive capacity, we don’t just mean an economic figure. In reality, it’s a factor that can provide stability and strategic resilience. What I mean is that when we have productive capacity in our country, we retain the knowledge, experience, and skilled workforce here.
The challenges we face today are truly intense; it is not just energy, but also the climate crisis, the economic crisis, and the supply chain. We live in a world of major challenges. The way to address these is through a productive, sustainable model of high innovation. So that we can create added value for our employees, our consumers, the economy, and society at large.
There is a very extensive discussion underway regarding the transformation of the Greek production model. Where exactly does BIC stand in this discussion?
The current debate is that the production model must change, and I, personally, as a member of the country’s industry, believe that efforts need to be intensified to become more competitive. I believe that BIC follows a model that sets the standard we want other companies to follow. A modern and sustainable production model. Clearly, more needs to be done in this area. And I strongly believe that we can achieve more by opening up the dialogue even further and being more outward-looking
Overall, in the year 2026, with wars ongoing, energy costs rising, and inflation rising across the board. What do you believe is the path forward for Greek industry?
We need productive autonomy. And when we say productive autonomy, we don’t mean producing more.
Do you mean self-sufficiency?
We mean becoming more competitive, producing more intelligently. Producing high-value products. Having products that can be exported. That can stand out on the global stage.
An outward-looking economy.
This is precisely an aspect we need to look at holistically.
What do you think needs to change so that industry becomes an attractive career choice for the younger generation?
Behind the innovation, industrial production, and applications we develop, there are actually people. These are people who possess knowledge, experience, and creativity, so the sector must have the ability to attract, recruit, develop, and retain human capital—specialized human capital—because only then will the Greek economy......be a defining factor for the Greek economy on the global stage. Now, what I have to say about how we’ll do this, how we’ll secure the talent, is that the industrial sector is a field with a very broad range of activities. It combines technology, robotics, automation, and all the processes required from start to finish for the manufacturing of a product. What does this mean? That there are countless opportunities for growth. Do our young people today know this? It’s something they need to learn. And they need to learn it through industry outreach and by connecting universities with industry.
That is what I wanted to ask you. How could greater collaboration between the academic community and industry be achieved?
This is already happening in many countries. Our country needs more support in this area. Because we need to take the scientific knowledge our universities possess and convert it much more efficiently into products, innovation, and production processes. And that is where this connection with both universities and research centers is needed.