On 16 October 2026, the first Your Directors Club event was held at the Athens Marriott Hotel, attended by its new chief executive, Alexandros Athanasoulas.
According to the relevant press release, the event was held under the auspices of CEO Clubs Greece, with Arval BNP Paribas Group as strategic partner, NIO as Intelligent Mobility Partner, FedEx as Diamond Partner, Alba Graduate Business School as Golden Partner and Global Sustain as ESG Partner. Euro2day and D1 Growth Igniters were media supporters.
The discussion was moderated by Dr Danai Manika, Executive Dean of Alba Graduate Business School at The American College of Greece. The speakers were Virginia Kokiou, Chief of Staff and Legal Counsel to the Special Secretary for Foresight at the Presidency of the Government; Despoina Doxaki, who is pursuing the Executive Masters in AI Business Transformation at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and is a non-executive board member of PPC and Statistical Decision; and Dr Maria-Oraiozili Koutsoupia, founder of Rythmisis and Legal & Policy Officer at the European AI Office.
The discussion opened with a live poll of attendees on the use of artificial intelligence in their organisations. Most participants already use AI tools, and 76% have received relevant training over the past year. However, only a small proportion have a clear policy framework governing their use.
The speakers highlighted the importance of human oversight, training (AI literacy) and clear usage policies, emphasising transparency, accountability and the need for decisions made by AI systems to be understandable. They also pointed to the need for roles such as an AI Officer to coordinate relevant policies. Developments at national and European level were discussed, including Pharos, Greece’s AI Factory, the AI Office and the AI Act, as well as the need to balance innovation and regulation to boost competitiveness.
The question of responsibility was central: when an AI system makes a recommendation and an executive signs off, who is ultimately accountable? The ethical and social dimensions were also discussed, including employee well-being and AI’s environmental footprint.
The conclusion was that artificial intelligence boosts productivity and decision-making, but ultimate responsibility and creativity remain in human hands.
The event closed with practical advice for executives: invest in training and familiarity with AI tools, test new technologies responsibly and keep people at the centre of decision-making.