Evangelos Mytilineos, Chairman and CEO of METLEN Energy & Metals, shared the path of a career full of challenges, strategic decisions and leadership lessons that every entrepreneur deserves to know, within the framework of the 9th Business Leaders Summit presented by the Bank of Cyprus.
Mytilineos told the audience that his path has never been linear. “I have experienced many ups and downs,” he said, describing his path as bumpy, full of challenges that initially seemed existential financially, but were ultimately manageable through strategy and proper organisation. The most critical turning point in his career came in 2005 with the acquisition of one of the largest aluminum factories in Greece, a move that no other businessman at the time dared to make. “After five to seven years and what happened with the turmoil in the markets that followed, I understood why no one dared. In these metallurgical production companies, you can’t stop. There, if you shut it down, you’ve paid for it,” he explained.
The crisis that followed was severe: the subsidiary was losing up to one million euros a day. Despite all this, and despite the offer he received from his brother for financial support, he managed to turn the situation around and today the company continues to live on and grow 15 years later.
Mytilineos also referred to human resources as a key factor for success. Companies that grow rapidly must constantly adapt their organisation: “The shape we had five years ago is no longer enough. You have to carry out a very broad transformation of the company, a labourious process, but inevitable. Otherwise, size will eat you up, and an organisation that cannot follow its people will be left behind.”
Mytilineos inspired the audience at the 9th Business Leaders Summit, highlighting the importance of combining strategy, innovation and human leadership in an era of geopolitical instability and economic upheaval.
His speech was a lesson for young entrepreneurs and leaders: strategic vision, resilience to crises, and investment in human resources are the key components for a successful path in the global market.
The discussion was moderated by the Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Cyprus, Takis Arapoglou.
(Source: InBusinessNews)
