Balance is a word and a theme that is never far away from the thoughts of Marios Cosma, Managing Partner of K. Treppides & Co Ltd. Whether it concerns business and friendship, local and international business, younger and older professionals or life and work, he suggests that success ultimately comes down to ensuring a healthy balance between them.
Here, he shares his views on this and other issues that have led his firm to its present enviable status in the professional and financial services sector.
Established in 1985, K. Treppides & Co Ltd describes itself as the largest independent consultancy on the island but, given the number of established major international players here, I can’t help asking Managing Partner Marios Cosma how the firm manages to compete so successfully.
He smiles. “That’s a question a lot of people ask,” he says, “and it depends who you’re comparing us to. If you ask others in the industry, half of them will tell you that we’re an audit firm and they’ll compare us to the Big Four. They’ll also make the point that we’re not attached to international brand.”
So, how does he define the firm’s identity?
“It’s simple. We are not just auditors or accountants,” he explains. “We go deep into our clients’ operations and we work to understand them and advise them in the area we know best – financial consulting.”
Seismic market changes
It’s clearly a specialisation that is in great demand. In 2002, when Cosma left KPMG to join K. Treppides & Co Ltd, the company had 11 employees. Almost a quarter of a century later, that number has risen to 250 and, of course, the financial services sector has seen seismic market changes, major regulatory overhauls and huge technological disruption. How has the firm dealt with all this?
“When you assess the market and see the course that the majority of your competitors are taking, you need to decide whether you intend to ‘go with the flow’ or move in your own direction,” he says, referring to how, some eight years ago, the firm decided to remove itself from the Russian market.
“It was difficult because it meant ending businesses with people and friends – relationships of over 15 years in some cases – but ultimately there is friendship and there is business. You have to balance the two,” he explains. It is a perfect example of Cosma’s belief that the ability to capitalise on an opportunity means difficult choices and, in particular, a vision of what may happen in the next three or five years. Indeed, he says that, in a good business, there should be one team working on the present and another preparing for the future. Even then, nothing is ever totally certain.
Adapting to change
“There can be a three- or five-year plan but an essential element of any plan is that it can change and you have to adapt,” he says, adding a simple piece of advice: “Don’t let your ego get in the way.”
That applies especially to the new generation of professionals: “They can forge their own path by being able to listen and adapt,” he says. They will be required to assess difficult situations and take the most correct decision – because one completely correct decision doesn’t exist. They must find options.”
One of the biggest changes affecting his firm’s clients in 2026 has been the reform of the tax system, which Cosma views as beneficial: businesses will operate more efficiently and make more profit, leading to more tax revenues for the state, better infrastructure and greater opportunity. “Now, things have been balanced,” he says.
He shares the broadly held belief that Cyprus is on the way to becoming a genuine international business and financial hub, recalling a recent meeting with a major investor who has been based in Cyprus for a decade. “He told me that five years ago, most of his friends were in London, with Dubai second and Cyprus third. Now, the majority of his friends are in Cyprus, followed by Dubai and then London. Things can change dramatically.”
Cyprus for both work and family
The example demonstrates something that Marios Cosma finds more significant than the growing numbers of non-Cypriot professionals here: the shift in the nature of their commitment. Businesspeople are no longer choosing Cyprus for the family while doing their ‘real work’ elsewhere. They’re choosing Cyprus for both.
“Businesspeople are here and so are their families. This is very important, as it means that business internationalisation has reached Cyprus. That creates its own momentum,” he explains. “Their children are growing up here, feeling Cypriot, inheriting the business and staying invested in the country.”
He also believes that the successful professionals coming here are also making their own valuable contribution to wider Cypriot society, meaning that fewer Cypriots will feel the need to go abroad for international experience since they have opportunities to work for global companies in their own country.
New strategic partnership
This is an appropriate moment to ask Cosma about a new strategic partnership between K. Treppides & Co Ltd and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). He lights up, beaming: “Education in Cyprus is already fantastic and what is coming will allow it to excel further!” Indeed, the agreement will operate as a type of skilled apprenticeship in which K. Treppides & Co Ltd sponsors 50% of the tuition fees of participating students while offering them paid employment opportunities throughout the duration of their studies. By the time they graduate they will have already launched their career with a genuine head start on their peers.
The Managing Partner concedes that others involved in education may feel threatened by the agreement with NKUA but he is adamant that competition will improve the entire sector by further raising standards, ensuing that talented young people stay in Cyprus, contributing to the economy, attracting investment and making it a better place for everyone.
That deal is just the latest milestone in Marios Cosma’s long career, which prompts me to ask about some of his proudest moments. He hesitates to answer but, after some pressing on my part, he singles out Chairman Kikis Treppides’ appointment as the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s ambassador in 2018.
“He was so dedicated to promoting not only the firm but Cyprus, too. That’s what contributing to society means,” he says. “When you go abroad and represent Cyprus at a meeting, you may not get business for your own firm but someone else will bring the client here and that continues investment in the economy.”
Personal ambitions
Finally, I ask Cosma about his personal ambitions. Does he have a three- or five-year plan there too?
“I’ve decided that I have to give more time to my wife and daughters," he states decisively, though he's quick to add that he's not thinking of retiring. "I'm only attached to people – first to my family and then to everybody else. I am never connected to places, buildings or walls. That’s all."
For a man who has spent almost 25 years helping steer a firm through good times, choppy waters, reforms and upheavals, this clear-eyed an assessment of his priorities makes perfect sense. At home and at work, everything is a question of balance.
(Original photo by TASPHO)
This interview first appeared in the 2026 edition of The Cyprus Journal of Wealth Management. Click here to view it.
