Everyone sees where you ended up. Few know what it took to get there. The late nights. The decisions made without guarantees. The mistake that cost more than expected. The moment when everything seemed to be going wrong. The pressure of knowing that others are looking to you for an answer. And that day when walking away might have been easier — but you chose to keep going.
These are the stories taking centre stage at Success Stage – The Road to Success at INSPIRE 2026. Not simply the victories, titles and major milestones, but everything that happened when nobody was watching. Because behind every success story was once a period when success was anything but certain.
Tasos Zorpas, Nicoletta Charalambous, Savvas A. Liasis, Pantelis Ftellehas and Dr Alexandros Michaelides go back to the beginning of their journeys. To the point before there was a success story to tell — when there was simply an idea, instinct, ambition and the decision to take that first step without knowing exactly where it would lead.
What was the moment that changed everything? Which risk proved worth taking? Which mistake taught them more than any success ever could? And when things became genuinely difficult, what made them say, “I’m going to keep going”?
At the Success Stage, entrepreneurship is not presented as a straight line towards achievement. It is shown for what it really is: a journey filled with turns, setbacks, uncertainty and decisions whose significance often becomes clear only when you look back.
And then comes the top.
Christiana Agrotis, Chrysanthos Tsouroullis, Charalambos Panayiotou and George Metzakis open another chapter: the journey to the CEO office and, perhaps more importantly, what happens once you get there. The career-defining moments. The hard calls. The people affected by every decision. And the responsibility that becomes greater the higher you climb.
From a distance, the top can look like the destination. Once you reach it, you discover that it is the beginning of an entirely different challenge. You have to balance the expectations of employees, customers, shareholders and society. Deliver results without losing sight of people. Make decisions when there is no obvious answer.
And confront a question that rarely appears in a corporate profile:
When the office lights go out, what keeps a CEO awake at night?
Christos V. Vasiliou and Marina Grigoriou turn the spotlight towards the people behind the businesses and the experiences that shaped the way they think and lead. Because behind the figures, results and business plans are individuals, values and choices that ultimately define the culture of an organisation.
Michalis Antoniades, Panagiotis Trisokkas and George Chrysochos take the conversation to where leadership is truly tested: everyday reality. How do you build trust? How do you inspire a team? How do you handle pressure? And how do you show up as a leader when there is no easy answer?
The Success Stage does not promise to reveal the formula for success.
Because there probably isn’t one.
There are different starting points. Mistakes. Risks. Second chances. People who believed in you. People who doubted you. And the decision to keep moving forward when the outcome was still far from certain.
On 7 & 8 October, at INSPIRE 2026, do not come simply to discover where they ended up.
Come and hear what it took to get there. Because behind every success story is a story the headlines never told.
Location: Nicosia, Makarios Avenue and surrounding areas
Dates: Wednesday, 7 and Thursday, 8 October 2026
More information & Free Tickets: www.inspirecyprus.com
Information
Strategic Partner: Cyta Business
Platinum Sponsor: Bank of Cyprus
Innovation Partner: Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF)
Gold Sponsors: Cyfield, Zorbas Group
Silver Sponsor: Bioland, Petrolina
Stage Sponsors: National Bank of Greece (Cyprus), KPMG Cyprus, Invest Cyprus, Odyssey
Academic Partner: University of Nicosia
Sponsor: IMR, AnAD, Henry’s by Columbia
Panel Sponsor: allwyn
Technology Sponsor: Abasis.AI
Supporting organisations: KEPA-SkillsCyprus, National Betting Authority
Exhibitors: Drastyc, Emphasys Centre, GrantXpert, onlyseo, Photos Photiades Breweries – selection, Wolt, Nicosia Marathon, Giorgio Armani, Factorial
Supporters: CP Herbal Skin Care, MiMaJo, National Betting Authority, Robura, Voici La Mode, University of Limassol, Cloud Office
Mobility Partner: ChaPilakoutasGroup
Wellbeing Partner: Wayfitco
Sustainability Partner: EAC
With the support of: Cyprus Computer Society, CITEA, CPMA, Youth Board of Cyprus, OEB, KEBE, techisland, Student Life Academy
Media Sponsors: ALPHA Cyprus, CBN, IN Business, REPORTER, SuperFM
Organiser: IMH
Under the Auspices of: Nicosia Municipality
