Welcome to TNH’s first Takeover!
In collaboration with The National Herald and THI have begun a partnership to introduce the NEXTGEN of Greek/Cypriot ‘movers and shakers’ to the rest of our Diaspora community around the world.
Established to inform its readers about all things related to our homeland and its respective communities throughout the world, TNH is now providing THI’s New Leaders (40 years old and younger), with a new platform to showcase their ideas and to engage their communities in a deeper, more meaningful way while simultaneously building a bridge to Greece and Cyprus.
Our first featured New Leader is Louis Loizou. Get to know him below!
Name?
Louis Loizou
Alma mater?
Christ Church College, University of Oxford; London School of Economics
Occupation?
Partner, Loizou & Co (www.loizouco.com)
What motivated you to get involved with THI?
After the 2018 Attica wildfire disaster, the way that we viewed THI was that it was one of the most reliable charities outside of Greece for channeling donations from the Hellenic diaspora, making sure that the money will go to the right places. THI has this good name.
What do you hope to achieve through THI?
THI is a great opportunity to mobilize the young generation, which is the source of much of the passion for contributing to Greece and Cyprus – and we have seen a very good response.
What city do you live in?
London
Where in Greece/Cyprus are you from?
Limassol, Cyprus
Favorite place to take your non-Greek friends when they visit you in Greece/Cyprus?
Checkpoint at the Green Line in Nicosia (Cyprus) of the United Nations Buffer Zone
Top three people of Greek/Cypriot descent you admire (could be celebrity, politician, business leader, etc.)
Louis Loizou “the father of tourism in Cyprus” (1913-1971)
In addition to THI, how are you involved in/helping the Greek/Cypriot community?
– Chairman, Hellenic Bankers Association – UK
– Liveryman, Worshipful Company of International Bankers and the City of London
What is the biggest crisis Greece/Cyprus faces today?
Lack of forward-thinking and visionary leadership
One piece of advice an elder has given you that has proved invaluable?
“The businessman is free and owns himself. He spreads his wings and his horizons, and expands his spirit. Business offers many joys and graces. To succeed, one must do what an athlete who decides to win championships would do: Devotion to purpose, faith in oneself, study, hard work, discipline, planning, and more. It is important that he trusts himself so that his family, staff, people around him, customers, and business associates can do the same. Lifelong learning is necessary to always be one step ahead of everyone. Mistakes are inevitable. The art is to learn from them. Without risk there is only inaction. Risks just have to be manageable.”
Public Interview with Photos Photiades (“the Father of Cypriot Entrepreneurship”), published on 6 October 2018.
Favorite quote from a Greek philosopher?
“Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god.” Aristotle, Politics
How has your Hellenic background helped shape who you are today?
By reading (Ancient Greek) philosophy at a young age.
Life Motto?
“You are different from the really great man in only one thing: The great man, at one time, also was a very little man, but he developed one important ability: he learned to see where he was small in his thinking, and actions. The great man, then, knows when and in what he is a little man.” Wilhelm Reich, Listen Little Man.
THI/TNH Takeover – Louis Loizou
