Executive Coaching Greece

07/09/2026

Speaker 1: Yanna Andronopoulou

On October 15th, 2026, we will celebrate Impact’s 20th birthday at OTE Academy, from 16:00 to 21:00. The Leader’s Unconvention will feature 20 senior leaders presenting their unfiltered thoughts to 100 select guests, individually and in panels. No fashionable narratives, just ideas that serve people, organisations and a greater purpose.

Participation is by invitation only.

Founded in 2006 by Vassilis Antonas, Impact is the longest-standing Greek coaching firm. We have provided services to well over 100 Greek and multinational organisations, pioneered the first coaching training in the country, secured two world-first accreditations for our coaching Diplomas, published the definitive coaching book through Routledge (Coaching for Impact, Antonas, V., 2017), and introduced the concept of Organisational Development to the Greek market.

31/08/2026

Impact 2006–2026 | The Leader’s Unconvention
Episode 20: Final Episode: The Founder’s Address

The series’ 20th and final episode features a podcast interview of Impact’s Founder by Eftychia Missalidou: Unscripted: Work in Progress: Tik Talks Podcast by Boussias.

The interview covers the reasoning behind Impact’s migration from London to Athens in 2006, the difference between providing consulting in Greece and the Western World and the propensity to employ coaching for correction instead of evolution.

It explores the phenomenon of cultural assimilation for newcomers and the challenge of leading by example; the art of motivation through the quest for meaning and belonging, leading to sustainable performance and existential satisfaction.

We analyse Impact and Legacy, driven by a need for validation of one’s importance, but also through the productive demand for optimum performance.

We spell out the limitations in people’s performance according to their disposition and natural restraints, and the importance of matching talent to role instead of allocating according to company needs.

We address the topic of work-life balance, clarifying that creativity does not adhere to a timetable or holiday plans; administration and operations, however, do.

The issue of burnout and the gift of taking a sabbatical as a potential lifeline were tackled on a personal level.

The illusion of competence in the context of a false self-image, compounded by the failure to exchange meaningful feedback and connect with reality, the inability to separate tactics from strategy and compulsive perfectionism were identified as the three major challenges in today’s corporate world.

Finally, I reveal the profession that I would have chosen had I not chosen psychotherapy, coaching and consulting.

This brings 20 Impact Episodes to an end. We will start presenting our speaker line-up for the Leader’s Unconvention of October 15th, as we enter September.

V.A.

On October 15th, 2026, we will celebrate Impact’s 20th birthday at OTE Academy, from 16:00 to 21:00. The Leader’s Unconvention will feature 20 senior leaders presenting their unfiltered thoughts to 100 select guests, individually and in panels. No fashionable narratives, just ideas that serve people, organisations and a greater purpose.

Participation is by invitation only.

Founded in 2006 by Vassilis Antonas, Impact is the longest-standing Greek coaching firm. We have provided services to well over 100 Greek and multinational organisations, pioneered the first coaching training in the country, secured two world-first accreditations for our coaching Diplomas, published the definitive coaching book through Routledge (Coaching for Impact, Antonas, V., 2017), and introduced the concept of Organisational Development to the Greek market.

Τι πρέπει τελικά να ζητά ένας άνθρωπος από τη δουλειά του;Στο νέο...

21/08/2026

Impact 2006–2026 | The Leader’s Unconvention
Episode 19: Trajectory: The Conductor’s Way

The Diploma’s final module was delivered in January 2024. The legendary course passed the baton to Trajectory: The Conductor’s Way, which kicked off in April 2025. This ensured seamless continuity, an important perk for a compulsive like me.

I maintained the robust academic context and accreditation status. The material, however, was mostly new:

DECODE catered to the internal or professional coach who wanted to support others by improving and reflecting on themselves.

Trajectory focused on the leader, catalyst and instigator who wanted to overcome themselves and enable others to do the same. It's called Leading by Example.

These are two completely different animals.

The Conductor aims to achieve Impact and generate Legacy. They employ Perception, Decision-Making, Performance, Influence and Resilience.

They do not just coach and they do not simply lead.

They c o n d u c t.

Conductors understand that fair is not necessarily equal. A hierarchical taxonomy determined by Achievement exists and people earn their place on it. They do not get philosophical about what Achievement means. Clever relativism is often little more than the intellectual prelude to making excuses or undermining achievers.

Instead, they are responsible for striving to optimise themselves, optimise others and drive Evolution. Their Impact grants them access to Privileged Choices while they are around. Their Legacy ensures that they have made a lasting contribution.

“No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away.”

Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man (London: Victor Gollancz, 1991).

Trajectory will enter its third cycle in April 2027.

V.A.

On October 15th, 2026, we will celebrate Impact’s 20th birthday at OTE Academy, from 16:00 to 21:00. The Leader’s Unconvention will feature 20 senior leaders presenting their unfiltered thoughts to 100 select guests, individually and in panels. No fashionable narratives, just ideas that serve people, organisations and a greater purpose.

Participation is by invitation only.

Founded in 2006 by Vassilis Antonas, Impact is the longest-standing Greek coaching firm. We have provided services to well over 100 Greek and multinational organisations, pioneered the first coaching training in the country, secured two world-first accreditations for our coaching Diplomas, published the definitive coaching book through Routledge (Coaching for Impact, Antonas, V., 2017), and introduced the concept of Organisational Development to the Greek market.

18/08/2026

Impact 2006–2026 | The Leader’s Unconvention
Episode 18: Speaking up and Talking Straight

The Greek business consulting and training community is a fairly small one. Unless you hold dual leverage by also being an executive search firm, originate from an HR line position, spend the majority of your time rubbing shoulders at the events of largely purposeless associations or cover under an international franchise, you really need to behave and make the right noises. Fortunately, and unfortunately, at Impact, we don’t fall under any of those categories; and fortunately, and unfortunately, we don’t have the propensity to behave.

Instead of focusing on stating the conventional and commendable obvious, for example that women should receive equal pay, there should be no bullying at the workplace or that people should not hit each other, we have inherently catered for an audience with an IQ that exceeds 85 and likes to see beyond the obvious.

Instead of observing and reproducing the trends that would increase our popularity score, we spoke out about the actual challenges we faced during our engagements: the controlling leader; the manager who preaches one thing and does another; the conspiracy forcing strong performers into compliant understatement, lest they come across as arrogant; value-based choices and decisions. The list goes on.

This unconvention has proven costly on a number of fronts: first of all, several of our clients’ leaders had to find out that the problem was not just the person they trusted us with for coaching; it was also the company culture and on many occasions the leaders themselves. Secondly, arguing that people get what they deserve every time we were publicly asked rubbed the protesting, trade-union-minded, underperforming segment of the audience the wrong way. Finally, instead of presenting the merits of exchanging feedback, being polite and flushing the toilet, we chose to speak up about issues of consequence.

Given all of the above, I am surprised we have made it to 20 years; as surprised as we are determined to keep it up.

V.A.

On October 15th, 2026, we will celebrate Impact’s 20th birthday at OTE Academy, from 16:00 to 21:00. The Leader’s Unconvention will feature 20 senior leaders presenting their unfiltered thoughts to 100 select guests, individually and in panels. No fashionable narratives, just ideas that serve people, organisations and a greater purpose.

Participation is by invitation only.

Founded in 2006 by Vassilis Antonas, Impact is the longest-standing Greek coaching firm. We have provided services to well over 100 Greek and multinational organisations, pioneered the first coaching training in the country, secured two world-first accreditations for our coaching Diplomas, published the definitive coaching book through Routledge (Coaching for Impact, Antonas, V., 2017), and introduced the concept of Organisational Development to the Greek market.

12/08/2026

Impact 2006–2026 | The Leader’s Unconvention
Episode 17: Letting go

By the early 2020s, it was becoming evident that a lot of new material was emerging during my deliveries. It was making its appearance during the Diploma, in my workshops and also in keynotes. The process was becoming stranger by the day, as I would arrive at the second or third slide of the presentation and then move in a different direction without touching the clicker again.

It was not that I disagreed with my former self; it was as if someone had removed another layer of wrapping to reveal what was underneath.

The Diploma had been running since 2005 in London and since 2008 in Athens. Coupled with my book, Coaching for Impact (Routledge, 2017), which effectively captured its essence, they represented my personal and our corporate trademark. They served as quality assurance for the market and our wider audience. Year after year, we received two or three times as many applications as we accepted and anyone who wanted to be a coach — instead of delivering coaching services — considered Impact’s Diploma their first choice.

How do you let go of a legacy that has formed over two decades and guarantees your established position and success?

In 2024, after 16 consecutive years of transforming people’s lives and careers, I decided to pull the plug on DECODE (Diploma in Executive COaching and Organisational DΕvelopment). The Diploma was neither fatigued nor irrelevant; it still had more to offer. At the same time, the process of generating an even bolder, more provocative and challenging course had been set in forward motion; and could not turn back.

The courage to willingly let go of something great derives from the inevitability of aspiring to something even greater.

V.A.

On October 15th, 2026, we will celebrate Impact’s 20th birthday at OTE Academy, from 16:00 to 21:00. The Leader’s Unconvention will feature 20 senior leaders presenting their unfiltered thoughts to 100 select guests, individually and in panels. No fashionable narratives, just ideas that serve people, organisations and a greater purpose.

Participation is by invitation only.

Founded in 2006 by Vassilis Antonas, Impact is the longest-standing Greek coaching firm. We have provided services to well over 100 Greek and multinational organisations, pioneered the first coaching training in the country, secured two world-first accreditations for our coaching Diplomas, published the definitive coaching book through Routledge (Coaching for Impact, Antonas, V., 2017), and introduced the concept of Organisational Development to the Greek market.

06/08/2026

Impact 2006–2026 | The Leader’s Unconvention
Episode 16: It’s a Kind of Magic

Those who know me understand that I like getting things done my way. This is not simply an obstinate attempt to dominate; it is a position that has, statistically, produced better results than doing things other people’s way.

What is plainly obstinate, however, is my reluctance to let other people’s input improve and evolve my way.

Anyone who manages to convince me that collaborating, synergising and co-creating will produce something better than simply letting me get on with it has achieved the near impossible. It takes stamina, determination, subtle confidence, dedication, healthy—almost—detachment and focus.

Tereza Venetsanou joined Impact in 2019. She never tried to change everything. She never fought battles that did not need fighting. She never cared about just getting her way.

Instead, she brought freshness without—much—disruption, extroversion without too much noise—at least not for outsiders—and influence without force.

Her clients keep coming back. Her engagements receive impeccable feedback. Her coachees keep evolving, and the market continues to reward her with new and exciting opportunities.

Impact in 2026 is not fundamentally different from Impact in 2019. Paradoxically, strangely and almost imperceptibly, however, it is fundamentally better.

And that’s a kind of magic.

Happy Birthday, Tereza Venetsanou. Here are 20 Impact moments of you.

V.A.

On October 15th, 2026, we will celebrate Impact’s 20th birthday at OTE Academy, from 16:00 to 21:00. The Leader’s Unconvention will feature 20 senior leaders presenting their unfiltered thoughts to 100 select guests, individually and in panels. No fashionable narratives, just ideas that serve people, organisations and a greater purpose.

Participation is by invitation only.

Founded in 2006 by Vassilis Antonas, Impact is the longest-standing Greek coaching firm. We have provided services to well over 100 Greek and multinational organisations, pioneered the first coaching training in the country, secured two world-first accreditations for our coaching Diplomas, published the definitive coaching book through Routledge (Coaching for Impact, Antonas, V., 2017), and introduced the concept of Organisational Development to the Greek market.

03/08/2026

Impact 2006–2026 | The Leader’s Unconvention
Episode 15: The Untouchables

Despite having served well over 100 Greek and multinational organisations, over the years we developed particularly close ties with a handful of them. They shared similar characteristics: a preference for achievement over activity. The propensity to call things by their name. The capacity to confront them directly.

Integrity.

These companies came to us with clear requests. They invited us to facilitate difficult conversations and bravely engaged in them. They gave us space and trust to apply our expertise whilst maintaining their support and engagement.

When reaching out, they invited us to a preliminary conversation before requesting a draft proposal.

Perhaps because that draft proposal was not just a procurement requirement for an already allocated project.

They showed reciprocal professionalism, responded within the agreed timeframe and provided feedback. They did not ignore follow-ups when the timeline dragged on. They did not disappear once their minor bureaucratic requirement had been met and they had got what they wanted.

Their values were not limited to inspirational quotes and moral preaching on social media, so often contradicted by actual conduct.

The way they treated their people was reflected in the respect they extended to the consultants whose time they required, and the respect they extended to their consultants was easily extended to their clients.

The Greek system is a very skewed system, lacking professionalism, integrity, vision and courage. It’s a system of clans, featuring fear and dependencies.

It’s a patronage system.

We have proudly served those who have fearlessly made their way independently of it.

Just like we have made our own way independently of it.

And just like we will continue making our way independently of it.

This recent picture was taken during one of the many leadership workshops we have conducted for Microsoft over the past two decades. Microsoft was one of our earliest clients in Greece. Their clarity of intent and integrity have remained unparalleled.

V.A.

On October 15th, 2026, we will celebrate Impact’s 20th birthday at OTE Academy, from 16:00 to 21:00. The Leader’s Unconvention will feature 20 senior leaders presenting their unfiltered thoughts to 100 select guests, individually and in panels. No fashionable narratives, just ideas that serve people, organisations and a greater purpose.

Participation is by invitation only.

Founded in 2006 by Vassilis Antonas, Impact is the longest-standing Greek coaching firm. We have provided services to well over 100 Greek and multinational organisations, pioneered the first coaching training in the country, secured two world-first accreditations for our coaching Diplomas, published the definitive coaching book through Routledge (Coaching for Impact, Antonas, V., 2017), and introduced the concept of Organisational Development to the Greek market.

30/07/2026

Impact 2006–2026 | The Leader’s Unconvention
Episode 14: Choosing Experts over Jacks-of-All-Trades

They say that you are the average of the five people closest to you. I suspect something similar applies to the people with whom you choose to work.

Our clients’ needs have never fitted neatly inside the boundaries of coaching. Leadership challenges are often connected to organisational structure, talent, culture, financial discipline and the ability to place the right people in the right roles. Addressing one part while ignoring the rest may produce activity; it rarely produces achievement.

We therefore had a choice. We could either stretch ourselves into areas in which we were merely competent, or bring together people who possessed genuine depth in their respective disciplines.

We chose the experts.

By 2023, this multidisciplinary team had become both a competitive advantage for Impact and a substantial asset for our clients. We could support organisations on multiple fronts while maintaining a common direction, a coordinated approach and the culture we were trying to establish. Different disciplines did not have to result in six consultants generating polyphony, cacophony and operational havoc.

In addition to Tereza Venetsanou featuring a commercial background, George Diakonikolaou, featuring a project management background and myself, originally a psychologist, the team included Christina Nishan, an experienced HR executive who delivered HR consulting and administered Gallup’s CliftonStrengths; Dimitris Chatziapostolou, a seasoned finance expert who optimised financial structures with unprecedented effectiveness; and our very own Anna Florou, who conducted a substantial number of executive-search projects for our clients with pinpoint accuracy.

In April 2023, we came together for a cover shoot for HR Professional magazine. The composition of the team has since changed somewhat. Our links with each of these associates, however, remain as strong as the lesson we acquired through working together:

When the work matters, you do not need a jack-of-all-trades.

You need an expert.

V.A.

On October 15th, 2026, we will celebrate Impact’s 20th birthday at OTE Academy, from 16:00 to 21:00. The Leader’s Unconvention will feature 20 senior leaders presenting their unfiltered thoughts to 100 select guests, individually and in panels. No fashionable narratives, just ideas that serve people, organisations and a greater purpose.

Participation is by invitation only.

Founded in 2006 by Vassilis Antonas, Impact is the longest-standing Greek coaching firm. We have provided services to well over 100 Greek and multinational organisations, pioneered the first coaching training in the country, secured two world-first accreditations for our coaching Diplomas, published the definitive coaching book through Routledge (Coaching for Impact, Antonas, V., 2017), and introduced the concept of Organisational Development to the Greek market.

28/07/2026

Impact 2006–2026 | The Leader’s Unconvention
Episode 13: Mission Impossible

We rarely get invited to deliver coaching, training or consulting to relieve HR Departments of their excess budget. It is always -or almost always- Mission Impossible: a pivotal change in management, an underperforming key player, a new department that’s not living up to expectation -or investment-, the burned-out revenue creator…the list goes on.

Frankly, it is our fault for setting up like that. Instead of camping behind nicely packaged elementary trainings for all, we introduced Organisational Development. Instead of promoting the 3 steps to achieving greatness -or similar-, we coached people based on who they could become. Instead of telling our clients that determination and optimism would suffice, we invited them to apply method and strategy.

We have made life too complex for ourselves - and too complex for the majority of the market.

In March 2024, I was invited to deliver the keynote at the Meet Sophia Conference at the Nafpaktos International Conference Center, which is effectively a monastery. The conference brought together 27 global experts, including tech specialists, academics, and religious figures to discuss technology's societal impact in the presence of the first passport-holding humanoid robot. A deeply divided audience of over 400 people, primarily pro-AI and anti-AI, awaited me -and each other- in the trenches.

In theory, my task was to explore the relation of Ethics and AI. In practice, it was to avoid the escalation of irreversible conflict.

“I want to pacify you by underlining that Decision-Making when it comes to matters of importance remains and will remain a human prerogative. Even Sophia’s programming is a result of human free will; therefore absolving ourselves of responsibility now or in the future, especially when it comes to matters of Ethics, is simply not an option.” (22:45)

Those of you interested in finding out more can watch 33 minutes of acrobatic, interactive keynote delivery below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8rdrmqEBkk&t=43s

This is Impact.

This is our Legacy.

V.A.

On October 15th, 2026, we will celebrate Impact’s 20th birthday at OTE Academy, from 16:00 to 21:00. The Leader’s Unconvention will feature 20 senior leaders presenting their unfiltered thoughts to 100 select guests, individually and in panels. No fashionable narratives, just ideas that serve people, organisations, and a greater purpose.

Participation is by invitation only.

Founded in 2006 by Vassilis Antonas, Impact is the longest-standing Greek coaching firm. We have provided services to well over 100 Greek and multinational organisations, pioneered the first coaching training in the country, secured two world-first accreditations for our coaching Diplomas, published the definitive coaching book through Routledge (Coaching for Impact, Antonas, V., 2017), and introduced the concept of Organisational Development to the Greek market.

🔑Vassilis Antonas was the Key Note Speaker at the innovative Meet S...

24/07/2026

Impact 2006–2026 | The Leader’s Unconvention
Episode 12: Performing through Common Sense, not Nonsense

Over the years, we have associated ourselves more closely with certain communities than with others. Our choice was not dictated by the extent to which rubbing shoulders with their members would benefit us commercially; it was dictated by the extent to which we could help each other grow. This accounts for the fact that we kept our distance from the “sensible” options and engaged closely with unlikely ones.

The Project Management community was one of them. Our connection was strengthened early on when one of its leading figures, GEORGE DIAKONIKOLAOU, joined Impact as an associate. Over the past 20 years, I have been invited to deliver keynote speeches to this community on several occasions and have trained several project managers through our Diploma. Their forward thinking and curiosity have enabled me to present far more challenging ideas in far more provocative ways than I would in other contexts.

On one such occasion, I argued that low-capacity employees or contractors should be expelled before becoming the employer’s or sponsor’s problem, given that private enterprise is not a substitute for the welfare state. Although I knew this would cause upheaval among a small segment of the audience, the intellectual openness of the broader community allowed me to state what I considered the sensible obvious—something I would have completely refrained from doing in most other contexts.

To me, this is what project managers stand for: a common-sense yet dynamic approach to optimising performance. This is also where the community aligns with Impact’s values.

Friends from the Project Management community include George Papadimitriou El. Eng, MSc, MBA, PMP®, AADCT, SFC Zannina Anagnostopoulou, BSc Mathematics, MBA, PMP®, Konstantinos Kirytopoulos, Dr. Theofanis Giotis (MSc, PhD c, PfMP, PMP, PBA, ACP, DAC, AMA-CPM), Dina Tasiou, PMP, PgMP, Stella Ioannidou, Panos Chatzipanos, and several more.

The picture was taken around 2023.

V.A.

On October 15th, 2026, we will celebrate Impact’s 20th birthday at OTE Academy, from 16:00 to 21:00. The Leader’s Unconvention will feature 20 senior leaders presenting their unfiltered thoughts to 100 select guests, individually and in panels. No fashionable narratives, just ideas that serve people, organisations, and a greater purpose.

Participation is by invitation only.

Founded in 2006 by Vassilis Antonas, Impact is the longest-standing Greek coaching firm. We have provided services to well over 100 Greek and multinational organisations, pioneered the first coaching training in the country, secured two world-first accreditations for our coaching Diplomas, published the definitive coaching book through Routledge (Coaching for Impact, Antonas, V., 2017), and introduced the concept of Organisational Development to the Greek market.