The head of Greece’s largest construction group AKTOR has announced plans to move forward with a €2 billion investment plan targeting renewable energy, real estate, and concession projects to reduce its reliance on traditional construction and strengthen its financial position.
Alexandros Exarchou, chairman and CEO of AKTOR, made the remarks at the Delphi Economic Forum during a panel discussion on Greece’s economic growth and the role of investment and innovation. Other participants included government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, Deloitte Greece CEO Dimitris Koutsopoulos, Ideal Holdings Head of Strategy Damianos Papakonstantinou, and DPort Services Managing Director Giorgos Petsis.
Mr. Exarchou said the group is in advanced talks with Ellaktor Group to acquire AKTOR Concessions, expressing confidence that the deal will be finalized and significantly expand AKTOR’s portfolio in public-private partnership projects.
He added that AKTOR is separately negotiating participation in two additional concession ventures that may close in the near term, further solidifying the group’s long-term revenue base.
Mr. Exarchou stated that AKTOR aims to grow its backlog to €6 billion and is actively hiring engineers with highly competitive salaries.
He emphasized that infrastructure investment has an immediate and broad economic impact, as capital spreads across both small and large businesses in the supply chain.
Reflecting on Greece’s recovery from the depths of the financial crisis, Mr. Exarchou said the country had defied expectations by recovering from near-bankruptcy while remaining in the euro — "the world’s hardest currency" — and without the collapse of its institutions. “If someone had told me in the summer of 2015 that ten years later I’d be investing €600 million with two partners, or planning €2 billion in new investments, I would’ve laughed it off as a joke,” he said.
Mr. Exarchou emphasized that Greece is now in a rare position of economic stability, with the calm and experience to navigate global uncertainty.
He said there are no signs of foreign investors withdrawing from the Greek market, based on ongoing discussions with international stakeholders.
“I haven’t encountered a single signal of withdrawal or postponement of foreign investment in Greece,” he said, underscoring the country’s attractiveness and momentum despite global economic turbulence.