We have the historic obligation with regard to future generations to work as hard as possible today for a better future
This issue of “LEADING ΕΑΣΕ” is dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Association. It’s a vision that came true getting off to a good start from our willingness to lend a helping hand and to provide support to the country and the entrepreneurs through the know-how and the network we have as Chief Executives.
I am sure that the older members will have many memories of this journey together, when we laid the seeds for the important work we have accomplished today. That’s a project that is our legacy at a time when we have both reason to celebrate and be proud, but also worry about the future because of the complex challenges we face today.
Such is life and leadership after all; the joy of achievement coexists with a sense of duty on a permanent basis. I am sure that most of you share my view that we have the historic obligation with regard to future generations to work as hard as possible today for a better future.
Nelson Mandela had said that vision can change the world as long as it is combined with action. On the subject of climate change, we cannot afford to delay any longer. The devastating fires of the summer, as well as the prolonged heatwave and the pandemic itself, constantly remind us that the time for saving the planet is short.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly; in his speech, he set the right tone for the changes that will be made up to 2030, placing the response to the climate crisis on the priorities of the government agenda. At the heart of the Government’s Action Plan is, as one would expect, the transition to cleaner forms of energy since Greece has undertaken to proceed with the closure of all lignite units by 2025, to become climate neutral through the utilization of the renewable energy sources (RES) by 2050 as well as to promote electromobility.
The above issues will concern us more and more not just as citizens, but mainly as top business executives, making sustainability the most important pillar on which the activities of all businesses will be structured in the future.
We must adapt as leaders to this new reality responsibly, consistently and with a sense of duty. The Association of Chief Executive Officers (ACEO) must lead the way in dealing with the climate crisis with debates, interventions and actions in the coming years.
Let’s set a goal together from now on so that the ACEO members will celebrate the Association’s next anniversary in 35 years feeling proud of our environmental initiatives and actions. Or let’s work together so that, in 15 years, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Association as well as our victory against the climate crisis.