Keynote Speaker: Xenia Kourtoglou | Exclusive Research by Focus Bari

What does “achievement” and “victory” mean in today’s Greek society? How is the concept of a “champion” interpreted? And how do people relate these ideas to everyday life—whether observing an athlete, an employee, or a business leader striving to contribute to their own personal “myth”? These were among the key questions explored at the ATHLOS Business Summit, organized by THETOTALBUSINESS, held at Aigli Zappeiou in Athens on Thursday, April 2, in a fully attended ballroom. Leading executives from the Greek business arena engaged in meaningful dialogue with professional athletes, Olympians, and Paralympians, aiming to decode the concept of “Athlos” (achievement) in both its visible and invisible dimensions.

A central highlight of the event was the contribution of Xenia Kourtoglou, Founder of Focus Bari, who designed and presented exclusive research conducted for the Summit, based on a nationwide sample of 1,003 respondents, exploring the concept of “Everyday Achievement.” Her findings revealed a powerful insight: the Greek public overwhelmingly attributes success, victory, and distinction to hard work, persistence, and belief—assigning only 10% of success to innate talent. Drawing also from her expertise as a psychotherapist, Kourtoglou emphasized that the way individuals interpret and respond to failure plays a decisive role in shaping their future. Persistence, she noted, is not merely innate—it is cultivated. What ultimately matters is how we act in the present and how effectively we manage challenges.

The research further identified three distinct mindsets that characterize how Greeks perceive “everyday achievement”:

• Realists (37%): View success as a combination of effort and circumstances

• Fighters (36%): Believe success is driven primarily by persistence and personal effort

• Observers (27%): Perceive success as something that mainly αφορά others

Ultimately, the key lies in self-awareness: recognizing which mindset one belongs to, evaluating whether it is truly serving them, and asking the right questions—especially if growth and evolution are the goal.

Keynote Speaker & Panelist: Xenia Kourtoglou

The 3rd annual Real Estate Round Table was successfully held at the Eugenides Foundation, bringing together leading professionals from across the real estate and brokerage sector. Focus Bari designed and conducted a nationwide quantitative study, capturing the Greek public’s perceptions of the real estate market, the image of industry professionals, key challenges, areas of concern, and the conditions required for future growth and improvement. In parallel, an in-depth qualitative study among real estate agents provided valuable insights into the everyday realities of the profession, highlighting current challenges as well as the need for professional upgrading and evolution within the sector. Xenia Kourtoglou presented the findings of this extensive research in a dedicated keynote speech, offering a comprehensive and authentic view of the market landscape. Her presentation also outlined the profile of the “Ideal Real Estate Agent,” identifying the key attributes and capabilities required for success in today’s—and tomorrow’s—market.

See Xenia Kourtoglou’s full presentation here.

Valeria Tsami, Keynote Speaker

With an impressive turnout, the annual Women in Digital Conference, organized by Smart Press, took place once again this year, focusing on female leadership in the era of Artificial Intelligence.  Valeria Tsami, Vice President of Focus Bari, presented findings from the international study Global Public Confidence Study 2025 conducted by the IriS Network, along with data for Greece from YouGov’s YouGov Profiles, exploring the evolving relationship between society, employees, and leadership.  Her presentation highlighted that the conversation about women in the era of AI is no longer about their participation in technology, but rather about the role of female leadership in shaping how technology is integrated into work and society.

As Valeria Tsami emphasized in her keynote, the findings show that the difference between men and women does not lie in technological capability, but in the way technology is approached and embedded within organizations and society.  In closing, she underlined that in a time of rapid technological change, female leadership can play a decisive role in managing this transition, bringing greater emphasis on collaboration, awareness of social impact, and the human dimension of technological advancement.

See Valeria Tsami’s full presentation here.

Xenia Kourtoglou Presents the Focus Bari CX Stories

The CX Summit, organized annually by Boussias and EIEP, was successfully completed on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at the OTEAcademy Amphitheatre, confirming its role as the leading gathering for CX leaders and senior executives.  In an environment where data and AI are redefining everything, the conference highlighted best practices for transitioning from simple metrics to early experience signals and real business impact. With a strong emphasis on organizational culture and the practical application of innovative tools, the CX Summit provided essential knowledge for those who view customer experience as an investment of long-term value.

In the opening session, Xenia Kourtoglou delivered a keynote presentation on the Focus Bari Customer Experience Stories — a nationwide study conducted systematically twice a year since 2017. The research captures both the outstanding and the painful experiences Greek consumers live through within a six-month period with any organization, of any size and sector, narrated in their own words.  In her speech, Xenia Kourtoglou referred to the power of “social discussion,” highlighting the significant role that ratings, reviews, and consumer comments play today in influencing purchasing choices and decisions. Through real-life experience stories, she demonstrated how authentic customer experiences serve as valuable guidance for companies on how to build and continuously improve the customer experience they offer.

See Xenia Kourtoglou’s full presentation here.

Xenia Kourtoglou Keynote on Sustainability: Change or Transformation?
With the participation of more than 300 delegates — senior executives from the sector of electrical appliances and air-conditioning importers — this year’s APPLIA conference focused on the broad concept of Sustainability for businesses, particularly in light of the ESG regulatory framework that increasingly concerns all companies.
Under the motto “Change or Transformation?”, the conference explored whether sustainability is truly understood within the business world today, and what needs to be done to ensure sustainable companies in the future — companies that respect people, society, and the environment.

Focus Bari, research sponsor of APPLIA for the third consecutive year, conducted a nationwide quantitative survey among the general public to capture attitudes, opinions, expectations, needs, and sentiments on the subject, as well as an in-depth qualitative study reflecting the current image, perceptions and status of businesses within the sector.
In her keynote speech, Xenia Kourtoglou emphasized that consumers need information — and above all, trust — in order to embrace corporate efforts.  She described the “transition process” as a clear need for transformation, so that change becomes permanent, through a shift in culture that begins with leadership and the CEO, and cascades through new strategies, processes, and behaviors across the entire organization.

See Xenia Kourtoglou’s full presentation here.

Xenia Kourtoglou Presents the Anxieties of Technology and the Fears of AI — and How to Overcome Them
On February 7 and 8, 2026, the 49th Cosmoestetica Conference and Exhibition of Aesthetics and Cosmetology Businesses was organized at the Peristeri Exhibition Center by PSAMKA, attracting a large number of professionals from across Greece.  In the opening session of the conference, Xenia Kourtoglou of Focus Bari presented research findings capturing the relationship of the Greek public with technology and artificial intelligence tools. At the same time, as an expert in Mental Resilience, she analyzed the five anxieties of technology and the five fears surrounding artificial intelligence — which can represent both an opportunity and a threat.

Closing her speech, Xenia Kourtoglou shared practical ways in which the audience can overcome technology-related anxieties and transform fears about artificial intelligence into productive processes for expanding knowledge and skills for every interested professional.

Xenia Kourtoglou of Focus Bari Keynote Speaker at the Athens Chamber of Tradesmen Event on Women’s Entrepreneurship

With the participation of institutional representatives and prominent figures from the women’s business community, the special event of the Athens Chamber of Tradesmen on women’s entrepreneurship was held with tremendous success and impressive attendance.  The event focused on the evolution of women in the business arena, despite the difficulties and social pressures they face. Xenia Kourtoglou opened her presentation with a historical overview of the journey of women in recent years, highlighting progress in education and access to technology. She also analyzed, from a biological perspective, male and female skill sets, as well as the leadership profile of each gender.

In her speech, Xenia Kourtoglou shared important examples from her own experience, along with the “meta-knowledge” gained from her 35-year study of Greek society. She concluded her presentation with useful and valuable success tips for all women who dare to pursue their entrepreneurial dream.

Xenia Kourtoglou for The Smile of the Child

The 30th anniversary of The Smile of the Child was celebrated with great success at a special event for sponsors at Eleon Loft on January 19, 2026. The event was attended by all the representatives of the sponsors who support The Smile of the Child, including Focus Bari, which since 2017 has been conducting systematic research on The Smile of the Child and all related issues of concern to Greek society. Xenia Kourtoglou of Focus Bari gave a moving speech presenting the most important findings of the surveys, which show that The Smile is considered the most reliable organization for children and vulnerable groups in society, a leading trustworthy organization recognized by all Greeks as a "model" that stands "above everyone and everything"!

In her speech, Xenia Kourtoglou emphasized the excellent image that The Smile reflects to the Greek public, but also to the organizations that support it, and quoted the heartfelt messages of good wishes to little Andreas and Kostas Giannopoulos, with the universal wish that The Smile continue to support every child in need for many years to come.

Xenia Kourtoglou as Keynote Speaker on e-Commerce

In the new era of commerce and marketing, everything converges toward a single destination: the Consumer. The journey is multidimensional and constantly evolving—beginning with physical stores and reaching its peak in the digital ecosystem that now defines trends, behaviours, and audience expectations.  This year’s e-commerce conference opened with a keynote by Xenia Kourtoglou, who presented the evolution of online shopping among Greek consumers from 2000 to today. She outlined their habits, preferences, and expectations within this increasingly complex market.  She concluded her presentation with authentic stories shared by Greek consumers about their experiences with online stores, drawn from the ongoing Focus Bari CX Stories research since 2017. She highlighted that positive experiences reward good business practices, while negative ones offer valuable insights for improvement.

See Xenia Kourtoglou’s full presentation here.

Focus Bari at the MINDS: SEDEA Market Research Forum 2025

On 27 November 2025, the first MINDS: SEDEA Market Research Forum took place at the historic Sarogleio Mansion, marking the launch of a new annual platform for dialogue on the future of Market Research in Greece. Focus Bari was represented by Valeria Tsamis, who delivered the conference’s opening keynote in her capacity as President of SEDEA, Katerina Moschandreou, as well as additional members of our team who attended the Forum.

Katerina presented, together with Mastercard, the joint case study “KYKLOI by Priceless: How a purposeful initiative came to life”, showcasing how a socially meaningful initiative can be designed and activated with real impact.

The Forum highlighted the vital role of research in today’s data-driven and AI-powered landscape, while exploring the opportunities and challenges emerging from technological advancement, evolving methodologies, and the growing importance of transparency and quality standards. Discussions also focused on the need for certified, accountable research practices that reinforce trust among citizens, clients and institutions.

MINDS 2025 set a strong foundation for a new institutional event—one that aims to bridge technology with human insight, and to reaffirm the role of Market Research as a driver of progress for businesses and society.