Second Networking Evening announced for  20 June 2012 in Nicosia

The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation will be hosting a second Networking Evening aimed at bringing together Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot entrepreneurs for a high-level exchange of ideas and business dialogue in Nicosia on June 20.

This event, aimed at the island’s growing business community will help promote and attract entries to the 4^th annual Stelios Award for Business Cooperation in Cyprus due to be held in September. The highly prized awards ceremony has had to be postponed from June due to a calendar clash with the Greek general elections.

Sir Stelios said:

“When we first set a date for our awards, we did not know that Greece would be holding another set of national elections on the 17^th of June. In order to do justice to our winners and promote their work on the island of Cyprus it would be best to avoid this period. I therefore think it would be fairer to our entrants if the ceremony was pushed back to the autumn as in the previous three years.

“Now we have  some excellent new business ideas this year which could use a bit more time to flourish. I would like to see what applicant teams can do with a few more months of cooperation under their belts!”, he added.

“For the first time since we launched the Stelios Award for Business Cooperation in Cyprus, we have received many more applications from start-up partnerships; out of a total of around 25 applications, many are businesses formed less than year ago. We see this as tangible proof that the awards are causing social change and are encouraging people to do business with the other communities. Our past networking events have already directly spawned several successful finalists and winners of the award so I’m confident that we’ll be welcoming some interesting entrepreneurs to the Networking Evening on June 20 in Nicosia.”

Notes for editors:

1.     The Stelios Award for Business Cooperation in Cyprus is in its 4^th year and since 2009 has been presented by Stelios to five winning entrepreneurial teams, each receiving €50,000. Teams must consist of at least one Greek-Cypriot and one Turkish-Cypriot entrepreneur doing business together to benefit the island of Cyprus.

2.     With this year’s awards the total benefit to the cause of bi-communal business cooperation will have reached its original pledge of €1 million. From next year, the Foundation will be seeking co-sponsors for each of the awards with a donation of €10,000 which will be matched by an equivalent amount from the Foundation.

3.     The event is provisionally scheduled for 18.00 hrs on 20 June in the “House of Cooperation”.

For application forms and criteria, please... click HERE