Ex-Hellenic Bank CEO takes over Invest Cyprus

The former CEO of Hellenic Bank, Ioannis Matsis, has been appointed the new chair of Invest Cyprus, the authority promoting the island as an investment destination abroad.

Matsis replaces the outgoing Michalis Michael, who the government appointed as the new chair of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

He stepped down as CEO at Hellenic after three years at the second largest Cyprus lender.

Appointed as a board member at Hellenic Bank in 2013, Matsis chaired the Risk Management Committee until taking over as CEO.

Before taking on the position at HB, Matsis had been a partner and co-founder at Point Nine Ltd between 2008 and 2017.

Point Nine offers support services and financial software programs to financial institutions in Europe and the United States.

From 1994 to 2008, he worked in ING Barings, Chase Manhattan, and Mizuho International in London.

Invest Cyprus new boss was born in 1969 and is a graduate of Cambridge University’s Chemical Engineering (B.A., M. Eng) Department.

He also chairs the Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics and is a member of the European Banking Federation.

Invest Cyprus mission is the facilitation of existing investors and the submission of proposals to the government to improve the attractiveness of Cyprus as a destination for foreign direct investment.

On a secondary level, the agency oversees the adoption of new government policies and incentives across all sectors of the economy to enhance the investment environment and strengthen the image of Cyprus as an attractive investment destination.

It runs several campaigns to attract foreign investors, from the rebooted audio-visual industry, dubbed Olivewood, to investments in the island’s growing high-tech sector.