At a time of rapid and radical changes that are reshaping the global landscape, strategic communications are more important than ever. Business Partners magazine reached out to Alexandros Costopoulos, founder and CEO of Foresight Strategy and Communications and Secretary General of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, to talk about his Foresight’s work, its greatest milestones, and the value of effective communication.
Foresight recently celebrated a quarter century at the forefront of strategic communications with a focus on bilateral relations between the United States in Greece. Tell us a bit about how it all started.
The Foresight story has its origins across the Atlantic. It began a little over twenty-five years ago, as a journey to offer bespoke, results-oriented strategies and tactics centered on reputation management, public affairs, and strategic communications for corporations, entrepreneurs, public figures, government organizations and academic institutions in Greece and the United States, as well as the broader region of southeast Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.
With the support of esteemed professionals in the political, diplomatic, and communications arena in Washington and New York, Foresight quickly became one of the leading advisory firms, recognized for its strategic mindset, elegant solutions, and impeccable credibility across the business and political spectrum on both sides of the Atlantic. Over the years, we’ve focused primarily on the area of transatlantic affairs and have developed a deep understanding and considerable expertise of Washington’s playbook and dynamics.
An organization’s health and survival are linked directly to its ability to safeguard its credibility and gravitas while simultaneously building strong relations with its key stakeholders
What are some of the key partnerships and areas of expertise that you have developed over the years that have allowed you to excel in your work in transatlantic affairs, particularly Greek-US relations?
Having often worked for and with key public and private institutions and organizations on the other side of the Atlantic has allowed us to develop key intelligence and access to power centers in order to define perceptions, forge relations, and shape results in Washington DC and across the United States.
At Foresight, we have been privileged to contribute to propelling forward Greek-US bilateral ties and broader transatlantic affairs in a number of countries. We have achieved this by working with leading corporations in the respective countries and key US institutions (including the US Department of Commerce, the Woodrow Wilson Centre, PeaceJam and the Harvard University CHS), by creating public diplomacy and social awareness campaigns on issues such as tackling anti-Americanism, confronting misinformation and fake news, and promoting women leadership and entrepreneurship, and by collaborating with most major Greek-American organizations including the AHEPA, AHI, AFGLC, and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
Can you highlight some of Foresight’s notable milestones over the years that you’re particularly proud of?
Over the years, Foresight has undertaken numerous institutional projects that have shaped our expertise and broadened our horizons.
We launched the first International Conference on Port Development, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Commerce and Greek Port Authorities, introducing innovative technologies in homeland security and port management services.
An international summit for Serbia’s economic recovery, organized for the Office of the President of Serbia and the Serbia Investment Promotion Agency, marked a key milestone. Additionally, we facilitated a bilateral trade and commercial relations program with the United States for the Office of the Prime Minister of Ukraine, following the Orange Revolution.
Collaborating with the Harvard University Center for Hellenic Studies (CHS) in Washington, D.C., we spearheaded the establishment of a research center in Nafplio, Greece—the first Harvard institution outside the U.S.
Drawing from our experience with the Susan G. Komen Foundation in the U.S., we introduced Greece’s first comprehensive breast cancer awareness initiative for the Association of Volunteers Against Cancer and the Hellenic Association of Women with Breast Cancer.
Working with the esteemed Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., we designed a program emphasizing the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s role in fostering interfaith collaboration to address global climate challenges.
Amid Greece’s socio-economic collapse, we conceptualized and led the RepowerGreece initiative, a global public diplomacy effort developed alongside leading U.S. universities and think tanks to counteract negative narratives.
However, we take great pride in our contribution on strategic milestones in Greek American economic, commercial, academic and investment relations with regional impact, such as the 3+1 East Med cooperation framework.
After more than twenty-five years in the business, how do you see the role and relevance of strategic communications today?
In a period of tectonic socioeconomic shifts, changing economies, emerging multilayered challenges, post-truth, and social media dominance, any organization’s health and survival is linked directly to its ability to safeguard its credibility and gravitas, while simultaneously building strong relations with its key stakeholders—from investors, associates, and employees to community members, competitors, political leaders, and key decisionmakers. Achieving this is crucial, and it is an endeavor that goes far beyond traditional public relations or government affairs. It demands a deep understanding of all direct or indirect parameters of any given project, and it necessitates maintaining a 360-degree strategic overview of every single detail.
