George Bakos - Partner & CCO

Athens, Greece

Experience

Jan 2024 - Present

2 years 1 month

Partner & CCO

Verallis

Led commercial strategy and international expansion in Greece and Romania.
Designed and implemented cost optimization and ESG transformation programs for listed and multinational clients.
Built pipeline of >€2M in 12 months through consultative B2B sales.

Jan 2021 - Present

5 years 1 month

Managing Partner

Strategize

Advisory boutique focusing on strategic transformation, governance, and succession in family businesses.
Advised CEOs and boards on operating models, KPI frameworks, and turnaround strategies.
Built Legacy360° platform – a family governance tool adopted by leading chambers and clients.

Jan 2021 - Dec 2024

4 years

COO & Head of Asset Management

Premia Properties REIC

Managed operations, property management, HR, ESG, and digital transformation for a €500M real estate portfolio.
Structured €100M bond issuance and led strategic repositioning of core assets.

Jan 2018 - Dec 2021

4 years

President & Group’s General Manager

Zeritis Group

Managed three paper manufacturing and one paper recycling operations in Egypt, Bulgaria, and Hungary.
Executed turnaround across three countries, including debt restructuring of €80M and M&A exit strategy.
Streamlined operations, optimized logistics, and delivered an EBITDA improvement of €40M.

Jan 2010 - Dec 2018

9 years

Director, Management Consulting

KPMG

Reported to the Deputy Senior Partner.
Headed Training and People Development Services.
Led Family Business Services in management consulting to family businesses.
Headed business events.
Member of the M&A and transformation team.
Designed, implemented, and delivered over 200 projects.

Jan 1998 - Dec 2007

10 years

General Manager – Multiple Business Units

Sfakianakis Group

Built and operated a 45-site retail and service network across Greece, Bulgaria, and Cyprus, including flagship facilities in Sofia and Nicosia, achieving €280M annual turnover.
Launched Chevrolet, Hummer, Corvette, and Cadillac brands in Greece, achieving a market share from 0 to 4% within three years.
Launched Executive Lease and Enterprise Rent a Car operations and network, obtaining a leading market position within three years.

Jan 1992 - Dec 1998

7 years

General Manager – Fleet & Rental

Toyota Hellas – Inchcape PLC

Grew corporate fleet and rental sales to the number one market position.
Introduced the Toyota Certified Used programme.

Jan 1988 - Dec 1992

5 years

General Manager Commercial Activities & Network Expansion

Enterprise Rent a Car

Summary

Senior advisor and interim executive with over 30 years of leadership in strategy, operational turnaround, and business transformation.

Proven track record in Big4 advisory, listed companies, and family business ecosystems.

Expertise in P&L leadership, market expansion, M&A integrations, ESG, and executing strategic turnarounds.

Adept at scaling businesses in new markets, leading cross-functional teams, executing complex transformations and forging high-level stakeholder partnerships while maintaining high-level client relationships.