Q&A with Maria Gratsia, Managing Partner of Kleopas Alliott Business Consultants

1. What does it mean for an experienced woman, as yourself, to be responsible for the overall operation and strategy for the promotion and business development at Kleopas Alliott Business Consultants?

In a male-dominated area, holding a high-level position offers great satisfaction and rewards for a woman. Although the job description comes with many responsibilities, the feelings of giving back, creation and recognition overcompensates those of pressure and accountability that usually describe such positions. The most important factor for me is the mutual respect between the employees of a company, and having achieved this, the work produced can be seen as a result of collective effort, without gender divisions

2. In this new role, what goals are you committed to?

Under our new strategic plan, we aim to transition Kleopas Alliott from the pursuit of market shares to a new approach where securing the greatest possible value from our services is key. Our new strategy is based on three pillars:

• recovery in the coming years, aiming to strengthen financial results,
• renewal of our services deck to include a refreshed and modern range of products to enhance our customer base, and
• revolution brought by the transformation of the business model through technology and online services.

Our goal is to make Kleopas Alliott a pioneer in creating value in the new metaverse era by enriching the range of our services and business solutions, as well as further solidifying customer trust.

3. What are the biggest obstacles a woman faces in such a demanding space and how do you rate the digital transformation and digital skills of women versus their male counterparts?

In general, the percentage of women in high level positions is unsatisfactory, with their development prospects being limited. Various studies show that among the biggest obstacles for a woman in a demanding business environment are family responsibilities, gender bias, lack of support from colleagues and the pay gap compared to men. On top of that, it is worth mentioning that objections from within the family are often another significant obstacle for modern women’s growth. Regarding digital transformation, I cannot say that its development is connected to gender. It requires the correct knowledge and skills from people who have innovative ideas and a disposition for growth and creation.

Our society has wrongly established stereotypes about technology over many years and this is the reason that in most technology related faculties, the percentage of male students far exceeds that of women. However, there are countless women who excel in the digital sector, and who have all the necessary digital skills to grow and succeed at a professional level. Growth in every field lies in our hands and nowadays there are numerous resources to achieve greater depth and enhance one’s digital skills. People who wish to do so, have the opportunity to enrich their knowledge and achieve their goals, demonstrating skills in this field regardless of their gender.

4. How does technology affect businesses, especially in the post-Covid era?

The evolution and contribution of technology, especially in the post-covid era, is unparalleled. As we see every day, but also as a result of various recent studies, through technology, businesses are seamlessly connected to people's daily lives. Digital growth gives them the opportunity to not only create innovative and pioneering products and services, but also transform the way people live and work. Thus, digital transformation is unique, as it is the first time that people do not just use products and services, but simultaneously can provide information and access to them.

5. Is there anything you would like to see changing in Technology and Finance?

Encouragement of women, from school age, to engage in all professional fields without discrimination, is essential. In addition, it is important for companies to start offering women more opportunities in higher level positions, for gender balancing reasons. Re challenges with family, companies could offer flexible working positions, tailored to each woman’s needs, leveraging to the maximum on the provisions of labor laws. Believing in women’s drive and skills will gradually eliminate social stereotypes, allowing room for the professional - and not only – environment to take the presence and contribution of women in social and professional growth more seriously. 

6. Is business and finance an "inclusive" environment for women? Do many women work in finance/accounting and to what extent, in your opinion, are they represented in senior management positions?

The number of women working in the field of finance and accounting is quite large. Although the salaries they receive are still not equal to their male counterparts and there are not the same opportunities for promotions, many women manage to have managerial positions in various companies, both in Europe and beyond. The gender stereotypes that Greek society continues to perpetuate make it challenging for many women to progress in their careers and professions, but this tends to be changing in recent years. With a view to the wholesome growth and prosperity of businesses and societies themselves, we need to encourage mutual respect and understanding, as well as acceptance and harmonious cooperation between the two sexes.

Thank you to Maria Gratsia Smart Press and Women in Digital Magazine for permission to publish.    

About Kleopas Alliott Business Consultants:

Excellence, Trust and Confidentiality:

Kleopas Alliott Business Consultants’ journey, started back in 1990.

We are an independent Greek accounting firm with an innovative international orientation and a unique client focus service approach. Based in Greece (Athens and Mykonos), Kleopas Alliott Business Consultants' vision is to provide clients with unlimited opportunities to improve their business. Our mission is to provide high quality services at the right time, at a competitive price.

With more than 40 highly educated executives, Kleopas Alliott is one of the leading accounting firms in Greece servicing clients in the energy, hotel and leisure, food and beverage, logistics, real estate, retail, e-commerce, bank and finance, construction and pharmaceutical sector plus for individuals.

Kleopas Alliott is renowned for its values – excellence, trust, & confidentiality – and for building long-standing relationships with its clients, based on a sophisticated way of providing services.

The use of cutting edge technologies is integrating these traditional values in a modern and efficient way elevating the added value for the client. Read more