On October 28th, the “Hellenic Cosmos” Cultural Center was buzzing. The event? Fortune Greece’s Power of Innovation 2025. The day was filled with big-picture topics: Greece’s ambition to become a tech producer, the impact of new AI factories, and the geopolitics of data.

But amid all the high-level strategy, one crucial question remained: How does a business actually use all this power?

How do you move from a cool pilot project to something that scales across the entire organization? How do you measure success in cold, hard KPIs? And how do you do it without getting buried in compliance issues or “hidden costs” 6 months later?

This is exactly the conversation Dimitris Dimitriadis, Futurist and Co-Founder of TheFutureCats Innovation Consultancy, was invited to design and lead.

His panel, “AI as a Strategic Partner for Business and Markets,” was built from the ground up to cut through the hype and deliver a practical playbook.

Dimitris brought together the heavyweights who are implementing AI on the front lines:

Dr. Lilian Balatsou (Data & AI Manager, Accenture)

Panagiotis Kouris (CEO, Office Line)

Antonis Oikonomou (Commercial Director, Large Customers, Microsoft Greece, Cyprus & Malta)

The goal wasn’t just to talk theory. It was to get real “before and after” stories. And they delivered. The panel zeroed in on tangible results: from Accenture’s AI platform cutting marketing timelines by 54%, to Office Line’s digital assistants boosting service speed by 70%, and Microsoft’s work with an energy group that nearly doubled its EBITDA.

This is the measurable, strategic value we, at TheFutureCats, believe in.

A Statement from Dimitris Dimitriadis

“The brief I set for this panel was simple: no more buzzwords. It’s time to move from ‘AI potential’ to ‘AI performance.’

I wanted us to give the audience a real playbook, focusing on the ‘before and after’ KPIs, the realistic 6-month ROI, and the governance frameworks that prevent costly mistakes down the line. The case studies we heard were powerful, but the main takeaway was clear: the companies that win with AI won’t just be the ones with the best tech; they’ll be the ones with the best strategy for managing it.”

The FutureCats Takeaway

The panel’s conclusion perfectly mirrored our core philosophy at TheFutureCats Innovation Consultancy.

Real, scalable AI success isn’t just an IT project. It’s a complete organizational shift built on four pillars: clear governance, a dedicated Center of Excellence (CCoE), a focus on Responsible AI and systematic upskilling of your people.

We were honored to lead this vital conversation at such a prestigious event. It proved what we always believed: the future isn’t just about having AI, it’s about knowing what to do with it.