The Cyprus Community of New South Wales (CCNSW) has appointed new Board executives following the resignations of Assistant Treasurer Chris Papantoniou and Secretary Peter Kitas in late June – early July.
In a statement to The Greek Herald, Mr Kitas thanked the Cypriot community for their support during his tenure as Secretary, but said he reached a point where he had “no more capacity” to take on the role.
“I wish the Community and Board all the best for the future,” he added.
Mr Kitas has been replaced on the Board by Kyriakos Panayi the CEO of the Panayi Retail Group, which owns well-known Christopher’s Cakes.
Joining Mr Panayi is the Managing Director and Founder of Costi Seafoods, Constantine Costi. He has replaced Mr Papantoniou as Assistant Treasurer.
Koula Pavlou, a former senior executive at Qantas for more than two decades, has been appointed the new Vice President of the Community.
The President of the CCNSW, Michael Kyriakou, expressed his excitement at these new appointments to the Board.
“The new appointments are qualified and experienced people in the corporate world, with a well-known proven track record for excellence, guaranteed to bring the Community to the next level,” Mr Kyriacou said.
“I would like to express my thanks to all our pioneers and past executive members who have put their heart and soul into the Community. A renewal process has begun, with a chance to mentor new people to take over leadership of the Community.”
Mr Panayi has had more than three decades experience first as a pastry chef then working his way up to lead Panayi Retail Group and the chain of well-known cake shops, synonymous with Greek and Cypriot bakery traditions.
“I am proud that so many non-Greeks know of Christopher’s Cakes, it is iconic in so many ways, a real testament to Kyriacos, his family and team to put our bakery traditions on the contemporary map not just in retail, but in business in general. These skills and knowledge are critical to drive the Club’s renewal into the future,” Mr Kyriacou said.
The De Costi seafood brand is perhaps one of the best-known retail seafood brands in the history of NSW. With well over four decades dominating the sector, Mr Costi brings a unique skill set that will benefit the Club.
“Leading one the biggest chain of seafood retailers requires a set of skills that the Club currently does not have. Both Con and Kyriacos taking up senior executive positions is a key part of Club renewal. It is an executive that any board would be keen to acquire,” Mr Kyriacou said.
CCNSW Treasurer, Terry Bieri said that the renewal process was a thorough review into the Community’s profile, how it manages its assets, money, members, and its overall governance.
“Koula is simply one of the best-known executives and leaders in Qantas for many decades. Few could manage the deadline driven scheduling of crew globally every day every week. Koula was the engine room that ensured the ‘flying kangaroo’ was never stranded and was always on the go,” Mr Bieri said.
“Koula is a talent which the Community has been using for the past few months to streamline our governance, go cashless, improve procedures and the bottom line” Mr Bieri said.
Mr Kyriacou added that the Community needs more young adults with proven experience in the corporate world, academia and government to join the renewal process.
“The Community needs new faces, new skillsets and experience. In the past, the efforts of our pioneers got the Community through very tough times. The world has now moved on with new technology, tastes, needs and relevance. It’s time we nurtured the new upcoming generation to lead the Community into its century,” the President said, adding that the recent NEPOMAK function at Sydney University was a first step to further engage with young adults.
“We are all committed to the renewal of the Community – membership applications from the young are steadily growing, families are increasingly becoming more engaged. The Community must grasp this opportunity, without leaving the work of the pioneers behind. We are an inclusive Community and everyone is invited to join. We all have a role to play and contribute.”
Stay tuned for more as the Community prepares to launch a new interactive website with an ability for online booking / membership / and hiring the function centre. There will soon be an unveiling of a new logo and branding in keeping with the renewal of the Community.
