The Cyprus Executive Review: 2025 is a new interview series that invites top business and technology leaders to reflect on the defining moments of the year, the difficult decisions that shaped the direction of their organisations, and what they are taking into 2026.
In this interview, we speak with Stefanos Nicolaou, Founder & Managing Partner of Consultics, a consultancy that supports organisations diversifying into the Middle East with tailor-made, KPI-driven strategies, regional insights, and network-led delivery designed to translate opportunities into measurable ROI.
What follows is his reflection on a year of alignment and execution—scaling from advisory work to building multi-industry corridors, using AI to sharpen delivery, and setting the stage for growth in 2026.
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1. What was the turning point moment of 2025 for you and/or your organisation?
The turning point in 2025 was both organisational and deeply personal.
At the organisational level, the scale and complexity of the institutions we were operating with changed decisively. Consultics transitioned from engaging with individual entities or single-sector initiatives to working across multiple platforms, including sovereign entities, major financial institutions, and multi-industry ecosystems simultaneously. This shift fundamentally changed how we do business. We were no longer facilitating isolated transactions. We were designing scalable, multi-industry corridors where finance, trade, technology, logistics, and policy had to move in coordination. That evolution marked Consultics’ transition from a traditional advisory role into a corridor operator working at an institutional scale.
On a personal level, one of the most defining moments of 2025 was my participation in the Saudi–USA Investment Forum in Riyadh, attended by President Donald Trump and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Being part of that ecosystem, where global capital, geopolitics, and execution intersect, was a strong confirmation that the direction of my work is the right one.
A moment I will always remember was seeing a photograph of our agreement signings showcased to both President Trump and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince during the forum. It was humbling and validating. Listening to President Trump speak at that forum was not only one of the highlights of 2025 but genuinely one of the most memorable moments of my life.
2. What were your two biggest wins in 2025
The first major win was translating strategic dialogue into tangible cross-border investment outcomes. In 2025, Consultics supported agreements that resulted in Saudi institutional investment in a U.S.-based biomedical company and an emerging Greek cybersecurity company. These transactions reflected a growing Saudi focus on technology, health, and security assets, and our ability to structure opportunities within the right institutional and governance frameworks.
The second, and most defining, achievement was the multi-front agreement between Saudi EXIM Bank and the Bank of Cyprus. This was not a symbolic MoU, but a framework spanning trade finance, export enablement, risk sharing, and market access. Aligning two systemically important institutions validated Consultics’ corridor-building model at the highest level.
In parallel, we initialled an agreement with Almarai, one of the world’s largest food companies, to expand Halloumi imports into Saudi Arabia, while also taking on a senior advisory role on Halloumi strategy. This combination of commercial execution and strategic advisory captures exactly how we operate. Several additional initiatives are already underway and will be announced in due course.
3. What was the hardest decision you made in 2025?
The hardest decision was saying no.
As interest in Middle East expansion increased, it would have been easy to grow opportunistically. Instead, I chose to limit engagements to those with strategic depth, institutional seriousness, and real execution potential. Protecting the long-term integrity of the Consultics model mattered more than short-term scale.
4. What single metric best captures your 2025 performance (and why that one)?
Achievement of predefined, target-oriented criteria.
Every engagement in 2025 was structured around precise milestones, with remuneration, acknowledgement, and success directly linked to outcomes, not effort or intent.
Alignment achieved, agreements initialled or signed, institutions activated, and execution pathways established. In corridor work, consistently meeting predefined targets is the clearest measure of performance.
5. What changed most in your industry in 2025, and what didn’t change (but should have)?
What changed most was the complexity of the operating environment. Our work is highly bespoke and increasingly shaped by the interaction between markets, geopolitics, regulation, and timing. Understanding these dynamics became central to how we manage risk matrices for organisations diversifying into the Middle East.
What didn’t change, and perhaps should have for some, is the tendency to underestimate the region. The scale of opportunity in the Middle East remains enormous. That opportunity has always been there. Those who genuinely listen to the market and adapt accordingly are the ones who will succeed at scale.
6. How did AI or automation change your execution in 2025?
AI transformed Consultics from top to bottom.
The evolution of AI tools enabled us to deliver better, faster, and more consistent outcomes across research, analysis, stakeholder mapping, scenario planning, and documentation. This transformation allowed me to focus almost entirely on thought leadership and strategy, directly supporting organisations seeking to diversify into the Middle East.
The outcomes of 2025—the agreements, partnerships, and institutional alignment— were a direct result of combining human judgment with AI-enabled execution. AI didn’t replace expertise. Instead, it amplified it.
7. Give us your two predictions for 2026, one for your industry and one for the wider business/tech ecosystem.
In 2026, more companies will actively target the Middle East as a core business region. Cyprus has a clear advantage through cultural proximity and geographic positioning, allowing it to support the larger national visions unfolding in the region through industries where it already has strength.
The trend is decisively toward boutique, bespoke, and localised solutions, rather than large generic consultancies. Success will depend on understanding geopolitical signals and adapting accordingly. In other words, localisation, localisation, localisation.
For the wider ecosystem, collaboration will dominate. Joint ventures, partnerships, and synergies will replace isolated expansion strategies. This environment strongly benefits Consultics, as our model is built around connecting institutions, corporates, and governments in execution-driven ways.
8. What was your word for 2025, and what word are you taking with you into 2026?
2025: Alignment and Execution
Because bringing the right people and institutions together only matters if outcomes follow.
2026: Delivery and Growth
Delivering what was promised in 2025 and growing the business with more impactful clients, those whose decisions and investments can shape industries and regions.
