Future Media The Cyprus Executive Review: 2025 is a new interview series inviting top business and technology leaders to reflect on the defining moments of the year, the difficult decisions that shaped their organisations’ direction, and what they are taking into 2026.
In this interview, we speak with BBF’s Chief Operating Officer, Vasily Osipov. BBF is a leading developer of world-class residential and commercial properties in Cyprus and Greece, offering seamless, all-inclusive development processes, whether that is sourcing land, designing, developing, and building to ensure the smooth delivery of high-quality properties.
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What follows is his reflection on a year of moving from rapid growth to disciplined scaling, strengthening governance, sharpening execution, and building the systems needed to grow faster in 2026 without sacrificing quality.
1. What was the turning point moment for you and/or your organisation in 2025?
2025 was the year we fundamentally rethought our organisational structure and significantly strengthened the business to move from “fast growth” to “scaling with discipline.” In many ways, it was a year of major preparation. From building clearer responsibility centres and stronger governance, to greater operational controllability. This foundation work was critical for us to grow even faster in 2026, but with quality.
We focused heavily on what we call systemness: clearly defined roles, transparent decision-making, and a management cadence that supports speed without losing control.
On a personal level, this was a defining year for me as a COO. It meant shifting my focus from “solving problems faster” to “building a system where problems don’t repeat.”
I became even more intentional about clarity, who owns what, what success looks like, and how decisions are made, because sustainable growth is built on repeatable execution, not heroics.
2. What were your two biggest wins in 2025
First, we bolstered and upgraded our project portfolio across all segments and cities. This improved the balance of our product offering and expanded our long-term growth potential.
Second, we strengthened the company’s execution “muscle.” We introduced clearer KPIs, made ownership clearer, improved coordination between teams, and tightened delivery. This increased both our resilience and speed, while building a solid foundation for scaling in 2026 without compromising quality.
These wins were especially meaningful to me, personally, because they validated two core beliefs I hold. The first is that portfolio strength comes from disciplined selection and product clarity, not just volume. The second is that scale only works when teams have clear ownership and a shared rhythm. Seeing the organisation execute with more confidence, less friction, and faster decisions was one of the most rewarding outcomes of the year.
3. What was the hardest decision you made in 2025?
The hardest part was saying “no” more often, while simultaneously reshaping the organisation. On some initiatives, we intentionally paused. Others we completely redesigned, especially those that looked attractive but did not strategically fit our internal thresholds.
At the same time, we rebuilt parts of the structure to create clear accountability centres and refocus our teams’ efforts towards efficiency and systemness. In a fast-growing environment like ours, this is never easy, but it is essential for sustainable scaling.
What I found most difficult was not so much the operational, but the emotional side to saying “no.” At times, it can feel like slowing down, even when it’s the right decision.
But 2025 taught me that focus is a form of care for the organisation. It’s my responsibility to protect teams from constant priority shifts, create true responsibility centres, and build the space for high performance and execution.
4. What single metric best captures your 2025 performance (and why that one)?
The most representative metric is company turnover. Our revenue grew, confirming that we are on the right path and that our product remains in strong demand.
At the same time, we recognised a significant layer of improvements. But through efficient, controllable, and data-driven management, as well as consistent execution, rather than “growth at any cost,” we have exceeded our own expectations in terms of quality.
5. What changed most in your industry in 2025, and what didn’t change (but should have)?
There was a definite shift in the market toward price–quality value, most evidently reflected in the growth of the affordable housing segment. This customer has become even more demanding, paying close attention to product quality, delivery credibility, service, and transparency.
As a result, developers are being pushed to become more technological and operationally disciplined.
In a fast-moving environment, it is no longer enough to keep up. Instead, we need to anticipate the market and constantly be one step ahead.
What did not change, but should have, is the digitalisation and automation of public-sector processes related to permits and approvals. These processes are increasingly reining in the pace of the real estate market, as timelines and predictability in permitting have become critical factors for project launches, construction planning, and overall supply.
If 2026 does not bring a real improvement, and by that I am referring to more transparency, as well as digital-first and predictable systems, this could have a detrimental impact on the industry. Stronger cooperation between market players and administrative authorities could create more effective and efficient processes, giving Cyprus a new growth boost.
6. How did AI or automation change your execution in 2025?
AI and automation are essential if you want to become a leader, and even more so if you want to remain one. In 2025, we increased the volume and quality of automated reporting by an order of magnitude, enabling significantly faster and more informed decision-making. Managing a modern company is only possible through reliable, high-quality data.
AI also became part of daily operations very quickly. It eliminated a significant share of routine tasks, accelerated and improved communication internally and with partners, and enhanced both the quality and speed of preparing materials and decisions. In 2026, this will be a major focus area as we continue to increase efficiency and reduce human error even further.
7. Give us your two predictions for 2026, one for your industry and one for the wider business/tech ecosystem.
Industry (development/construction):
AI will reach the construction industry faster than many expect. Historically, construction has been one of the slowest sectors in terms of productivity growth, which means the potential for transformation is enormous. I believe 2026 could become a real turning point driven by AI, data, and robotics, impacting everything from planning and cost and schedule control to quality assurance and safety management.
Wider business/tech:
We will see a clear move from AI “experiments” to AI “infrastructure.” Rather than optional initiatives, data foundations, security, governance, and measurable ROI will become standard requirements. The winners will be those organisations that embed AI deeply into their processes, delivering outcomes that are not only faster but also consistently and measurably better.
8. What was your word for 2025, and what word are you taking with you into 2026?
Instead of choosing a single word, I would choose two, as they are closely connected: “data” and “cadence (regularity).” Data, because in 2025, we moved further away from intuition-led decisions and built stronger automated reporting, clearer KPI visibility, and tighter execution control. Data became the language of management. Cadence, because we embedded a repeatable management rhythm, including recurring check-ins, clear accountability, and consistent progress tracking, and turned strategy into daily execution.
The word I am taking into 2026 is “efficiency.” Our goal is to scale further through quality, focusing on more efficient processes, faster decisions, smarter use of data and AI, and reduction in human error.
