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Alpha Ithacans: A Community of Change for repatriated Greeks

A growing community of repatriates

Having welcomed more than 80 professionals from abroad, at Alpha Bank we actively show our commitment to contribute to the brain gain, and become a point of reference for Greeks wishing to return to their homeland and be part of the development underway.

To this end, we created the Ithacan community, a community of qualified professionals who, after working abroad, returned to Greece, and are using their knowledge and experience to shape the future of Alpha Bank.

Our Ithacan community was established in July 2021. It has been growing stronger year by year, as more professionals decide to return to Greece and join Alpha Bank from countries such as the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Romania and the USA.

Preparing for tomorrow and building on common goals

Onboarding high-flying executives and welcoming them to Alpha Bank allows us to better prepare for tomorrow and assists us to achieve our vision and goals. Through their Community of Change, the Ithacans:

  • Share knowledge, best practices and experiences gained from working in diverse environments abroad, are aware of international practices and keep Alpha Bank at the forefront in terms of international work experience.
  • Accelerate change and contribute to the Bank’s transformation, improving performance and boosting efficiency.
  • Facilitate talent acquisition, by establishing Alpha Bank as an employer of choice and encouraging more Greeks living abroad to return to Greece.

The Ithacans take centre stage

An inspiration for all

The Ithacans participate in initiatives and events by the Bank, such as the Career Days in London and New York, and internal Ithacan networking events.

The aim is for them to share knowledge, experiences and practices, and inspire many Greek living abroad to head back to Greece and contribute to its growth.

Participating in the brain gain

In October 2023 the Alpha Ithacans met with the Director General for Labour Relations, Health and Safety at Work at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Mr Konstantinos Agrapidas, to assist in designing the REBRAIN Greece platform, through proposals based on their personal repatriation experience.

In November 2023 Alpha Bank Chief Human Resources Officer Ms Fragiski Melissa and Alpha Ithacan representatives participated in a panel discussion at the event on “REBRAIN GREECE: The strategy for attracting and promoting highly skilled talents and executives in Greece”, hosted by the Ministry and sponsored by Alpha Bank. The participants had the opportunity to present topics such as “The contribution of attracting and keeping talents to the growth of businesses and the Greek economy”, “How to maximise visits to the platform from Greeks living abroad”, and “Supporting Greek entrepreneurship in its effort to fill jobs through repatriation of Greeks”.

In addition, in April 2024 Alpha Bank supported the ReBrain Greece Strategy conference hosted by the Ministry of Labour. Held in London, the conference was attended by more than 500 Greeks working there who wish to repatriate.

Organising and empowering the community

The Ithacans are already one of our most active communities, which has created an international network. To keep this network active and forge strong bonds, they organise networking events, meetings and career days, in cooperation with foreign associations, non-profit organisations, universities etc.