History

The early days

Kantor Management Consultants was founded in November 1988 and became fully operational in 1989 with the vision of becoming the leading consultancy on the Greek market.

Initially, we offered our core services to the Greek private sector. In 1991, the European Commission entrusted us with a pan-European oil market review and thus began a long lasting relationship with a major international organisation which continues to this day.

Our first major project in Greece was the development of a feasibility and business plan for the establishment of the first Science and Technology Park in Greece. This was done in cooperation with Coopers & Lybrand UK.

Our first large-scale international project commenced in 1992, when the European Commission assigned us with the task of setting up and running the Sofia Energy Center in order to promote and disseminate new energy technologies on the Bulgarian market. In 1993, we built on our initial international expertise by undertaking successful energy-related projects in Poland, Bulgaria, Georgia and other projects on behalf of the EC.

In November 1994, Cyprus Development Bank (CDB), the biggest investment bank in Cyprus, acquired 20% of Kantor’s shares, through a share capital increase, as part of its strategic expansion in Greece.

In December 1995, Kantor was the first consultancy in Greece, and among the first in Europe, to receive quality certification in accordance with ISO 9001.

In 1998, we completed the reorganisation of the Greek national petroleum company, Ellinika Petrelea in just 16 months, still a record for the quickest privatisation achieved in Greece. During the same year, we privatised the Halkida shipyards on behalf of the Greek Government at a profit and we planned a new organisational service for the Greek railway company, OSE. We are also the only consulting firm that has been involved in every step of the privatisation process of Olympic Airways, since 1998.

In 1999, we concluded a strategic alliance with EFG Eurobank S.A. when they purchased CDBs 20% stake in Kantor. This was a very positive development, as the vision of this fast-growing outfit was close to our own. Since 1999, EFG has been one of our major clients and Kantor has successfully carried out several projects on their behalf.

During the same year, we were assigned with the task of reorganising the oil industry in Uzbekistan, and developing a national energy strategy for the Georgian government. Also in 1999, we prepared five Moldovan companies for privatization on behalf of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in just two months.

In 2000, the company decided to invest in two strategic areas: personnel selection and development and the public sector. In accordance with this objective, we completed the acquisition of INTELEX S.A. (BOYDEN Athens), which was renamed Kantor Humanis. In the same year, we acquired the Thessaloniki management consulting firm INDECO S.A., which was renamed Kantor Development Consultants.

Again during 2000, we assisted Hellenic Tourist Properties in developing their infrastructure and in privatising the Parnitha Casino. During the same year, we planned the technical support side of the modernisation programme of the Greek social security organisation, IKA.

Kantor becomes an international firm

In 2002, we started to expand into the wider European market, mainly through acquisitions. We acquired LRDP Ltd, a London-based consultancy specialising in regional development and economic policy, thereby establishing a stronger position in the EU market. In 2004, we entered the communication consulting business through the acquisition of Qwentes S.A., a well-established Brussels-based communication consultancy which works mainly with the EU institutions and has subsequently been renamed Qwentes Kantor. Later in the same year, we established our Warsaw office and adopted the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
In 2005, we acquired our Athens office building through our affiliate, ALEA S.A.
In November 2006 we acquired CLR/Κ in Bulgaria, which was renamed Kantor Management Consultants EAD. This was followed at the beginning of 2007 with the acquisition of Class Management Consultants in Romania, thus establishing offices in Sofia and Bucharest.
In 2008 Kantor won the largest contract in its history for the European Commission DG for Agriculture and Rural Affairs - The Contact Point for the European Network for Rural Development , which covers the whole of EU27.
In February 2009, we signed a strategic alliance agreement with international management consultancy, Booz & Co, to jointly offer our services on the Greek market.

International Presence

Kantor offices :
Athens, Brussels, Bucharest, Sofia, Warsaw

Countries where Kantor has delivered its services :