George Karahalios ( LION ) MyLink500

Current

Global Communications Director at GoSecure Inc.
Chairman at Yachting Greece Ltd Holding
Owner at Yachting Greece Ltd

see less...

Past

Director, Business Development at Think Pink Communication Consultants
Executive News Cameraman at Mega Channel Television

Education

Brunel University
Stavrakos Film & Television School

Recommended

15 people have recommended George

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Leisure, Travel & Tourism

George Karahalios ( LION ) MyLink500’s Summary

A summary...

37 years ago my mother was taking me with her to pick some wild greens in the near by American College of Greece...

After several visits, I probably became 6 years old. It was then that the big idea came in my mind: Many coca-cola empty bottles were hanging free here and there...

I begun to pick them and exchange them for one drachma each at the local mini market...

The security guards of the college were a problem, yet nobody could acuse such a young boy...

I was spending the money buying icecreams to my richer friends...

And as a british used to say to me: '' It's one of them days George...''

Is this enough for a summary? Or should I add some more..bottles ?

The coca-cola affair...Deree College, Athens-Greece, 1972-1977... many bottles, many icecreams there...

George Karahalios ( LION ) MyLink500’s Specialties:

Travel & Leisure Services in Greece & Worldwide, Inter-Governmental Liaisons, International Relations, Giga Lobbying Worldwide, Global Reputation Management Services, Mass Media Communications, Advertising & Marketing, Branding, Product Management, Political Marketing, Online Operations

George Karahalios ( LION ) MyLink500’s Experience

Global Communications Director

GoSecure Inc.

(Privately Held; Information Technology and Services industry)

September 2007 — Present (2 years 3 months)

Identify & co-ordinate a break-through technlogy pioneer to the right paths for success.

Investigate & direct media policy orientation with key-publics

Compose solid and clear vision for the reception of the corporate reputation to all stakeholders ( board, employees, partners, associates, clients, general public)

Address internal & external communication strategy

Supervise marketing & sales integration

Eliminate guess-work within branding operations

Direct mass media attention engagement

Support advertising & marketing initiatives

Supervise day-to-day media coverage & exposure
Chairman

Yachting Greece Ltd Holding

(Public Company; 51-200 employees; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

October 1999 — Present (10 years 2 months)
Owner

Yachting Greece Ltd

(Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

June 1999 — Present (10 years 6 months)

I founded Yachting Greece Ltd nine years ago as a VIP yacht charters agency.

Today, we have formed a strong coalition of companies into vertical services throughout the tourism industry of our country and worldwide. All services comply with all local & international industry accreditation standards ( HATTA, ASTA, IATA etc)

Tourism in Greece accounts for approx. 20% of GDP with a population of 11 million and more than 17 million visitors per year. (official figures, Dec.2007)

Yachting Greece Ltd is into 7 more industries and operates as a mediator in various international contracts, bringing sellected players on the same table.

The legal structure is registered in the Republic of The Marshall Islands and my duties are those of the Chairman empowered to represent its legal & business interests in all 211 countries of the Hague Convention of 1961.
Director, Business Development

Think Pink Communication Consultants

(Public Relations and Communications industry)

October 2006 — April 2007 (7 months)
Executive News Cameraman

Mega Channel Television

(Public Company; 201-500 employees; Broadcast Media industry)

February 1990 — November 1992 (2 years 10 months)

http://www.megatv.com

The founders of Teletypos S.A., were also known to (more or less) run the country, a conversation that hasn't changed much ever since...

Vardis Vardinoyannis: President of Vardinoyannis Group http://www.moh.gr

Christos Lambrakis: Owner of Lambrakis Press S.A., the largest media group of Greece. http://www.dolnet.gr

George Bombolas: Owner of Aktor, the largest construction company of Greece http://www.aktor.gr

Christos Tegopoulos: Owner of 'Eleftherotypia' a major daily newspaper http://www.enet.gr

Aristides Alafouzos: Owner of oil tankers and today his sons run a media group with 2 tv networks, the top news radio station (SKAI RADIO) and a few more radio stations and a major daily newspaper (Kathimerini)
http://www.skai.gr/

My main tasks were in the forefront team of news production, covering assignements all over the world and assisting journalists, technicians and management to adopt best practices in broadcast media.

George Karahalios ( LION ) MyLink500’s Education

Brunel University

PhD , Mass Media Communications , 1984 — 1990

Representative for the Academic Scholar Bureau and the Leicester / Liverpool Interpath, joint projects by social & enterpreneurial entities for the regulation of broadcast news production, coverage, and evaluation

Activities and Societies:

founding member at 'The Global Media Initiative', Secretary General for 3 years in the Holmes Bright Project, Counsel In-Chief 'Prime Communication Committee'
Stavrakos Film & Television School

Cinematography 1983 — 1987

Most moving moment: George Skalenakis, professor and film director of dosins of succesful films in Greece,( Dama Spathi, The Battle of Crete with Claus Kinsky) when I told him that America attracts me for further film studies & and film work, he wrote a very personal letter to film director Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus etc) about my qualities. Skalenakis & Forman studied film in Prague in the 50s with poor finances and all that goes with that...

Another moving moment: The founder of the school, Lycourgos Stavrakos, a real Spartan, travelled all the way to London, UK just to endorse me to NFTS and 2 universities...

Spyros Koukoulomatis, professor of history of the arts, and painter himself, a real modern philosopher who even predicted his death with a painting...

Yiannis Smaragdis, the film director who recently (2007) directed El Greco, those days believed I wasn't good enough and didn't permit me to get my diploma...

Activities and Societies:

ETEKT (Hellenic Union of Film & Television Technicians)
BSC (British Society of Cinematographers)
BETA (Broadcasting & Entertainment Trades Alliance)
Thessaloniki Short Films Anti-Festival

Additional Information

George Karahalios ( LION ) MyLink500’s Interests:

Global Travel & Leisure Business, Online Security & Authentication, Global Mass Media Communications, International Relations, Reputation Management, International Politics, South Eastern Europe, Greece, Environmental & Energy Issues, Human Rights, Think Tanks, Non Profit, Sharing Knowledge, Helping The Helpless, Zero Hypocrisy, Yachting, Chess, Theater, Music, Books, Philanthropy, Wine, Scotch with Coke..

George Karahalios ( LION ) MyLink500’s Groups:

The Andreas Papandreou Institute of Strategic and Development Studies (ISTAME)
http://www.istame.gr
European Business Ethics Network (EBEN)
www.eben-net.org
Reputation Management Institute (RMI)
Centre for Sustainability & Excellence (CSE)
International Union of Independent Communicators (IUIC)
Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW) http://www.oiww.org
Amnesty International
Greenpeace International