Executive Diploma in SMEs & Family Business Management

Small and medium-sized enterprises and family businesses constitute the backbone of the Greek and European economy. In Greece, 80% of businesses are family-owned, contributing more than 2/3 of GDP and providing approximately 80% of private sector jobs. However, the challenges they face today – growth, organization, financial management, modernization, digital transformation, and above all succession and transfer – now require systematic knowledge and a professional approach.

The Executive Diploma in SMEs & Family Business Management has been designed to provide entrepreneurs and executives with practical tools, strategic thinking, and structured solutions, enabling them to develop, safeguard, modernize, and properly transfer their business. It is a comprehensive, applied programme that combines:

• Management and strategy
• Financial analysis and valuation
• Marketing and growth
• Leadership and change management
• Psychology of family businesses
• Succession and transfer strategy

The goal is for participants to be able to manage, organize, develop, and – when needed – properly transfer a business.

The programme has been designed to prepare participants for the official ISO/IEC 17024 certification (SME Transfer Advisor). The certification is awarded by the Interchamber Certification Body – D.I.FO.P. The process of transferring a business requires a comprehensive strategy, combining legal, tax, financial, and managerial parameters. The need for specialized advisory support is now more critical than ever, as the success of the transition determines the sustainability and competitiveness of the business.

The certification provides SME transfer advisors with a clear competitive advantage, ensuring professional competence and international recognition.

More specifically:

• Professional credibility and documented competence: It recognizes that the advisor possesses the required knowledge and skills to effectively support complex business transfer processes.
• International recognition: It enhances opportunities for cooperation and professional mobility at a European and global level.
• Service enhancement: Certified professionals offer higher-quality, reliable, and comprehensive services.
• Consistency and trust: The certification serves as an indicator of professionalism, strengthening the relationship of trust between the advisor and the business.

The programme is addressed to:

• Owners and co-owners of small and medium-sized enterprises
• Members of family businesses and successors
• Business executives interested in acquiring knowledge in business management and strategic planning
• Business consultants, financial and legal professionals
• Those who wish to obtain the ISO/IEC 17024 certification – SME Transfer Advisor, preparing them for the official certification and acquiring professional credibility and international recognition.

Participation in the programme provides a comprehensive, practical, and immediately applicable framework of knowledge and skills for the management, development, and sustainable transition of small and medium-sized and family businesses. Participants do not merely acquire theoretical knowledge, but develop a way of thinking, tools, and a management methodology that can be directly applied to their own business or professional role.

Upon completion of the programme, participants:

• Acquire a comprehensive understanding of modern business management, combining strategy, financial analysis, leadership, and organizational development.
• Develop strategic thinking and managerial maturity, enabling them to make decisions with a long-term perspective and sound business logic.
• Understand the financial aspects of the business, learning how to evaluate investments, assess company value, and base decisions on real data.
• Develop leadership skills, emotional intelligence, and people management capabilities, essential for managing teams, partners, and family relationships.
• Acquire practical tools for managing change, restructuring, and transitions, reducing risks and strengthening business stability.
• Become familiar with modern marketing, branding, and strategic communication practices, enhancing the company’s commercial image and market position.
• Learn how to design and implement comprehensive business and strategic development plans.
• Understand the legal and ethical framework of business operations, strengthening transparency, compliance, and proper corporate governance.
• Connect with the ISO/IEC 17024 professional certification, preparing participants for the official “SME Transfer Advisor” certification, acquiring professional credibility, international recognition, and the ability to offer high-quality advisory services.

• Online: the monitoring of the programme can be done fully online in real time, having access to the courses and content of the programme is possible in real-time through the easy-to-use and modern platform of IST College.
• On-Demand: The programme offers the possibility of on-demand attendance. This means that you will have access to video-recorded lessons that you can watch or refer to during the course. This means that you can access video lectures during the training.
• Mixed : Create your own flexible study schedule using any of the above tracking modes in combination.

The programme is structured into three complementary thematic cycles, which comprehensively cover all critical dimensions of modern management of small and medium-sized and family businesses: strategy, people, finance, governance, and succession.