How a Family-Owned Greek Cement Company Evolved Its Leadership While Pivoting Its Product Portfolio
From Cold Call by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny
April 28, 2026 · 35 min · Episode 281
About this episode
Dimitri Papalexopoulos discusses the evolution of leadership and product strategy at TITAN Cement amidst economic challenges.
Over 26 years at the helm, Dimitri Papalexopoulos, fourth-generation CEO of TITAN Cement, has turned the company from a domestic player into an internationally diversified group and championed an AI-driven productivity leap, even while steering the company through multiple economic crises. As TITAN prepared for its next phase of growth, Papalexopoulos faced the consequential decision of whether to continue leading the company, promote a trusted insider, or become the first in the company’s history to recommend to the board appoint a non-family CEO. Harvard Business School Professor George Serafeim and TITAN former CEO Dimitri Papalexopoulos join Brian Kenny to discuss the case, “Transforming a Titan,” exploring digitalization, globalization, and succession planning of an established family business as well as how to accelerate low-carbon efforts in a carbon intensive industry.
People in this episode
Host: Brian Kenny
Guests: Dimitri Papalexopoulos, George Serafeim
Topics covered
- leadership evolution
- family business
- digitalization
- globalization
- succession planning
- low-carbon efforts
Keywords
- TITAN Cement
- Dimitri Papalexopoulos
- leadership
- family business
- AI-driven productivity
- succession planning
- low-carbon efforts
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: TITAN Cement, Harvard Business School
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