Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou held an event on Tuesday in Nicosia to drum up awareness and support for this year’s Stelios Bicommunal Awards for Business Cooperation, offering €500,000 to the nine winning bicommunal teams.
Speaking via live Zoom connection, he called on Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot entrepreneurs to “reach out” to businesspeople on the other side of the dividing line and “apply now” for a grant.
Haji-Ioannou noted that this is the 16th year of the bicommunal awards, which including this year will have disbursed €5.3 million in grants since its launch.
Lasting peace, prosperity and change
The purpose is to work for lasting peace and prosperity and to create change, said the creator and owner of the easy family of brands. Keen to ensure more and more new faces from across the divide work together to see their business ideas and projects come to fruition, Haji-Ioannou said the application period has been extended, while last year’s top three winners – who won grants totalling €200,000 – will not be eligible to apply this year.
These awards are a constant reminder that cooperation between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot entrepreneurs can build relationships of trust that stand the test of time, transcending dividing lines, even when politics fails to do so, said Foundation founder Haji-Ioannou.
New faces encouraged to apply
The application process opened on January 8, 2026 and closes on April 30, 2026. In total, 18 Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, comprising nine teams of two, will share the half a million euro total grant, which will be awarded by Hadji-Ioannou himself on June 8 this year in Cyprus.
In addition to the €500,000, the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation has also spent €350,000 promoting this year’s Awards across digital media in both communities, with the bulk going to today’s giants of advertising – Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Pay-Per-Click and YouTube.
The promotion appears to be paying off with millions of views of the relevant video announcing the Awards on YouTube, and 1,100 downloads of the application form in less than a month.
In total, the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation has donated €120 million in countries the Haji-Ioannou considers ‘close to home’: UK, Ireland, Monaco, France, Greece, Cyprus.
In Cyprus, the Foundation’s initiatives include the Bi-Communal Business Cooperation Awards and the Youth Entrepreneurship Awards, both offering financial support to winners.
Youthful experience and risk-taking
On the youth awards, Haji-Ioannou highlighted the importance of supporting young entrepreneurs, reminding that he created easyJet in his late 20s. It’s an age where you have experience to do business but no idea of the risk your taking, he noted.
In addition, the "Food from the Heart" initiative provides food to thousands facing economic hardship. According to Haji-Ioannou, 40 million snacks have been delivered to people in need in Greece and Cyprus since 2013.
The Foundation also extends financial aid to vulnerable groups, those impacted by major disasters, charitable organisations, and students through scholarships for university-level studies.
British, Greek and Irish Embassies
Changing mindsets
Last year’s Bicommunal Business Awards Gold Winners, receiving €100,000, were Andreas Andreou and Emre Serdar, who proudly cooperate across the divide to sell windows and doors as far afield as Nigeria and the Caribbean.
During Tuesday’s event, Andreou thanked Haji-Ioannou for the award, noting that it helped provide exposure for the business and funding to expand beyond the region. The pair had set their sights on the US market, but US President Donald Trump’s tariffs altered their ambitions somewhat.
When it comes to bicommunal collaboration, however, changing mindsets is not easy, said Andreou. He highlighted the need to keep building and creating together on the island.
‘An ethos through which we can grow’
Stelios Foundation Trustee Rena Rouvitha Panou said the objective is to inspire, motivate and encourage more bicommunal teams to apply and participate in the awards, to foster mutual trust and meaningful business partnerships.
Barrister Kerim Fuad KC, an advisor to the Foundation, said bicommunal is not just a word “but an ethos through which we can grow”. He encouraged Cypriots from across the divide to forge partnerships and friendships, noting that the awards application is simple and one of the few applications open to all Cypriots.
Another Foundation advisor, former British High Commissioner to Cyprus, Peter Millett, noted he was stationed in Nicosia when the first awards were announced by Haji-Ioannou in 2009. The awards have grown considerably in 16 years, he said, noting that they facilitate people-to-people connections, and help build trust, friendship and wealth.
Green Line trade obstacles
Tuesday’s presentation was attended by past winners, representatives of business organisations from both communities, and members of the diplomatic community. During discussions after the presentation, one topic that kept coming up was the very real challenges to Green Line trade.
The practical and continuously present problems faced by those from both communities trying to trade across the Green Line is an issue that, if addressed, can only facilitate and encourage further collaboration between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot entrepreneurs.