Concordia Summit 2026: Logothetis’ Inspiring Words, Koudounis’ Cautious Optimism

NEW YORK – The 2026 Concordia Summit opened on September 21 with inspiring words from Libra Group Executive Chairman and Concordia’s Leadership Council Co-Chair George Logothetis, who spoke about the value of unity and human connection in an era where technology increasingly influences human relationships.

Concordia Co-Founder, President and CEO Matthew Swift gave the welcoming remarks along with Nicholas Logothetis, Concordia Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board, who announced Swift’s changing role at Concordia noting that “Matt is not going anywhere,” but will transition to Executive Chairman effective October 1 and will be working with Rodney Ferguson, Concordia’s CEO Designate.

George Logothetis began his Leadership Remarks with a personal memory from when he was 11 years old and interviewed his then 85-year-old Welsh-Greek great aunt, Georgette, for a school project. When he asked her which year of her life had been the best, she answered without hesitation: “1940.”

The answer surprised him, as it was during wartime and air raids. “But wasn’t that when you were under siege? Bombs raining from? The Battle of Britain?” he recalled asking her. “Yes, my boy, but we were oh so united,” she answered.

Using this story as a starting point, Mr. Logothetis summarized the message of his speech in three concepts: “Community, humanity, meaning.”

“Many of the threats my aunt faced were visible and tangible. Many of ours are invisible and intangible,” he noted, focusing on the impact of technology and social media.

“We have a generation of children being socialized by algorithms, not being socialized by the village,” he said, warning that “the richness of real community being hijacked by the illusory connection of an online community.”

Reflecting on the historical journey “from subject to citizen, from the ruled to the governing, from autocracy to democracy,” he underscored that progress has always been accompanied by obstacles.

Logothetis linked his message to the ethos of Concordia, noting that the Summit brings together “humanity with representation from over 100 countries, heads of state, students, the junior executive, the titan of industry, spiritual leaders, spiritual followers, giants of goodness and philanthropy. We have the full representation of humanity.”

“Different in origin, experience, and beliefs, yet bound by the simple fact of being human,” he said, adding that “humanity cannot survive as a collection of avatars on a screen.”

In closing, Logothetis noted that “a meaningful life is not an easy life, but it is a good life,” he noted, expressing the hope that after the Summit, participants would be able to echo his great aunt’s words: “We were so united.”

Koudounis: “Don’t chase the Fed, the elections, or interest rates”

John Koudounis, CEO of Calamos Investments, spoke about ‘Finding Opportunity in Volatile Markets’ during a discussion with CNBC journalist Morgan Brennan.

Brennan noted that during Koudounis’ decade at the helm of Calamos, assets under management have more than tripled, reaching $53 billion.

“It’s a difficult market,” said Koudounis. “We tell our investors: don’t chase the Fed, don’t chase the elections, don’t chase interest rates.” As he emphasized, the answer lies in a diversified portfolio with effective risk management.

According to Koudounis, the sectors currently attracting investment interest include Artificial Intelligence, energy, defense, and healthcare. At the same time, he advocated for greater exposure to alternative investments, such as private credit, private equity, and “hedging your downside risk.”

He made specific reference to the energy sector, noting that the rise in oil prices is linked to developments in the Middle East and is exerting inflationary pressure. Despite reservations regarding consumer confidence, he maintained that consumer spending remains high and the economy is demonstrating resilience.

Regarding Artificial Intelligence, Koudounis distinguished between investments in infrastructure and those in software— the latter carrying higher risks. “We use AI a lot. I think everybody needs to use it,” he stated, describing it as a significant part of the economy.

Finally, he expressed a positive outlook on the long-term prospects of Bitcoin and blockchain technology, while placing particular emphasis on the healthcare sector.

“The innovation in healthcare, some of it is through AI, some of it is just progressing at rates that we’ve never seen before,” Koudounis noted. “So I think picking the right companies and the technology is going to be a big, big part of growth in the healthcare industry. Just like AI, there are not going to be a lot of winners, but the ones that win are going to win big.”

Symeon Tsomokos, Founder and President of Delphi Economic Forum, was also among the speakers on September 21 at the Concordia Summit, in a discussion titled ‘Southeast Europe and the Black Sea as a Beacon of Stability’ with Hristijan Mickoski, President of the Government of North Macedonia, and Maka Botchorishvili, Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.