THI Talks to Kaiti Vartholomaios

THI’s mission is to support charity organizations and economic development in Greece. What part of your work do you see as complimentary to that?

As a Local Government Associate for US Public Finance at S&P Global Ratings, I rate municipal bonds for cities and counties along the East coast. While my work is distinct from THI, my company heartily encourages me to actively champion causes I care about. Typically, my donations to THI’s relief efforts were ad hoc. However, this year was different. The shock of the pandemic and the reminder of our fragility made me reflect on whether I was doing enough, for myself and for others. It is unfathomable to me that anyone in Greece should go without food, healthcare, or education; THI’s mission in addressing these issues is attainable. As a result, I was compelled to start donating monthly through my company’s matching gift program. The fact that my donations are going twice the distance for Greeks in need makes me proud to work for S&P Global; I encourage others to explore and use to good advantage similar offerings in their respective places of work.

THI New Leaders chapters are growing in leaps and bounds. Why do you think young Greeks feel the need to connect with each other?

My feeling is that  – for many reasons – young people everywhere, and especially Greeks, are experiencing a homecoming to the concept of community, whereby transactional networks are enriched with genuine human connections. I believe that we seek opportunities through our interactions, but also a shared purpose. It is energizing to be surrounded with like-minded individuals who have the same desire to engage with each other whilst supporting a common vision that is Greece, and especially motivating to do so through THI’s organized (and fun!) framework.

We hear from our New Leaders all the time that they would like to be connected to young professionals in Greece. Do you have any ideas of how you would like to make more connections with Greeks in Greece?

Here in New York, I am a mentor in various capacities, supporting STEM, sustainability, and women in business. While I see each of these areas making headway in Greece, there is room for progress in cultivating women for leadership positions, and more importantly establishing the universal workplace conditions to allow for that, as demonstrated by Hopegenesis, who provide childcare support to new mothers. To this end, I would love to help empower young Greek women to dream a little bigger. In the STEM and sustainability space, Greece has an edge that I believe it is starting to capitalize on. Ingenious ideas such as Enaleia are the product of hard work and imagination. Mentoring helps encourage creative thinking, and when combined with the insights of the diaspora, as exemplified by THI’s mentoring program, I believe it can help Greeks harness their innate potential to think globally and act locally.