About Us
Who We Are
We are a group of experienced sports financial and business advisors, committed to ensuring that sports clubs achieve financial sustainability through sensible business and financial decision making, full utilization of their earnings potential and maximization of value through deals and synergies, within and outside the sports industry.
We provide bespoke, tailor-made business and financial planning and restructuring solutions as well as Sell-Side and Buy-Side Assistance services to our clientele whether they are mid-sized or large sports clubs.
Our members and partners have vast experience and a deep understanding of the sports industry which enables us to help sports clubs and organizations hedge against any financial pitfalls and create, accumulate and preserve financial wealth as well as build, maintain and expand beneficial business synergies and connections. Our aim is to be the club’s/organization’s trusted business advisor by humanizing financial and advisory services through our friendly and personable approach.
Our Mission
Our mission is to become the trusted business advisor of Sports stakeholders with the aim to guide and support them in the international cross border sports business.
We are committed to the long-term success of our clients whom we look after as our most precious assets. Our mission is two-fold and it boils down to the following:
- Help clubs become well managed and financially sustainable, with realistic forecasts and sensible budgeting, so as to concentrate on the game of sport and the pursuit of end-of-season results and winning of trophies!
- Enable connections and synergies, in good faith, both within and across industries, nations and continents, with the aim of achieving the best possible deals for our clients and their stakeholders, as well as improve transparency and efficiency in the global sports industry.
Our Team
Athena Constantinou – Managing Director
Athena P. Constantinou has over 30 years of experience in the financial field. Athena holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration, with specialization in Accounting and Business Law, from the Bernard M. Baruch School of Business of the City University of New York. She also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Computer Information Systems from the same school. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of New York and an international member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She also holds a Chartered Global Management certification, a Financial Education Instructor certification from the US National Financial Educators Council and she is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist and a member of ACAMS. She is a member of the Sports Financial Advisers Association, the British Association of Sport and Law and the International Wealth Planners Association. Mrs. Constantinou has had considerable professional experience on an international level in the fields of tax and business consulting, advising high net worth individuals and entities in the sports and entertainment industries for more than 30 years. She has practiced as a CPA for a number of years in New York City with in-depth involvement in international tax planning and business consulting. Her professional career revolves around cross-border business consulting especially in the sports and entertainment industries. She is also heavily involved in providing advice and assistance in sports club acquisitions/disposals within the international sports arena.
Lazaros Ioannou – Director
Lazaros Ioannou holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration, with specialization in Management and Marketing from the University of Cyprus and a Bachelor of Law Degree (LLB) from the University of Nicosia. He is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist and a member of ACAMS. He is also a member of the British Association of Sport and Law and an Associate member of the Sports Lawyers Association. As a member of the Board of Directors of a Corporate service provider, for several years, Lazaros was heavily involved in the provision of Intellectual Property and Image Rights registration and management services to high-net-worth clientele within the Sports and Entertainment Industries. Moreover, Lazaros currently leads our Sports Advisory Department as Director, specializing in the provision of a multitude of advisory services to Sports Clubs and Organizations. He is specifically engaged in the combination and intermixing of different disciplines and approaches into unique, tailor-made service solutions for clients. Every project Lazaros undertakes the supervision and execution of, will exhibit a multidisciplinary, results-oriented approach, designed to meet the needs of the specific Sports Club or Organization.
Achilleas Zapounis – Senior Manager
Achilleas Zapounis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Bath. Additionally, Achilleas is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC).
Mr. Zapounis obtained his professional qualification in the Audit Practice of a Big-4 firm in London. Following his qualification, he moved to the Transaction Advisory Practice of another Big-4 firm, where he was primarily involved in Business Valuations and Sell-side advisory services. He has been Project Manager for high-profile Business Consulting projects in relation to sell-side and buy-side services, business and image rights valuations, feasibility studies and business plan reviews for individuals and organizations, both local and global, with considerable experience in the Sports Sector.