By Vanya Kumar, 1YMBA2026
When I selected the Athens Global Experience from among the many destinations offered, I was drawn to a question that feels increasingly relevant in today’s volatile world: how do businesses and nations not just survive, but thrive, when everything around them seems to be falling apart?
A week in Greece offered me answers through a unique blend of ancient history, modern entrepreneurship, and the experiences of leaders who navigated one of the most severe economic crises in modern history.
Understanding Strategic Resilience (The Greek Way)
The theme of our Athens GE, Strategic Resilience, came to life the moment we landed. Greece wasn’t just recovering from a crisis; it was actively transforming. We were seeing firsthand how businesses were not just surviving but finding creative ways to thrive through innovation in sustainability, luxury, and culture.
The real “aha moment” came during George Papandreou’s, Prime Minister of Greece from 2009-2011, session at the London Business School before we left. Hearing the former Prime Minister talk about leading during the debt crisis was surreal. His big lesson? When things fall apart, you can’t wait for external, you have to look inward and leverage what you’ve got. Your people, your creativity, your grit. He spoke about the impossible choices leaders face when there are no good options, only less bad ones, and how critical it is to inspire people to adapt to new processes and systems even when they’re resistant to change.
Ancient Monuments, Timeless Lessons
Our cultural deep dive at the Acropolis through a guided tour, hit different when you’re thinking about resilience. The Parthenon has been standing for thousands of years through wars, earthquakes, and countless empires rising and falling, a true testament to resilience.
What amazed me most was understanding how multifunctional it was, as it provided jobs through construction, collected and managed water through clever drainage systems, hosted religious festivals that brought communities together, and offered safety behind strong walls when enemies approached. It was a complete system built to sustain a civilization.
One of the coolest parts was our private tour of the Benaki Museum with Pavlos Geroulanos, the former Minister for Culture and Tourism. Walking through centuries of Greek art, from prehistoric pieces to modern works, plus incredible Asian and Islamic collections, showed me the cultural evolution of Greece and how Greece has always been a crossroads, absorbing influences and coming out stronger.
A Taste of Greece: Olive Oil, Souvlaki, and Sunset Dinners
One of the most unexpected highlights? An olive oil tasting session. We learned to properly taste Extra Virgin Olive Oil, swirling it in glasses, identifying complex aromas from grass to almonds, and doing the “Hot Potato Test” to see how it transforms palete of even the basic food. Pairing it with Mediterranean bites and desserts, we discovered olive oil bringing out sweet notes in desserts, balance the richness of cheese, and add depth to vegetables. It was part culinary experience, part chemistry lesson, and 100% delicious.
During our evenings exploring Athens with my batchmates, we’d wander into beautiful cafes and restaurants around the Acropolis, discovering the fresh Greek salads with feta, creamy tzatziki that paired perfectly with warm pita, crispy zucchini fritters, and souvlaki fresh off the grill.
Innovation, Luxury, and Learning by Doing
Beyond the cultural experiences, the week was packed with insights into how Greece is innovating across different sectors. We visited Solmeya Research Lab and witnessed scientists turning CO2 into food ingredients and cosmetics. Standing in the lab, seeing the actual fermentation tanks and hearing the founders explain their vision, made sustainability innovation feel tangible rather than theoretical.
The diversity of experiences continued with a visit to The Ilisian, a luxury development rising on the site of the old Hilton. Touring the plans for The Nynn, an elite social club within the project, showed us how Athens is reimagining itself as a sophisticated destination that blends modern luxury with the city’s ancient heritage. We also spent an evening at The Ilisian, with LBS alumni based in Athens.
Throughout all of this, we were working on a client project for a Greek IT solutions company, developing a market entry strategy alongside students from the EMBA, Sloan, and MBA programmes. The diversity in our team from different programmes, professional backgrounds, and cultural perspectives made the collaboration rich and dynamic.
What I’m Taking Back
Here’s what Athens taught me: resilience isn’t about avoiding problems, it’s about what you do when everything goes sideways. Papandreou’s lesson about looking inward during crisis? That applies whether you’re running a country, a business, or just navigating your career. When external circumstances turn against you, your core strengths are what matter.
Most importantly, the Athens GE reminded me why I chose LBS: for experiences that challenge comfortable assumptions, for exposure to diverse perspectives, and for opportunities to learn not just from textbooks and case studies, but from real people navigating real challenges in real time.
Athens gave me the chance to witness and learn this through conversations with business leaders and political leaders who’ve lived through transformation.
Athens. You taught me well.