24 hrs Calliope Toumbouris
A girl’s gotta do…
Heading one of three brockerage houses to weather Cyprus’ stock market crash needs nerves of steel
One could say that it was due to a twist of fate that Calliope Toumpouri became possibly one of the most successful women on the whole island. Fate may have played a part in her career but speaking with her, it soon becomes apparent that will and strength (not to mention a few dirty looks by men) have officially put Calliope at the head of her game. She decides the rules and she always wins. She is the founder and director of CLR, one of the three brokerage houses that survived the ’99 stock exchange crash.
Waiting for Calliope in the foyer, it hit me I was waiting for a strong-minded woman who has managed to climb a very male-dominated ladder in the business world of Cyprus. “I think I always knew I was going to succeed in some way from a very young age. I knew I wanted to be independent,” she said carefully. “I remember telling my father I wanted to change schools so I could obtain my GCEs and he didn’t like it. His idea of me succeeding was to get engaged! In the end, I bypassed him and did it my own way.”
Calliope graduated from Reading University, where she studied Politics and Economics. Her first job was at Harrods, where she gained tons of experience as a Trainee Buyer. “I was very lucky to get that job. I think there were 1,000 candidates and only 21 were hired.” However, home was calling and after just one year, Calliope returned to Cyprus where she snagged another significant job as Senior Administrative Manager at Coopers and Lybrand.
After taking a two-year period to have her two children, Calliope was ready to hit the market hard. In 1989, she started CLR on her own, determined to make it work. “And it did! But it was soon becoming too much for me and I brought in my husband and brother to help before the official stock exchange launched in 1996,” she explains. Calliope has, and still does work very hard. “I wake up at 5 every morning, put some music on, practice yoga for 15 minutes and then get ready so I can be at work by 6.”
She then works straight through until 6 in the evening, taking an hour out for lunch, which is a plate of mixed fruit but still stationery at her desk. Much of my conversation with Calliope was about survival. CLR was one of only three companies from a total of 52 brokerage houses that survived the crash. So, how did she do it? Before answering, she smiles and says: “It was hard work and perseverance! And that means that it wasn’t easy either. Out of a total of 180 staff, we had to let 40 go. And I made sure 38 of them found work elsewhere. I would never kick anyone out on the street,” she said.
But that’s not what makes Calliope a special person and a great boss. Throughout our interview, she didn’t seem to mind that her door was open, she treated everybody who walked in equally and with kindness. “I respect women and only employ women,” she said. “One of the reasons that made me a very strong and determined person was the way men treated me and looked down on me. That, I don’t like. Women have a right to be given an opportunity and they shouldn’t sell themselves short.” Through a very crucial stage in the company’s lifespan, Calliope was sure they would hit rock bottom and they very nearly did. “I just didn’t want to get up in the mornings but I knew that I also didn’t want to be defeated and lose all this, I worked so hard for. In times like that, I always remember my grandmother who used to tell me that I could do anything I set my mind to.”
Calliope insists that by reading self-help books, she has learnt many important lessons about life and the business industry but throughout her busy schedule she still finds time for one more thing. “I love working out. I go belly dancing, yoga and aerobics at 6pm every day, as soon as I get off work.” By 7:30 she sits down with her family for dinner and she’s in bed by 9:30, ready to begin another demanding day. Just before I leave, there was one question pondering in my mind: What does your father think now? She leans in closer and says: “He still hasn’t commented!”
