Archil Gachechiladze: What We Believe About Education

Bank of Georgia is a leading financial institution in Georgia. Tell us about what motivated you prior to taking the role of its CEO and what drives you now?

Different things motivated me at different stages of my life. For the past several years, I have been motivated by creating an environment that brings joy to both employees and customers. And, by the mission of Bank of Georgia - to help people achieve more of their potential.

What qualities do you think are most important for a leader?

A leader, whose goal is to encourage and motivate teams, needs to maintain the balance between confidence and humility.

In your view, what are the differences between a manager and a leader?

A good manager knows what needs to be done. A good leader knows what to focus on to ensure that his team overcomes challenges and achieves great performance. A leader empowers people to become the best versions of themselves.

What qualities and qualifications do you look for most when hiring a new employee?

Integrity is of utmost importance. Also perseverance, the ability to overcome challenges and solve problems, and, of course, professionalism and commitment to the work they do or plan to do.

How important is education? What should education be like? What kind of education are you in favor of?

I believe in education that is broad enough for young minds to see the limitless possibilities that life offers. I believe in education that prepares young people for life’s challenges, teaches them how to take care of themselves and shows them how they can contribute to their communities, even with small steps. I believe in education that teaches students how to learn and discover something new every day. I believe philosophy and civic education should be part of school curricula so that from an early age people develop critical thinking skills and start asking good questions as citizens.

How were both Georgian and foreign education different for you, and what do you feel each gave you?

American universities prepare students for real-life situations. Programs in American universities are adapted to the needs of the modern world and look for more focused on specific hard and soft skills that could be applied across disciplines and professions.

Through the bank and personally, you are actively supporting educational projects; you are creating opportunities for many young people; what motivates you to do this?

I’m just trying to provide opportunities to young people whom I can reach and give more people a chance to achieve more of their potential – this is also what drives the organization where I serve as the CEO – Bank of Georgia and I share similar values.

Archil Gacheciladze awards scholarship to Davit Gurgenidze, an outstanding civil engineering student at San Diego State University.