Sc (Hons) MSc PGDip

Economist, project and strategic advisor, mentor, researcher, and evaluator.

Career History

Costas Georgiou is an economy consultant with significant experience in economic research and European funding. He started work as a researcher for Milton Keynes Development Corporation working on building design and transport mobility. Costas has worked on major funding programmes, local strategy and master planning for Sheffield, Barnsley, and Rotherham local authorities. He was part of the lobby team that secured an £800m European programme for South Yorkshire and was the evaluation manager during its eight-year delivery. He ran Local Economy Matters, a consultancy specialising in evaluation, socio-economic assessments, and funding applications. Having worked as a Kada associate for many years, Costas joined the firm in January 2019.

Strengths

Costas’ key strengths are in managing evaluations on business support and infrastructure projects; conducting impact assessments, socio-economic analysis, and primary research for area-based local economies; and has expertise in strategic planning and funding bids for public, private and third sector initiatives.

Experience

Costas has substantial experience in European Union Cohesion Policy for sector-based funding such as RECHAR and RESIDER; European regional place-based policy for Objective One and Objective 2; and under the PHARE programme, providing advice in Hungary and Bulgaria on EU practices. He worked 11 years on helping to prepare, negotiate, design, and deliver one of the UK’s largest European programmes, South Yorkshire Objective 1. Costas has been deputy manager on a community initiative for the long-term unemployed; principal researcher at Sheffield City Council; equality lecturer; and head of strategy at Sheffield City Region. For eight years he ran his own economic consultancy mainly working for local authorities, universities and third sector clients.

Skills

Costas has an eye for detail with skills in project management; policy and strategic development; research methods and analysis; impact assessment; management of external consultants and human resources; report writing, and funding applications.

Outside of Work

Costas says he is less interesting than his friends and family but enjoys travelling, photography, and reading, and likes to walk and cycle in the Peak District but now does it over shorter distances than before.

Interesting Fact

Costas once owned a family of unsociable alpacas.