The word “erghani” was one of the adjectives used by the ancient Greeks for goddess Athena, to denote her charitable side as well as the combination of manual and intellectual work. The head of Athena Erghani, adapted from an original work of an ancient statue, has been the emblem of the company from the beginning until today. ERGHANI was founded in 1931, initially as a pharmaceutical company, by the late NIKO ZYGOUROPOULOS, grandfather of its current shareholders and managers.
During the first years of the company’s operation, the company’s business objective was the import, distribution and promotion of pharmaceutical products.
The company survived during the World War II and the first post-war decade, however the death of its founder in the mid-60s, marked the temporary cessation of its operation. The son of the deceased, Panos Zygouropoulos, following in his father’s footsteps, remained in the field of Pharmaceuticals, actively operating in the ophthalmology market. From 1980 to 1996, as Allergan’s Eastern Mediterranean Director, he oversaw and managed Allergan’s branches in Greece, Turkey, Israel and Cyprus.
From 1996 to 2009, he worked as a consultant for ophthalmic companies, presenting many innovative products to the Greek market, such as Glaucoma Valves, Corneal Grafts, Membranes, Artificial Eyes, etc.
In 1994, NICHOLAS ZYGOUROPOULOS, son of Panos, after three years of a fruitful career as head of sales of Allergan’s surgical products in Greece, proceeded to re-establish the ERGHANI company, progressively developing it into its current form.
