W&M Executive MBA is Hosted by AUEB and its Executive MBA Program
For the sixth consecutive year, the 黑料科 of Economics and Business hosted 17 Executive MBA students from听William and Mary, one of the most historic US universities from which four US Presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler) have graduated. Students were accompanied by Prof.听Rajiv Kohli, John. N. Dalton Professor of Business at W&M and Director of its Executive MBA.
Monday 05/05
As part of the visits organized by AUEB, W&M students, along with students from AUEB's Executive MBA program, were hosted during the听morning听by the听Bank of Greece. There, they were welcomed by AUEB Vice Rector for International Cooperation and Growth, Prof.听Nancy Pouloudi. Students were initially attended presentations on the Greek economy, focusing on the Greek crisis and the recovery of the Greek economy by Dr.听Marianthi Anastasatou, Economist at the Bank of Greece.听The baton was passed to Nikos Vettas, General Director of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research and Professor at the 黑料科 of Economics and Business, who argued that the sustainable growth of the Greek economy requires deep and continuous structural reforms that will strengthen productivity and international competitiveness.
During the听evening, W&M students moved to AUEB鈥檚 Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurshp (ACEIn听Participants had the opportunity to gain insight into the Greek entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem through the presentation delivered by Prof. Pramatari, founder of ACEin. She highlighted the role of university incubators and startups in shaping a dynamic and outward-looking business environment in Greece.
The Vice Rector of the 黑料科 of Economics and Business,听Professor听Nancy Pouloudi听and the Director of the Executive MBA program at AUEB,听Professor听Vassilis Papadakis,听then had the pleasure of welcoming at ACEIn the former CEO of OTE,听Mr.听Michael Tsamaz.听 Students from the two Executive MBA programs had the opportunity to discuss issues related to strategic leadership, change management, decision-making in times of uncertainty, as well as the skills required to build organizations with a long-term vision and a culture of innovation. His personal reflections on the importance of resilience, continuous learning, trust in teams, and the need for leaders to combine strategic thinking with a human-centered approach made a particularly strong impression.
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Tuesday 06/05
During the morning of their second day of visit, the听Athens Stock Exchange听welcomed at its facilities the MBA students from both Universities. They then attended speeches by Mr.听Coscoletos, CTO of Athex Group, and Mr.听Stelios Konstantinou, Investor Relations Officer, regarding technological developments in the stock trading space in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Athex Group's adaptation and transformation through ESG initiatives.
In the afternoon of the same day, the students of the American university, together with students from the Executive MBA program of AUEB, had the opportunity to visit the Ministry and participate in a highly meaningful discussion on the country鈥檚 digital transformation, the technological challenges faced by public administration, and the role of innovation in improving services for citizens.
The participants were welcomed by Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos, Secretary General for Information Systems and Digital Governance, who presented the Ministry鈥檚 strategic vision for a modern, efficient, and digitally mature public administration. In his remarks, he highlighted the importance of system interoperability, data utilization, and strengthening citizens鈥� trust in public digital services, while also emphasizing the crucial role technology plays in enhancing competitiveness and transparency.
The discussion then continued with Vasileios Karkatzounis, Special Secretary of the Ministry, who analyzed how the Ministry鈥檚 innovative projects seek to harmoniously combine information technologies with critical institutional and organizational issues related to data management. He focused particularly on the challenges of implementing large-scale digital transformation projects, the importance of cybersecurity, and the creation of a flexible and resilient digital ecosystem for the Greek public sector.
The presentations concluded with contributions from the Ministry鈥檚 advisors, Menia Chatzikou, Anthi Gousiou, and Georgios Dafoulas, who presented the implementation strategy behind the Ministry鈥檚 digital vision, emphasizing both the organizational and operational dimensions of the transformation. They showcased specific examples of services already developed for citizens and businesses, while particular reference was made to the digital transformation of the National Health System, the development of new digital infrastructures, and the opportunities created for enhancing citizen experience and improving the delivery of healthcare services.
The visit concluded with an open discussion between Ministry officials and the students of the two Executive MBA programs, during which the significant challenges accompanying the digital transformation of a state were highlighted, along with the major opportunities created through the collaboration of technology, strategy, and public policy.
AUEB extends its gratitude to all speakers for their time and insightful presentations.
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