Maria Katsarou

Alumna Profiled: Maria Katsarou
Graduated: Deree ’95
Lives in: Manchester, United Kingdom
Current Position: Founder and Managing Director Leadership Psychology Institute


“Failure sucks but it instructs.”


Maria Katsarou grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and came to Greece in 1984. She graduated from Deree – The American College of Greece in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in Management and Organizational Behavior. She acquired two master’s degrees in Human Resources and in Psychology, both from the UK, and a Doctorate in Leadership Psychology from William James College, Boston, USA.

Maria has followed a successful career in Human Resources for 12 years, and has worked and lived in various countries such as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. She is also the co-author of Under Pressure – Understanding and Managing the Pressure and Stress of Work, published by Marshall Cavendish in January 2011, in English, Portuguese and Chinese.

Maria is passionate about making Psychology or Human Behavior, as she prefers to call it, accessible to children and parents, and about fighting the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

Maria Katsarou is currently the Founder and Managing Director of the Leadership Psychology Institute based in Manchester, UK, which is already operating for almost 11 years.


Q&A

Q: Which three words would you choose to describe Deree?
Amazing Community Spirit.

Q: What are three enduring values you learned at Deree?
How you can achieve your true potential, and that if you work hard and are persistent, the only limit is YOU.

Q: Looking back, how did your time at Deree help you become the person you are today?
It exposed me to the business world and to areas of learning that I didn’t know existed back then.

Q: What do you miss most from your days at Deree?
Deree’s amazing vibe, the connection with others, and the extracurricular activities.

Q: What advice would you give a new Deree student?
Take advantage of what Deree offers to the maximum.

Q: Who or what inspires you the most?
People who have a dream and just go for it even if it’s against all odds!

Q: What is your motto in life?
“Failure sucks but it instructs.”

Q: What does your work and/or current projects entail?
After ten and a half successful years, my vision is to establish the Leadership Psychology Institute in the UK as “Learning Experience Architects” through bridging the gap between the art and science in Leadership Psychology. We want to support people around the world to craft their Leadership Stories and be the best in Leadership/Management Development, Team Dynamics, Organizational Development, and Executive Coaching. At the same time I am working on a project called “Kids Brain Matters”, which is an initiative to create programs for children that will introduce them to Human Behavior using Neuroscience.

Q: What is the most inspiring aspect of your work?
The journey of co-creating behavioral change with people at an individual or team level and the personal continuous learning. I learn something new every day!

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Eventually, the Leadership Psychology Institute will be offering membership with various benefits, which includes access to Thought Leadership Research. In addition, I want to finish my book on Leadership.


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