ACG GLOBAL ALUMNI BOARD
The mission of the ACG Global Alumni Board (GAB) is to enhance Alumni engagement and support the strategic goals of the school.
The ACG Global Alumni Board (GAB) promotes the engagement of selected Alumni to support ACG initiatives and provide networking opportunities that further advance the School’s programs, Alumni and community.
Alexandros Aldous, Co-Chair
Alex, a Pierce alum, joined the GAAB in 2017 and is a member of the Executive Committee and serves as Co-Chair. Alex is currently General Counsel, Corporate Secretary & Chief Government Relations Officer at the Chef’s Warehouse. Alex is also an adjunct Professor of Law at the Washington College of Law, American University. His prior work experience includes working as an attorney with Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC, in London, where he focused primarily on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets, and prior to that, working as an attorney with Shearman & Sterling LLP, in New York, where he focused primarily on mergers and acquisitions. Alex is a member of both the Government Relations Leadership Committee and General Counsel Committee of the International Foodservice Distributors Association, as well as a member of the Dean’s Council of American University’s School of International Service. He earned a B.A. in Classics and Government from Colby College, a Juris Doctor and M.A. from American University and an LL.M. from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is licensed to practice law in the State of New York, District of Columbia, and England and Wales.
Nikolaos Artavanis
Nikos is a Pierce alum and joined the GAAB in 2017. He received his Ph.D. in Finance from Virginia Tech in 2013. Currently, he is Visiting Assistant Professor of Finance at Virginia Tech and a faculty member of the Isenberg School of Management and Commonwealth Honors College. His areas of expertise lie in the fields of asset pricing and financial economics. He is the recipient of the Wharton-WRDS Best Empirical Finance Paper award (WFA 2013) and has received many awards, grants and honors for his research and teaching activity.
Bessy Arvanitaki
Bessy, an alum of Pierce and Deree, joined the GAB in 2023. Currently, Bessy is head of Treasury & Risk at Nestle Hellas with more than 25 years of experience in the areas of Accounting, Treasury, and Internal Control & Risk Management. She has expertise in Banking, FX, Treasury Systems, E-commerce, Crisis Management and Business Continuity. Bessy actively participated in local and global M&A and transformational projects that required risk assessment, business integration and new processes/systems design. She holds a BS in Accounting & Finance from the American College of Greece and a certificate from London Business School Leadership program.
Bessy currently lives in Athens, is married and has one daughter. She highly values family and friends relations. Her interests include volunteerism, mentoring and entrepreneurship.
Dimitrios Asproulis
Dimitrios, a Deree alum, joined the GAAB in 2023 after co-leading the launch of the Swiss ACG Alumni Chapter in 2021. Currently, Dimitrios is completing his Master’s Degree in Management at Harvard University Extension School, where he is a member of the Harvard Innovation Lab and a research assistant at the Project on Workforce at Harvard, the joint initiative of HBS, HKS and HGSE. Previously, he earned summa cum laude his undergraduate degrees in Law and Communication, from the University of Athens and the American College of Greece – Deree, respectively. Dimitrios has been active in youth, sports and community initiatives, has pitched at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, and has been recognized as Leader of Tomorrow at the St. Gallen Symposium, CEO for One Month at Adecco Group Greece, L’Oréal Tech Brandstormer and FT Talent Ambassador.
Hiro Athanasiou, Co-Chair
Hiro, a Pierce and Deree alum, joined the GAAB in 2017 and is a member of the Executive Committee and serves as Co-Chair. Hiro is a Non-Executive Director sitting on the Board of HCAP and serves as the Chair of the Candidates Committee, and as a member of the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee.
She holds a BA from The American College of Greece/Deree College in Business Administration, and an MSc in Economics from London School of Economics. She worked for more than 30 years for Unilever in different marketing, sales, and export roles, inside and outside of Greece. She was Executive Vice President and a member of the Global Executive Board for Unilever FOODSOLUTIONS, responsible for South America, South and Eastern Europe, Turkey, Russia, and Israel. From 2014 to 2018 she was the Executive Vice President for Greece and Cyprus and a member of the European Leadership team.
She holds positions as Non-Executive Director at Pireaus bank, and the International Cement Company TITAN. She was a member of the Board of SEV (Association of Greek Industries), the Greek – Dutch Association, IOVE, SEET and EEDE. She was a mentor in women start-ups for the Orange Grove of the Dutch Embassy, as well as for the WOMEN ON TOP organization.
Antony Contomichalos
Antony, a Deree alum, joined the GAAB in 2017 and is the founder and President of MacArthur Capital Group, a company established in 1998, now one of the largest owners of retail condominiums in New York City. With a close group of investors, Antony started MacArthur Capital when he identified and acquired several portfolios of under-performing cyclical assets and income-producing properties in the greater New York metropolitan area. Since its inception, MacArthur has grown into a private full-fledged long-term investment company. Antony is directly responsible for defining and implementing the company’s strategy, identifying investment opportunities, managing its financial assets, and overseeing the management of its real estate portfolio. Prior to founding MacArthur, Antony worked for 14 years with Credit Agricole, one of the major international banking groups. Antony holds a BS in Finance from The American College of Greece (Deree College) and a Master’s in Finance – Applied Economics from the University of Paris IX- Dauphine (France).
Lefteris Dafermos
Lefteris, a Deree alum, joined the GAAB in 2020 and currently works at Mibank LLP as an Associate in Global Markets. Before joining Milbank he served as a research assistant at Harvard Law School, and completed internships at Chef’s Wearhouse, Egon Zender and Shearman & Sterling LLP. Lefteris has served as a Smile of the Child Volunteer Delegate at the United Nations since 2013. Lefteris holds a Bachelor of Laws from the Ethnikon kai Kapodistriakon Panepistimmion Athinon, a minor in Finance from The American College of Greece, and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School.
Dean Dimizas
Dean, a Deree alum, joined the GAAB in 2017 and is currently a member of the Executive Committee. He is a Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Cambridge Associates and joined the firm in 2004. He manages portfolios for endowments, foundations, and family offices globally. Dean and his team allocate a meaningful part of their time on manager research, sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities across asset classes and geographies. Before joining Cambridge Associates, Dean worked as an investment banking associate with Goldman Sachs in London and EFG Telesis Finance, a leading investment bank in Greece. In this role, he advised large corporate clients on a wide range of corporate finance transactions. Dean resides in Boston with his wife and two kids. He enjoys biking, skiing, hiking, and being in the outdoors with his family. EDUCATION: CFA Charter holder; MBA, Harvard Business School; BSc., Business Administration, The American College of Greece (Deree College)
Lela Dritsa
Lela, a Deree alum, joined the GAAB in 2020 and is the Co-Owner and founder of Nannuka LTD. Lela visualized Nannuka in 2013 and today, Nannuka.com is the largest online care destination in Greece and is currently available in Italy and the UK with a substantial market presence. Lela’s inspiration to found Nannuka came from her own life experiences. A mother sandwiched at an early age between care for two small children and workload, Lela was challenged to find care and knew technology was the answer. Along with Natalie Levi, Nannuka soon came to life and thousands of parents received their helping hand. For her advocacy and work at Nannuka, Lela has been included as one of the 100 women entrepreneurs in Europe at Forbes and one of the “40 under 40” successful entrepreneurs at Fortune’s magazine and has also been interviewed by several respected media across Europe. Lela graduated from The American College of Greece and has also received her MA from City University London.
Christina Economou-Mahjouri
Christina, an alum of Pierce and Deree, joined the GAAB in 2017. She is a versatile, execution-oriented MBA graduate in Marketing and International Business with 15+ years of experience across global corporations, startups, and nonprofits, and work history involving 20 countries. Christina is skilled in managing and executing domestic and global transformation projects, full lifecycle project management and integrating business solutions based on global process owners’ requirements and IFRS policies. She is a big picture and strategic thinker, creative problem solver, networker, and dedicated mentor and coach and acts as a social entrepreneur and leader of mission-driven organizations.
Dimitris Floros
Dimitris, a Deree alum, joined the GAAB in 2020. Currently, Dimitris is the global Head of Leisure Channels for Qatar Airways, based in Doha. He is a seasoned sales and marketing professional with more than 10 years of international experience across three continents. Dimitris studied Marketing at The American College of Greece and started his career in marketing consulting for large multinational customers in Athens and New York, consequently, he moved to Dubai where he held e-commerce and various Commercial roles with Emirates Airlines. Prior to his current role, Dimitris was leading Travelport’s Air Commerce business in the Middle East. He has expertise in travel technology solutions, commercial deal modeling, complex negotiations, and e-Commerce. He also holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD. Dimitris is married to Dr. Argiro Kechagia. Outside work, he spends time with his wife and daughters, supports new ventures either as an investor or advisor, and enjoys swimming, cycling, and running – preferably in that order.
Nikos Giannousas
Nikos, an Alba alum, joined the GAAB in 2020 and presently serves as President and Managing Director at Volvo Cars Greece. He previously served as General Manager at AG Leventis PLC from 2013 to 2018 and as General Manager at Petro Petropoulos AEBE from 2003 to 2012 and worked at Toyota from 1997 to 2003 as Area Manager and subsequently Business Management Manager. Nikos earned his BSc in Economics & Business from the Athens University of Economics & Business and an MBA from the Alba Graduate Business School.
George Kapaniris
George, a Deree alum, joined the GAAB in 2019 and is the Executive Director at NSS – an international Value-Added Distributor of leading-edge IT solutions, covering technology areas including information security, networking, unified communications, data storage, virtualization, and infrastructure systems. He presently serves on the Boards of Netsquare and Tyremarket. He graduated from The American College of Greece with a BSc in Marketing Management and earned his MBA from the University of La Verne.
Ageliki Key
Ageliki, a Deree alum, joined the GAAB in 2020 and is a Program Manager for a Tech Company based out of Miami, Florida. She has over five years of experience working for international companies. She is inspired daily by her desire to create diverse and inclusive environments and provide opportunities for underrepresented communities in the Tech World. Ageliki specializes in Operations, Business Development, and Program Management. She is also certified in Full-Stack Web Development and is currently pursuing her certification in UX/UI Design. In her free time, Ageliki enjoys yoga, traveling, trying new food, and drawing. Ageliki graduated from The American College of Greece in June 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (hons).
Makis Kosmatos
Makis, a Deree alum, joined the GAAB in 2017 and currently serves as the Area VP for AMET (Africa, Middle East, Turkey) at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health. In this role, he is focused on delivering business growth by meeting the needs of consumers across this diverse region. Makis has worked with Johnson & Johnson for 25 years. He has served in several leadership positions including Managing Director, South-East Europe Cluster and the Balkans, and Area VP, South Africa & Sub-Sahara Africa. As a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board, Makis is keen to focus on how Johnson & Johnson improves the recruitment, retention, and advancement of diverse talent throughout the organization. Makis believes that bringing people from all backgrounds and beliefs together will deliver a broader perspective and more innovative thinking – ultimately helping Johnson & Johnson to achieve stronger business results. Makis holds a degree in Business Administration & Economics from The American College of Greece, as well as an MBA from Campbell University, North Carolina, USA.
As a father of two teenagers, Makis spends his leisure time doing sporting activities such as bike riding, quad bike racing, going to the beach and sailing. He likes to travel and enjoys returning home to Greece for his summer vacation and spending time with family and friends.
Marios Mitromaras
Marios, a Deree and Alba alum, joined the GAAB in 2017 and is the Chief Executive Officer at INTRALOT GAMING SERVICES & INTRALOT AUSTRALIA. Under his dual role as Chief Executive Officer for INTRALOT in Australia and as Vice President for Business Development in AsPa, Marios is leading INTRALOT’s commercial and business development activities in the exciting markets of Oceania & Asia, where challenging and attractive opportunities arise from National Sports Welfare Lotteries and large scale gaming operations. His experience has contributed significantly to the expansion of INTRALOT in Asia, where the company is running various projects and having a presence since 2005 in the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, and in the People’s Republic of China. INTRALOT Group has also a strong presence in Oceania, where there are existing operations and projects in Victoria, West Australia, and New Zealand. Prior to joining INTRALOT, Marios held senior management positions in consumer electronics, logistics & transportation, defense, and aviation industries, and during his 30 years of professional life, has achieved series of business projects over EMEA, Asian and Latin American countries. Marios holds a P-MBA from ALBA and a Bachelor’s Degree in Management & Organizational Behavior from ACG (The American College of Greece). Marios is married, a father of three and has served his military duty in the Special Forces of the Hellenic Army.
Varvara Panagopoulou
Varvara, a Deree alum, is a senior Human Resources executive for 37 years with an extensive multinational management experience evidencing a proven track record of leading change by building high performance teams while driving the people agenda. Varvara’s marketing background in Procter and Gamble adds strength to her strategic planning and alignment with senior management to support and drive business growth. Varvara has managed and coached multiple cross-functional teams in Greece, Southern, Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the Middle East.
Varvara, as an HR senior executive, has served as a Human Resources Director and a Board of Directors Member for various multinational companies; DHL International Greece, The Coca-Cola Co Southeast Europe & Gulf Division, Vodafone Greece & Albania, and Athenian Brewery.
Varvara is currently an Organizational Consultant, Executive & Leadership Certified Coach, and Member of International Coaching Federation. As a senior Organizational consultant and Certified Coach, she works and supports senior Executives and Board members as well as various senior leaders from middle and large Greek companies.
Varvara’s principal skill set focuses on analytical and strategic thinking and business acumen which combined with her high sense of empathy and communication ability enables her to guide and advise both senior leaders in challenging and demanding situations as well as talented managers to unleash their potential.
Vania Papakonstantinou
Vania, a Pierce and Deree alum, joined the GAB in 2023. She is the Head of Wealth Management Marketing at Eurobank, focusing on marketing of investments and services offered to premium individual clients of Eurobank Group in Greece, Cyprus, Luxembourg and the UK. She has a marketing and banking work experience of more than 26 years, both in Greece and the UK, having served organizations such as the National Bank of Greece, Lambrakis Press Organization and the Hellenic Heart Foundation. Vania holds a BA in Business Administration, major in Marketing Management from the American College of Greece / Deree College and an MBA in International Business & Export Management from City University Business School.
Vicky Papoutsakis
Vicky, a Pierce, and Deree alum holds a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication/Media Studies from the University of Leicester. She began her professional career in 1997, as a Key Account Manager in the publishing and advertising sector and from 2001 to 2014 she has worked in both multi-national and local companies in the sectors of FMCG and technology, in relation to financial institutions (namely EVGA dairy, Wrigley’s and MasterCard).
Currently, Vicky holds the position of Marketing Manager at DODONI S.A., in Greece, overseeing the operation and development of the marketing strategy for Total DODONI Portfolio, as well as the Annual Marketing Plans.
Vicky is married and a proud mother of two children.
Irene Psyra
Irene is a Pierce alum and joined the GAB in 2023. She is currently serving as Vice President, Global Head of Human Resources Strategy & Enablement at Johnson & Johnson, based in the United States. She started her career with the Greek Government in 2005 and, since 2007, has held local, regional and global roles of increasing responsibility in the healthcare industry, as well as the start-up retail sector. Her experience spans across different disciplines, including human capital management, communications, government affairs & public policy, brand and crisis management. Irene received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Media Studies from Tufts University (Massachusetts, U.S.A.) with the highest distinctions – summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her Master’s Degree from the Elliott School of International Affairs, at The George Washington University (Washington D.C., U.S.A.) on an honors fellowship. She is pursuing a Certificate of Management Excellence at the Harvard Business School and is the published author of a Greek novel titled “Innocent lies, guilty truths”.
Tina Stathopoulou
Tina is an alum of both Pierce College and Deree College. She is the founder and CEO of Partner Plus – a licensing agency representing companies/brands in the entertainment industry (Warner Bros Discovery, Hasbro, Bluey, Peppa Pig etc.) in Southeast Europe.
Prior to Partner Plus, Tina worked for The Walt Disney Company, Frito-Lay, and Continent -Group Promodes. She graduated from The American College of Greece with a BSc in Marketing Management and earned her MBA from The Henley Business School, UK.
Tina is a member of the Board of Trustees of ACS school of Athens and a Member of Board of Trustees of Make a Wish Greece.
Nicos Stergiou
Nicos, a Deree alum, joined the GAAB in 2020. Nicos graduated summa cum laude from Deree – The American College of Greece in 2019, with a degree in Finance. While at Deree, he was a student of the International Honors Program (IHP), with a 100% merit scholarship, and attended a summer program at Stanford where he took classes in entrepreneurship, venture capital markets, and decision making.
Nicos launched and led the Investment Club and served as a member of the Governing Body of the International Honors Program society. He worked at the Deree Student Academic Support Services (SASS) department, helping fellow students improve their academic performance in the fields of mathematics. During the last two years of his studies, Nicos also worked as a student assistant at the ACG Office of Public Affairs, where he supported numerous events hosting high-level academics, politicians, and diplomats. Shortly before graduation, Nicos joined Bluehouse Capital, a private equity real estate investment firm focused in Central and Southeastern Europe, where he is currently working in the Investor Relations and Portfolio Management department and is a member of ULI Greece. His interests include volunteerism, capital markets, entrepreneurship, and global politics.
Nikolas Theodorou
Nikolas, a Pierce alum, joined the GAAB in 2020 and is a Business Strategist & Trainer and C.E.O. of EQnomics (Bespoke Business Leadership, Agility, and Resilience). Nikolas graduated from The American College of Greece – Pierce College, completed his undergraduate studies with honors B.Sc. (Hons) in Business Economics from the University of London – Queen Mary & Westfield College, and further obtained an M.Sc. in International Finance from the University of Surrey. Having begun his career in several senior regional posts within Royal Dutch Shell, he has collectively managed regions covering the Americas, Asia, and much in between, while his posts held executive positions in Energy (Fossil & Renewable), Technology, Shipping, and Investment Funds. His proven track-record is showcased with the managing and developing of balanced executives and teams while operating high-value projects and affairs within multinational organizations and environments and functions including, General Directorship & Strategy, Operations & Finance, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain, Change Management, HR, Fund Management, Project Management, Public & Private sector Collaborations (PPCs) and Mergers & Acquisitions. He is a member of the International Propeller Club of the United States – Port of Piraeus, and a member of the Advisory Board Trainer at Bluegrowth Incubator. Nikolas’ combination of knowledge and skills acquired after more than 20 years in the professional arena is what enables him to manage, advise, and train organizations, teams, and individuals on how to bring the best results they can. Nikolas has two daughters he loves spending time with, and he currently lives in Athens, Greece. He is a native English and Greek speaker, business savvy in Spanish, and collaborates with organizations and individuals on a global level.
Nikos Tsafos
Nikos, a Pierce alum, joined the GAAB in 2017 and is deputy director and senior fellow with the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In that role, he conducts and oversees research on natural gas, the geopolitics of energy, sustainable cities, and the energy transition more broadly. Nikos has testified before Congress, and his views are often found in leading media outlets like the New York Times, the Financial Times, Bloomberg, and elsewhere. He has written for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the National Interest, and others, and he is the author of Beyond Debt: The Greek Crisis in Context, which came out in 2013. Before CSIS, Nikos worked as a consultant. In that capacity, he advised companies and governments in over 30 countries on some of the world’s most complex energy projects, first with PFC Energy, now part of IHS Markit, and later as a commercial advisor to the Alaska State Legislature on the Alaska liquefied natural gas project. From 2016 to 2019, he also taught a popular course on natural gas at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He holds a B.A. in international relations and economics, with a minor in statistics, from Boston University, and an M.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS.
Antonios Aldous
Antonios is a Pierce alum, Class of 2006, and joined the GAAB in 2022. He earned a BA in Management Science and Technology, Strategy and Human Resources from Athens University of Economics and Business, and an MS in Finance and MBA, STEM from the University of Rochester, Simon Business School. Antonios has held analytical and managerial positions in private sector companies in the New York metropolitan area. He has a wealth of experience in financial and operational functions and business development activities, in particular. Antonios is a member of the Athens Club and the AHEPA and a founding member of the US ACG alumni chapter. In his free time, Antonios enjoys sports and traveling and has a keen interest in advocacy regarding the rights of people with disabilities.”
Lida Anestidou
Lida Anestidou, DVM, MS, PhD, a Pierce 1983 alumna, is a science policy and science diplomacy professional. She is Founder and Principal of Communities in Science LLC, a consultancy supporting One Health. Her work is in international development, global partnerships and research training, particularly in low and middle-income countries, and biomedical ethics and research integrity. Dr. Anestidou currently serves as Managing Editor of Science and Engineering Ethics, a Springer-Nature international multidisciplinary journal dedicated to exploring ethical issues associated with science, engineering and emerging technologies. She is an advisor to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Responsible Conduct of Research Program and a member of the Scientific Committee on One Health Science for the 7th World One Health Congress to take place in Singapore in 2022. She is also an avid Pickleball player.