Vassilis Katsos (PIERCE ’91), President of PHARMATHEN and Nelly Katsou (PIERCE ’83) Vice President of the Board & Managing Director, have graciously established an expendable scholarship fund that will support the educational priorities of The American College of Greece. This gift will provide two half tuition scholarships and will be awarded to high-performing PIERCE students in need of financial assistance.
“Establishing a scholarship to help students is an investment in the future that will profit everyone”, says Mr. Katsos. "I can think of no greater gift.”
Mr. Katsos, who was named “Entrepreneur Of The Year” by Ernst & Young in 2008 and represented Greece in the international competition “World Entrepreneur Of The Year” in Μonte Carlo in 2009, was born in Athens and heads one of Greece's leading pharmaceutical companies, PHARMATHEN, with a dynamic presence abroad.
He graduated from PIERCE in 1991, and studied at the University of Athens, School of Pharmacy. In 1993, he and his sister Nelly Katsou (PIERCE ‘83), Managing Director and Vice President took over the reins of the family company, strategically restructuring PHARMATHEN, first strengthening the company’s presence in the Greek market, and then enhancing its international presence. Today, PHARMATHEN is one of the largest generic development companies in Europe, with exports to 85 countries worldwide.
"Scholarship support is an essential part of the College’s mission and enables ACG to provide educational opportunities to talented students who need assistance in meeting the cost of a high quality education," said ACG President David G. Horner on the occasion of Mr Katsos' Gift.
"We are grateful to the many alumni, friends, corporations and foundations who are stepping forward to provide scholarship support," ACG's Vice President of Development George Triantaris noted, adding "we hope that the scholarship established by Mr. Katsos and PHARMATHEN will inspire others to participate in this important endeavor."
In his keynote speech at the 2013 PIERCE Commencement on July 3, Mr. Katsos told graduates that he is "proud to be a graduate of The American College of Greece," and urged them to think differently, "outside the box," to "work with passion," underlining that whatever they do, they should do it with a sense of professionalism, while also advising them to set their own limits – not those that other people set for them. Mr. Katsos recounted how years ago, when he told people in the pharmaceutical industry that he wanted to export Greek drugs abroad, they told him he was a dreamer. This only fueled his desire to be successful. He advised graduates to never stop chasing their dreams, and "don't be afraid to dare," underlining that today’s market "thirsts for innovation, thirsts for freshness." Mr. Katsos concluded his speech with: “Class of 2013, the world is out there. Make us proud!”
For more information about scholarships offered by PIERCE College, please visit: http://www.acg.edu/scholarships-continuing-students or contact the Financial Assistance and Planning Office Tel.: +30 210 6009800 ext. 1327 | [email protected]
To learn about ways to create your own scholarship fund at ACG or to contribute to existing funds please contact the Office of Development & Alumni Relations:
George E. Triantaris, Vice President – t. + 1.617.459.2829, [email protected]
Mary-Irene Triantafillou, Executive Director, ACG Office of Development- t. 210.600.9800, ext.: 1239, [email protected]
December 2013
