AUEB hosted William & Mary University, Athens 15.10-22.10.22

William & Mary

Founded in 1693, William & Mary is the second oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Known as the "alma mater of a nation," W&M has produced prominent leaders for well over three centuries, including U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and ohn Tyler; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall; and the founder of M.I.T. William Barton Rogers. More recent alumni include Jill Ellis '88, who won two World Cups as coach of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team, award-winning actress Glenn Close '74, current White House Communications Director Jen Psaki '00, and our honorary Chancellor Robert M. Gates '65, who served as Secretary of Defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. William & Mary enjoys strong partnerships with elite universities around the world, including study abroad and exchange programs with Oxford University, the Université de Montpellier, Keio University, Yonsei University, Beijing Normal University, and the National University of Singapore. 

W&M – AUEB collaboration

William and Mary University within the Global Immersion Program was hosted by the Athens University of Economics and Business, bringing to Athens its Executive MBA program, consisting of 12 students and professor, Mr. Rajiv Kohli. The students stayed for a week (15-22 October 2022), and they visited big companies and organizations in Athens, such as the Bank of Greece, IOBE (Foundation of Economic and Industrial Research), the ACEin ( Athens Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation), Athens Stock Exchange, Ministry of Digital Governance, Viva Wallet, OTE (Telecommunications), Piraeus Port, COSCO Shipping Lines SA, The Hellinicon. A comprehensive program of visits was designed for them, which aims at giving students a picture not only of the macroeconomic size of the country, but also of its entrepreneurship.The coordinator of the program is the Vice Rector for International Cooperation and Development, Professor Vasilis Papadakis.

Rajiv Kohli is Professor of Business at William & Mary University. Studies have ranked him among the top 20 researchers in the field of information management systems (MIS) worldwide. Dr. Kohli is ranked as the leader in a recent study on thought leadership in health information technology (HIT). He received his Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Kohli has taught at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Tsinghua University, RWTH Germany, National University of Singapore, City University of Hong Kong, as an Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Further, he has taught at the University of Notre Dame, Lehigh University, the University of Maryland College Park and the University of Maryland University College where he was awarded the Teaching Recognition Award. In addition, for more than 15 years, he has worked for or advised companies such as IBM Global Services, SAS Corporation, United Parcel Service, Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., AM General, MCI Telecommunications, Westinghouse Electronics, Wipro Corporation and Godrej Industries, and many healthcare organizations.

Brief description of the Educational Program

Monday 17 October:

William and Mary visit to AUEB: Welcome event 

W&M visit to the Bank of Greece

The W&M students were hosted by the Bank of Greece. There, they attended presentations on the Greek economy, focusing on the Greek crisis, the pandemic crisis and the current energy crisis, by Dr. Marianthi Anastasatou, Bank of Greece Economist. The baton was taken by AUEB's Professor Nikos Vettas, General Director of IOBE, who focused on the business environment, the sectors that contribute to the Greek economy and discussed strategic proposals for investment/strengthening specific sectors of the Greek economy that have the potential to give significant boost to growth dynamics.

In the afternoon, the students visited the Athens Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (ACEIn) of AUEB. There, AUEB's Associate Professor Katerina Pramatari presented to the visiting students and their companions the business landscape in Greece for startups. At the same time, she presented the actions undertaken by Universities, such as AUEB, to encourage their students and graduates to move in a more entrepreneurial direction.

Tuesday 18 October:

W&M visit to the Stock Exchange

The Athens Stock Exchange welcomed the Executive MBA students of the University of William and Mary, USA. The students, together with their professors Mr. Rajiv Kohli and Mr. V. Papadakis, as well as the Dean of MBA Programs of W&M Mrs. Carlane Pittman, announced the start of work. They also attended speeches by Mr. Nikos Koskoletos, CFO of Athex Group, Mr. Theodoros Zarros, CTO of Athex Group and Mrs. Dukakis, Director of Human Resources. The event was closed by AUEB's Professor Mr. Georgios Doukidis, who presented studies on the digital readiness of small and medium enterprises in Greece.

W&M visit to the Ministry of Digital Governance

The Ministry of Digital Governance welcomed the Vice-Chancellor of International Cooperation and Development of AUEB, Professor V. Papadakis, the W&M Professor Mr. Rajiv Kohli, as well as the visiting students of the Executive MBA of William and Mary. The students of the American University, together with students of the Executive MBA of  AUEB, had the opportunity to discuss with the Minister of State and Digital Governance, Mr. Kyriakos Pierrakakis, and the Deputy Minister, Mr. Theodoros Livanios, on the subject of the digital transformation of the country. The two Ministers developed their vision for the digital transformation of the state, analyzed their strategy for the realization of this vision and discussed with the students the challenges they face in this effort.

Wednesday 19 October:

W&M visit to Viva Wallet

The W&M students visited Viva's headquarters in Maroussi. There they had the opportunity to attend presentations by co-founder and CIO Mr. Makis Antipas and Mr. Yiannis Larios, VP Strategy & Business Development at Viva Wallet. During the presentations, the students learned about the evolution of Viva, the difficulties the company overcame to become one of the two Greek unicorns, as well as the strategic choices that led to the present.

W&M visit to OTE

The American students together with AUEB's Executive MBA students met with the CEO Mr. Tzamaz and the members of the Organization's top management. They had the opportunity to discuss with Mr. Tzamaz and the top management team of OTE the Organization's transformation program of the last decade.

The challenges faced by OTE as well as the vision for the future of the organization were analyzed.

Friday 21 October:

W&M visit to COSCO

The participants had the opportunity to visit COSCO's investment in Piraeus. 

After the tour of the terminal premises, the students were welcomed by Mr. Tasos Vamvakidis, Commercial Director and Mr. Panagiotis Zerefos, Financial Director of Piraeus Container Terminal S.A - China Ocean Shipping Company, Limited - COSCO. The two executives presented COSCO's vision for the development of the port of Piraeus into one of the largest ports in the EU as well as its prospects. At the same time, they answered students' questions.

W&M visit to Hellinikon

The students visited Lamda Development's investment in Elliniko. After a digital tour of the future image of this emblematic investment, the students were welcomed by Mr. Manthos Papamattheiou, Senior Business Development Manager at Lamda, and Mrs. Alicia Bourla, Development Manager at LAMDA Development. The two executives answered students' questions regarding the future of the investment and its potential contribution to the Greek economy.