ACG congratulates all alumni who are being recognized for their achievements. Please send us your news so that we may share it with your fellow graduates at [email protected]


Marina Tzoutzouraki (DEREE ‘84) is now a Partner at Dagmar Navigation Ltd in Greece, after working as a Relationship Manager, Shipping Unit at EFG Eurobank Ergasias SA for close to 20 years in Piraeus. She previously served as Relationship Manager, Shipping Unit at Credit Lyonnais for five- and-a-half years.

Ms Tzoutzouraki earned her BSc in Accounting & Finance from DEREE, graduating in 1984, followed by her MSc in Shipping Trade Finance at City University London in 1987.

 


Manolis Vrontis (DEREE ‘93) is now Trade Marketing Director at OPAP SA after previously serving as Sales Director at Candy Hoover Group. Mr Vrontis has also worked as a consultant for Cinsight Advisory, as a Director in Consumer Electronics & White Goods at LG Electronics, and for nearly four years at BIC – first as Sales Manager for Greece & Cyprus, and later as Sales Director for Asia.

While serving as National Account Manager and Trade Marketing Manager for Sara Lee Greece for four years up to 2005, Mr Vrontis  won the “It’s My Business Champion” award. He has also served as National Account Manager and Trade Marketing Manager for Unilever Greece for four years up until 2001.

Mr Vrontis earned his Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management from DEREE in 1993, followed by his MBA in Strategic Management from Monash University in 1997.

 


Iordanis Boutsioulis (DEREE ’98 & ’10) has founded ibbds, (Iordanis Boutsioulis Business Development Solutions) with a mission to offer effective business development solutions to Start-Ups and SME’s. Previously, Mr Boutsioulis served as Business Development Manager at A1 Project Management Services Ltd in London.

Mr Boutsioulis began his career at Bell Atlantic Information Services Hellas SA, where he first worked as an Advertising Consultant, and was quickly promoted to Major Accounts Advertising Consultant, before moving to stationary products company Multigraph as Marketing and Sales Coordinator and later as Product Manager at another industry company – Morris Gattegno SA.

He joined On Line Advertising as Account Manager in 2000, and later founded his own company Multigraph Advertising Services, where he took on the role of General Manager (and partner) until 2006, when he founded another company ISBK, providing clients with communication and marketing solutions for five years, until he moved to London.

Mr. Boutsioulis earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing Management from DEREE in 1998, and later returned to do his MBA at DEREE, which he received in 2010 with distinction.

While pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree, Mr Boutsoulis served as President and as Treasurer of the DEREE College Ambassadors, earning a certificate of honor for his overall service. He also worked as student assistant at DEREE’s Office of Student Affairs in 1997.

At DEREE’s graduate school, Mr Boutsoulis won second place (Best Business Plan) in May 2009.

 


Irina Constantine Poulos (DEREE ‘01) is now an Account Executive at Dstillery – “pioneers in advertising technology,” in New York, promoted from Inside Sales. She began her career as a choreographer, however, working in dozens of performances, then founding her own Brooklyn-based dance company, Choreo Theatro Company, where she is still Executive Director.

She has also worked as Account Manager at Tango Media in New York for a year and a half, and before that founded and ran her own property company Gestion Management LLC for eight years in New York City.

Ms Poulos has also worked as a Movement Therapy Consultant at the Creative Media And Behavioral Health Center, University of Southern California – School of Cinematic Arts between 2011 and 2013.

She earned her Associate in Arts (AA) in Liberal Arts in 1999 with honors from DEREE, followed by her BA in Dance from DEREE in 2001 with distinction. In 2002, she completed the MFA Program, Choreography & Pedagogy at State University of New York College at Purchase, and in 2004 earned her MFA in Choreography & Performance from New York University.

 


Violeta Xanthouli (DEREE ’03) is now Senior Marketing Director at GLOBO PLC from Senior Marketing Manager at the same company. Previously, Ms Xanthouli worked as MPS and Channel Marketing Manager and as Office Products Marketing Manager at Xerox.

Ms Xanthouli has worked for nearly five years at Microsoft, as Product Marketing Specialist E&D and in Channel Marketing, while she has also consulted (Marketing Consultant) for Grant Thornton Business Consulting.

Ms Xanthouli earned her Bachelor’s in Management/Organizational Behavior & Marketing Management from DEREE in 2003, followed by her MBA from the University of Warwick – Warwick Business School in 2010.

 


John Vomvas (DEREE ’05, ALBA ’11) is now Senior Associate, Talent Team, Ernst & Young after previously working as Human Resources & General Affairs Supervisor at Samsung Electronics in Greece.

He also served as HR Officer at the Bank of Cyprus for nearly six years until 2013, as a Recruitment Officer for Adecoo and as a Sales Representative at Citibank.

Mr Vomvas earned his Bachelor’s in Management from DEREE in 2005, followed by his MSc in Strategic Human Resources Management from ALBA in 2011, where he was on scholarship.

 


Damianos Skartsiaris (DEREE ’10) is now Financial Analyst at The Coca-Cola Company, after working there as a Commercial Finance Specialist responsible for Greece, Cyprus and Malta and before that as a Commercial Finance Intern at The Coca-Cola Company in Athens.

Mr Skartsiaris earned his BSc in Management from DEREE in 2010, and was active in the College’s student Management Society. He followed up his studies with an MSc in Banking and Finance from Queen Mary University of London in 2011.

 


George Sirmalenios (DEREE ‘10, ALBA ‘13) is now Managing Director at George’s Pudding & Pie, a specialty supermarket chain in Johannesburg, after working as Assistant Managing Director at Foodmakers, a frozen food factory in the same capital, for just over nine years.

Mr Sirmalenios has also worked as Assistant Art Curator at The American College of Greece, before going to Johannesburg and beginning his career in management at Steers, as well as at the Buffalo Bill Bar & Restaurant, and at Foodmakers earlier on for six months in 1997-1998.

Mr Sirmalenios earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Management from DEREE in 2010, followed by his MBA from ALBA in 2013.

 


Kleo Nikolaidis (DEREE ‘11) is now Production Assistant at Songmasters in New York. Ms Nikolaidis previously worked as Assistant Event Manager of CFO South Africa, managing their accounts remotely in the Netherlands at Alex van Groningen BV, and previously as Communications intern at AWEPA in Amsterdam.

She has also worked as a Promotions Assistant at the George Kachoulakis Promotion Company in Crete.

Ms Nikolaidis earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from DEREE in 2011 with high distinction (Deans list 5 out of 7 semesters). This year, she earned her MSc in International Language and Culture in Marketing and Communication from Syddansk Universitet/University of Southern Denmark.

During her studies at DEREE, Ms Nikolaidis worked as a student assistant at ACG’s Institute of Diplomacy and Global Affairs for two years. She also worked as an assistant at the John S. Bailey Library at DEREE.

 


Georgios Emm. Serfiotis (DEREE ‘13) is one of the founding members and article contributors to radicals.gr, an opinion website covering politics, social and economic issues. Mr Serfiotis also works as a personal advisor in communication and campaigning, notably working as a campaign communications advisor for Maria-Ino Zacharopoulou in her election campaign during the Greek 2012 National Elections.

He also worked as a political campaign assistant in the election campaign of Greek MEP candidate Konstantinos Kyranakis (DEREE ’13) in the 2014 European Elections. Mr Serfiotis has also been a member of the political planning secretariat of ONNED, actively campaigning during the double national elections of 2012, and also worked as an internet radio guest host/presenter for yooradio.gr over the last summer. He received his BA in Political Science from the University of Crete in 2011 (with honors, and won a Greek state scholarship), followed by his Master’s Degree in Communication from DEREE in 2013 – where he received the “Presidential Scholarship”. He is also currently pursuing a Double Master’s degree – in International Journalism and in International Affairs on energy-related issues, from the Institut d’Etudes politiques de Paris / Sciences Po Paris, expected in 2015.

 


Sophia Simunec (DEREE ‘14) is now Marketing Associate at Locish – a Q&A mobile app enabling users to swap real-time recommendations for entertainment – after interning for the company between April and July.

Previously, Ms Simunec worked as a Study Abroad Office Student Assistant at DEREE during her studies, and later also worked as an intern at the US Embassy of Athens’ Department of Public Affairs, and as a Marketing Intern for LIBRA Capital/US Hotels Group in New York City (the latter through DEREE’s International Internship and Study Abroad Program, where LIBRA is a founding partner.

She also worked as a private tutor of economics and history for three years prepping A’ level students from the ages of sixteen to eighteen – up until 2012.

Ms Simunec has also volunteered at the National Innovation Conference in 2012, organized by the Greek America Foundation, and at Susan G. Komen for the Cure, helping organize the event in Athens.

In 2014, she earned her BA in History with a minor in International Relations from DEREE Summa Cum Laude, and also did a study abroad program at Richmond, the American International University in London, part of her IISAP. She was also the Recipient of the Academic Excellence Scholarship at DEREE, awarded to students of Excellent Academic standing for the full duration of their undergraduate degree.

Her many DEREE College activities include Vice President and earlier Secretary of the DEREE Debating Club, College Ambassador (2009- 2012), as well as Member of the DEREE College Senate (2011-2012).

During her studies, Ms Simunec won a number of honors and awards – including Belgrade Open Debate Tournament Finalist (2013), was Ranked Best Speaker of Tournament at the DEREE Invitational Debating Tournament (2011), and was a semi-finalist at the Utrecht University Debate Championship in 2011. She also won the Bank of Cyprus Award for Excellence in ‘A’ Level Economics while still a high school student at Athens College in 2009, as well as the Moore Stephens Company Award for Excellence in ‘A’ Level History that year.