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Alumnus of the month!
Alumnus Profiled: Ioannis (John) Begietis
Graduated: DEREE ’88
Lives in: Shenzhen, China
Current Position: Group CFO, APAC, Folli Follie Group
A thinker and a doer, JOHN BEGIETIS is an Athens-born financier who obtained his BSc from DEREE in 1988 and his MBA in International Business/Finance from KCBA-TAU in Washington DC in 1990. Having lived and worked in the US, Germany, Greece, Thailand, Sweden, Hong Kong and Japan, he currently lives in China, where he spearheads the expansion of Folli Follie Group in the Far East. Packing more than two decades of experience in the field, with companies such as P&G, Hasbro, Omni Hotels and Folli Follie, which under his tenure the group grew from 350m EUR to a staggering 1,2bn EUR in turnover, John enjoys leading by example and getting actively involved in all types and levels of projects and teams thus been able to successfully manage results and expectations in a constantly evolving and diverse environment.
INTERVIEW
Q.: What are three enduring lessons you learned during your studies at DEREE?
• Never forget.
• Never give up.
• Always look far and beyond.
Q.: Describe DEREE in three words.
Brilliant, Different, Unconventional.
Q.: One of your favorite DEREE memories?
Winning the popular vote for the Student Union Elections.
Q.: What do you miss most from your days at DEREE?
My hair!
Q.: Where was your favorite spot on campus?
The original dirt football pitch.
Q.: Who was your favorite professor and why?
Professor Boukis; he inducted me to the art of management.
Q.: Have you kept in touch with any of your classmates?
Have kept and maintained contact with several of my classmates across worlds and continents.
Q.: How did DEREE help prepare you for your professional life?
DEREE introduced me to the methodical and team effort approach and taught me that by aligning this with one’s dreams then, indeed, the sky is the limit.
Q.: What’s the greatest piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“Be the change you want to see in the world” – though not received directly, these words by Mahatma Gandhi have guided me for as long as I can recall.
Q.: What (or who) inspires you most?
President Obama, because he proved that change can happen at any time, anywhere!
Q.: Your motto in life?
“It’s not so important who starts the game, but who finishes it!” – John Wooden, the Wizard of Westwood.
