ITMOC alumni reunion in Athens
Published 27 March 2006
Dr Niall Hayes, programme director for the MSc ITMOC, was in Greece between the 17th and 21st of March. As well as carrying out some research in a Greek organisation, Niall undertook a presentation to prospective ITMOC students in Athens. The presentation provided a good opportunity to meet many of the students who will join the ITMOC programme in September 2006.
ITMOC graduates Stamatis Anthis, Dimitris Brachos, Konstantinos Doganis, Panos Gotsis and Andreas Koidis all came along to the presentation and were able to provide a student's perspective of the ITMOC programme and Lancaster University in general. Niall was delighted with the support he received from ITMOC alumni in Greece. In total Niall met up with nineteen ITMOC alumni over the weekend.
That evening, sixteen ITMOC alumni met Niall at the Divani Acropolis Hotel, before going on for a meal in a taverna near Plaka. It was a wonderful evening with students reacquainting themselves with some of their class mates, as well as to meet Greek ITMOC alumni from the other cohorts. However, as many of them work together at Deloitte, many were already familiar with each other! Niall updated them with recent and planned developments to the ITMOC programme, the Management School and the University in general. Niall said: “It was a marvellous night. I know that ITMOC is a special programme, but the number of students that joined me and their support for the programme was testament to the high esteem they hold the ITMOC programme in. I felt very proud of all their achievements. They are all now working in prestigious Greek companies and carving out successful careers. Without exception, they were all adamant that ITMOC has been fundamental to them not only gaining their jobs, but also highly relevant in too all aspects of their day to day tasks."
Philippos Danivas (President of Greek alumni association) added: "This was the first time I joined an ITMOC reunion. I was impressed how many of the ITMOC graduates already hold respectable positions with large companies, this being a proof of the university’s reputation as well as ITMOC’s relevance to modern businesses. I was also amazed to see the very high number of people the ITMOC reunion attracted. This is unprecedented! Moreover, I was very happy to see that this group has a dynamic that will help them create synergies in the years to come and their shared experiences will create strong bonds among them. To make a long story short, I am counting the days for next year’s ITMOC reunion!"
Following the restaurant the whole group then went on to a bar in Pseree (a lively areas of Athens). Niall, commenting on this said, “I can not remember the last time I heard the birds singing as I walked back from a night out!” A further alumni meeting of sorts took place when Niall met up with ITMOC graduates Georgios Meliniotis and Evangelos Moragiannis to watch Panathinaikos beat Ofi Crete (3-1).
Those present at the reunion were Nikolaos Pierrakos, Dimitra Petrakaki, Panos Zervopoulos, Panos Gotsis, Stamatis Anthis, Maria Bariami, Philippos Danivas (President of Greek alumni association and honorary ITMOC graduate for the night!), Konstantinos Doganis, George Meliniotis, Maria Rerra, Loukia Siasiakou, Anastasia Tomprou, and Matina Giogiou.
