Can "flipping coins" really reveal the difference between agile and waterfall? Through experiential exercises and educational games, the students had the opportunity to understand in practice the different philosophies and approaches to project management.

As part of the Project & Program Management course, taught by Professor K. Kirytopoulos, the guest speaker was Mr. Nikos Panoutsakopoulos MSc, PMI-PMP®, PMI-RMP®, who shared with the students of the program real-life examples, successes (…and sometimes non-successes), as well as experiential educational games focused on agile methodologies.

The students, demonstrating their understanding and drawing parallels with their professional experience, responded with questions and challenges, contributing to the creation of an excellent learning environment.

We sincerely thank Mr. Panoutsakopoulos for the great and valuable experience he shared with us, as well as instructor Professor Kirytopoulos for organizing the experience.

On Friday, January 23^rd, 2026, as part of the Business Analysis course of the Athens MBA, (AUEB-NTUA postgraduate program) taught by NTUA Professor Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotou, we had the pleasure and honor of hosting four speakers from three companies of the Viohalco Group:

• Athanasios Lazakis, Director of Strategic Partnerships, TEKA Systems
• Stavroula Theofili, Business Process Analyst, TEKA Systems
• Alexandros Kouklelis, Business Processes Transformation Manager, Steelmet Corporate Services
• Aristotelis E. Kritikos, IT PMO & BA Manager, ElvalHalcor

The speakers made very interesting presentations and shared their experiences on Business Analysis topics related to operational and digital transformation projects in which they have actively participated.

A discussion with the attendees and an interesting exchange of views and experiences followed.

We sincerely thank the guests for the valuable knowledge and experiences shared with us, as well as instructor Professor Panagiotou for the organization.

As part of the course "Project Management of Innovation Projects" of Athens MBA, a Seminar was conducted on Tuesday January 20^th, 2026, focusing on issues of intellectual property protection and patents, with Mr. Dimitris Kollias as presenter.

The seminar highlighted the role of intellectual property in the innovation process and the strategic importance of patents, offering students of the program essential knowledge and practical guidance.

We warmly thank the presenter, as well as the program instructor Professor Angelos Tsakanikas and instructor Dr. Aimilia Protogerou, for their contribution to the successful implementation of the seminar.

As part of the "Social Change and Innovation" course, the students of Athens MBA had the opportunity to attend a speech by Ms. Ioanna Dimitrakopoulou-Koutava, Director of GIVMED, organized by course instructor Mr. Manos Sofikitis.

GIVMED is the only non-profit organization in Greece that ensures the access of vulnerable social groups to medication, through innovative and collaborative operating models.

The discussion revolved around critical issues of strategy and organization, including:

• Creating a sustainable model of social innovation
• Creating value through cross-sectoral collaborations
• Managing challenges in the third sector
• Measuring social impact

The presentation served as the start for a substantive and constructive dialogue, strengthening the link of academic knowledge with the real challenges of society.

We sincerely thank Ms. Dimitrakopoulou-Koutava for her valuable contribution and Mr. Sofikitis for the initiative and organization of the meeting.

On Saturday, December 13^th, 2025, the 1^st AthensMBA Connect & Beyond 2024–2025 successfully took place, with the theme "Alumni Back in Class: Christmas Edition".

Invited guests at the event were the alumnae and participants in the "Alumni Back in Class" initiative, Ms. Kalliope Tsitou (Class of 1998) and Ms. Natasa Balaska (Class of 2015), who shared with the audience their excitement and experiences from their return to the AthensMBA classroom.

The event was attended by the Director of the Program, Ms. Helen Salavou, Professor at AUEB, who shared her enthusiasm and exchanged views with AthensMBA students and alumni.

We would like to thank the invited speakers, as well as all participants, for their contribution to the success of the event.

Special thanks to the Ambassadors Ms. Anna Evlogimenou (Class of 2022), Marita Saliari (Class of 2023), and Dobrinka Radeva (Class of 2024), as well as the Communications and Student Experience Officer, Ms. Eleftheria Ioanna Xagorari, for her valuable support in the organization.

We also thank Couleur Locale for the hospitality.

We renew our appointment for the next meeting!

On November 7, as part of the Business Strategy course taught Assistant Professor Giorgos Papagiannakis, the second-year Athens MBA students successfully completed their collaboration with Fresh Line.

During a series of pitches, the teams analyzed the company's strategy and presented evidence-based proposals, addressing four central strategic issues raised:

• Distribution channel development
• Acquisition strategies
• Sustainability
• Leveraging artificial intelligence

The process was an excellent opportunity to connect theory with practice, strengthening students' strategic and analytical skills through a realistic simulation of strategic decision-making.

Congratulations to all teams for their effort, creativity, and professionalism!

We warmly thank Ms. Natali Vagioni, CEO of Fresh Line, for the collaboration and inspiration, as well as Ms. Meropi Tsaousi, Executive Director of Fresh Line, who joined us in the evaluation of the presentations.

Within the ERP module of the Management Information Systems course, our students had the opportunity to practically apply the Procure-to-Pay process in SAP S/4HANA, discovering how enterprise systems connect and optimize critical business operations.

We warmly thank Aspasia - Talin Vozikian from the Process Excellence & Intelligence (PXI) team of PwC Greece for the interactive and inspiring session, which bridged theory with real business practice.

Special thanks to instructor Dr. Sotiris Gayialis for this hands-on training.

Athens MBA had the pleasure of attending and supporting the PMI Greece Chapter Student Club event titled "Bridging the Gap: From University to Workplace", which took place on October 11 at the University of Piraeus.

The event was dedicated to supporting the transition of students from academia to the labor market and included talks, discussions, and interactive workshops, with the aim of empowering young professionals and developing skills in Project Management and Leadership.

and interactive workshops, with the aim of empowering young professionals and developing skills in Project Management and Leadership.

The event was attended by the Deputy Director of Athens MBA Konstantinos Kirytopoulos, Professor at NTUA, as well as Eleftheria-Ioanna Xagorari, member of the program's Administrative Staff.

Special thanks to the program students Marita Saliari (Psychologist) and Eirini Balatsoura (Mechanical Engineer), who provided information to the attendees about the program and the opportunities it offers throughout the event.

Athens MBA warmly congratulates the PMI Greece Chapter Student Club team for the excellent organization and all the speakers and participants for their contribution to a particularly successful and constructive event.

You can watch the video of the event here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub73srgqYCY