Students from ACT’s MBA and MSc in Organizational Psychology programs recently had the opportunity to engage with a distinguished business leader during a guest lecture in MNGT 520 – Organizational Behavior & Change.

Held on Thursday, February 26, the session featured Dr. Dimitris Nikolaidis, CEO of EMBRYOLAB IVF Clinic, who delivered a presentation titled “Build Brands from the Inside Out: Respecting the Person – Reshaping the Society.” Drawing on his leadership experience, Dr. Nikolaidis explored a range of important human resources and organizational behavior topics, offering students a practical perspective on how people-centered management can shape both organizational success and wider social impact.

His presentation focused on key areas including talent recruitment, performance evaluation, rewards and engagement, organizational culture and values, the psychological contract, and employee commitment. By connecting theory with real-world business practice, the session gave students the opportunity to examine how HR and OB principles are applied in dynamic organizational settings.

The class, which brought together students from both the MBA and the MSc in Organizational Psychology, responded with strong enthusiasm. Students participated actively throughout the session, asking insightful questions and engaging in discussion around the practical challenges and opportunities involved in managing people, culture, and change in contemporary organizations.

Dr. Nikolaidis has served as CEO of EMBRYOLAB IVF Clinic for the past four years, leading an organization that currently employs 120 people and overseeing a series of significant initiatives related to HR and organizational behavior. In addition to his executive role, he provides management consulting to SMEs in the Western Balkans and serves as a visiting professor at Tias Business School, Tilburg University, in the Netherlands. His professional background also includes leadership experience as former General Manager of ALPHA Media Group in Northern Greece.

Guest lectures such as this one are an important part of the ACT learning experience, enriching classroom teaching with direct exposure to accomplished professionals and giving students the opportunity to connect academic concepts with current business realities.

ACT recently had the pleasure of welcoming Dr Jurgen Peci (ACT Class of 2007) virtually to its International Business class for a thought-provoking session on the forces shaping global trade today.

Now a Lecturer in Economics at the University of Reading (UK), where he also completed his PhD, Dr Peci shared insights from his academic work on Non-Tariff Measures and their connection to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in international trade. His virtual guest lecture gave students the opportunity to engage with a scholar whose work bridges economic theory, policy, and some of the most pressing global challenges of our time.

During the session, Dr Peci introduced students to the Gravity Model of Trade, explaining the core logic behind why countries trade and how factors such as economic size and distance continue to influence global exchange. Building on this foundation, he encouraged students to think more broadly about what drives success in international markets.

The discussion highlighted that trade performance is not determined by geography and scale alone. National competitiveness, students learned, is also shaped by a wider set of conditions, including factor endowments, demand sophistication, related and supporting industries, as well as firm strategy and rivalry.

The session concluded with an important reflection on the future of international trade: that long-term success in global markets increasingly depends on balancing economic performance, social welfare, and environmental responsibility.

Guest sessions such as this enrich the classroom experience at ACT by connecting students with accomplished alumni and international scholars, while bringing contemporary global business issues to life through real academic and professional expertise.

Career Days 2026 closed the way it should — with a session that made the room forget about the clock. On the afternoon of March 5, Tommy Baltzis, CFA, CPA — Founder and Chairman of WhiteHaven Asset Management — stepped in front of a packed audience at West Hall for a two-hour workshop titled “Navigating a World in Transition: Geopolitics, Markets & Capital Allocation.”

The session was structured around three pillars: understanding our world, current events and topics, and asset management. But what made it remarkable was how Mr. Baltzis wove them into a single, continuous narrative — one that started decades in the past and ended with the questions students will face in their own careers.

Understanding Our World

Mr. Baltzis didn’t start with today’s headlines. He started with history. The first part of the session took the audience through the foundations of the modern global order — the post-war arrangements that shaped international trade, security, and economic cooperation for decades. From there, he traced the arc forward: how that order evolved, where it held, and where it began to fracture.

A central theme was demographics. Using population pyramids from countries across the world, Mr. Baltzis showed how the age structure of a nation quietly shapes everything — from economic growth models and consumption patterns to labor markets and geopolitical leverage. The audience saw how some economies rode demographic tailwinds into rapid growth, while others now face the consequences of aging populations and shrinking workforces. It was a way of reading the world that most students hadn’t encountered before: not through events, but through the slower, structural forces underneath them.

The presentation compressed roughly twenty-five years of high-volume global history into a single sitting. The goal was clear: before you can understand where the world is heading, you have to understand the “why” behind where it is today.

Current Events and Topics

The second part of the workshop shifted from the historical to the immediate. Mr. Baltzis walked through a range of current geopolitical and economic topics — from ongoing conflicts and their ripple effects on global supply chains, to energy security, trade dependencies, and the realities of resource competition. Each topic was grounded in the structural context established in the first half, so the audience could see how today’s headlines connect to longer-running forces.

The discussion also turned to artificial intelligence — but not in the way most conversations about AI tend to go. Mr. Baltzis deliberately avoided the speculation trap. Instead of projecting what AI could become, he grounded the discussion in what AI is right now: its current capabilities, its real-world applications, and the economic forces already in motion around it. Only after laying out the factual landscape did he open up the philosophical dimension — questions about labor, creativity, decision-making, and what it means for the next generation entering a workforce that is already being reshaped. It was a measured, honest take: no hype, no doom, just the facts of today and the deeper questions of tomorrow.

Asset Management and Capital Allocation

The final part of the session moved from the macro picture into the world of investing. Mr. Baltzis shared how the geopolitical and demographic forces discussed earlier translate into real investment decisions, drawing on his own experience in the industry. The discussion covered how the nature of assets in modern markets has evolved over the decades, as well as alternative investments — what sets them apart from traditional asset classes and the role they play within a broader portfolio.

For students with an interest in finance, it was a window into a side of the industry they rarely get exposure to at the undergraduate level. For everyone else, it was a reminder that the financial world is far more layered and nuanced than headlines suggest — and that the geopolitical and demographic forces discussed earlier in the session are not abstract. They directly shape how capital moves.

The Conversation That Followed

After the session wrapped up, students didn’t leave. They lined up to speak with Mr. Baltzis directly — asking about career paths in finance, whether pursuing a CFA is worth it and which verticals require it, and how to think about the investment world as someone just starting out. The conversations were casual, honest, and often punctuated by laughs. It was the kind of exchange that doesn’t happen in a lecture hall.

What made the workshop stand out wasn’t just the content. It was the way it connected dots that students don’t usually see connected: history to demographics, demographics to economics, economics to geopolitics, geopolitics to markets. And the fact that after two hours of dense material, students still wanted to stay and talk — that says more than any recap can.

About the Speaker

Tommy Baltzis, CFA, CPA, is the Founder and Chairman of WhiteHaven Asset Management, a Canada-based firm. Mr. Baltzis visited campus to share the perspective he’s built over a career spanning capital markets, portfolio strategy, and global macroeconomics. His session was the closing event of Career Days 2026, organized by Dimitris Chatzigeorgiou, Business Liaison, Career Services & Alumni Relations Senior Officer at Anatolia American University — American College of Thessaloniki.

Three days. Thirty-plus organizations. And a campus that felt noticeably different.

Career Days 2026 ran from March 3 to 5, bringing together students, ACT alumni, and industry professionals for a packed schedule of workshops, a panel discussion, and a two-day career fair that took over Bissell Library. The idea behind it is straightforward: get students and the professional world in the same room and let real conversations happen.

Day 1: Preparation Meets Opportunity

The first day opened with “Ace Your Next Interview,” a hands-on workshop by Entrepreneurship Talks on mastering interviews — how to walk in with confidence, what to say, what to ask, and the small things that set top candidates apart. It was a deliberate choice to start there: before the career fair doors opened, students had a chance to sharpen their approach.

And they needed it, because when the fair kicked off that afternoon, Bissell Library was transformed. Booths lined every corner, organization banners filled the space, and within minutes, students were moving between tables — CVs in hand, making introductions, asking real questions. What’s usually a quiet study space became one of the busiest spots on campus.

Day 2: Depth and Range

The second day was the fullest. It opened with a panel discussion titled “Bridging Technology and Business,” where professionals from IT consulting, cybersecurity, and talent acquisition sat down together for an open conversation — no slides, no presentations. The format worked. What started as a moderated discussion quickly turned into a genuine back-and-forth between panelists and the audience. Students asked about internships, hiring processes, the gap between university and the workplace, and what skills matter beyond the technical. The panelists stayed well past their scheduled time.

The career fair continued in parallel, and if anything, day two was busier than day one.

Later that afternoon, two more workshops ran simultaneously. Tasos Mitakidis, General Manager at Golden Home Real Estate, led a session on communication and persuasion — practical techniques for building trust, handling objections, and presenting yourself with confidence in any professional setting. At the same time, Ruth Sutton from Wave Thessaloniki led a session on solidarity and volunteering, reminding students that a meaningful career isn’t only about the corporate world. There are paths built around service, humanitarian work, and community impact, and they deserve the same attention.

Day 3: The Big Picture

The final day shifted gears entirely. Tommy Baltzis, CFA, CPA — Founder and Chairman at WhiteHaven Asset Management — led a two-hour closing workshop on geopolitics, capital markets, and navigating a world in transition. The session covered macroeconomic trends shaping financial markets, portfolio strategy, risk management, and the future of investing — a reminder that career readiness goes well beyond polished CVs and technical skills. Understanding how the world moves, how global events ripple through industries, matters just as much. It was a fitting way to close three days that had covered everything from interview prep to cybersecurity to humanitarian work to macroeconomics.

The Aftermath

Perhaps the best measure of an event is what happens after it ends. Within hours, LinkedIn was full of posts from participants — organization representatives sharing photos from their booths, recruiters reflecting on the students they’d met, and professionals calling it “a rewarding experience” and “a fantastic opportunity to exchange ideas and gain insights.” One wrote about how events like this create “a valuable space for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and forward-thinking discussions.” Another simply said the campus “will always feel like home.”

That kind of response isn’t something you can orchestrate. It happens when the event delivers something real.

What It All Comes Down To

Career Days isn’t a job fair in the traditional sense. It’s not just about handing out CVs and collecting business cards. It’s about contact — the kind that happens when a student sits across from a recruiter and asks a genuine question, or when a panelist shares something honest about their own career that changes how someone in the audience thinks about theirs. It’s a workshop that makes you rethink how you present yourself. It’s a session on volunteering that opens a door you hadn’t considered.

Thirty-plus organizations showed up. Hundreds of students walked through the doors. And for three days, the distance between classroom and career got a little shorter.

Already looking forward to next year.

Costas joined the American College of Thessaloniki (ACT) in 1992 and graduated in 1996 with a BSc in Business Administration. His professional journey began in retail as a Marketing Manager, before moving into pharmaceutical distribution as an Export Manager and later as a General Manager.

In 2006, he took the step into entrepreneurship, establishing and leading companies in Greece, the UK, Bulgaria, Sweden, and the Netherlands. All of them operate in pharmaceutical distribution, focusing on niche markets and creating value through international collaboration and strategic growth.

The best memory I have of ACT…

ACT gave me countless memories, both academic and personal. What stands out most is the strong friendships built during those years, friendships that have stood the test of time and remain an important part of my life today.

My favorite professor was…

Panos Vlachos, without hesitation. Mathematics was my favorite course, and his passion and clarity in teaching made it truly inspiring.

My favorite spot on campus was…

the basketball courts. They were more than just a place for sports, they were a place of teamwork, competition, and connection. I spent endless hours there.

ACT helped me …

Studying at ACT was transformative. It gave me not only a solid academic foundation but also the confidence to think independently and act decisively. The combination of a liberal arts education and a practical, real-world approach shaped the way I analyze complex environments and make strategic decisions. ACT’s international culture prepared me to collaborate across borders and lead in diverse settings.

The elements that characterize the identity of ACT graduates are…

ACT graduates combine a global mindset with strong analytical thinking, adaptability, and integrity. They are prepared to navigate complexity, embrace diversity, and pursue excellence with responsibility.

For me ACT is…

For me, ACT is a lifelong community. It is the place where my ambitions took shape, where I built lasting relationships, and where I developed the mindset that continues to guide my professional and personal decisions.

The best part of my job is…

building teams that create growth with meaningful impact. One defining moment was when we managed to source and deliver a life-saving medicine to a remote location where others could not. Knowing that our work directly affects lives is the greatest motivation.

I consider this an important moment in my professional journey…

A pivotal moment was my decision in 2006 to expand beyond Greece and establish my first company in London, UK. That step transformed my professional horizon, opening the door to international markets, strategic partnerships, and new opportunities that continue to shape my path.

In the future, I want to…

continue learning, expanding my vision, and building organizations that create sustainable growth and meaningful impact across borders.

On Friday, December 5, 2025, students from ACT’s Communication & New Media program stepped out of the classroom and into the fast-paced world of broadcast journalism during an educational visit to the ERT3 television studios in Thessaloniki.

Coordinated by Dr. Eva Malinaki, Assistant Professor at ACT, the visit was designed for students in COMM 233 – Introduction to Journalism, offering a rare, hands-on look at how news and live programming are produced; moment by moment, under real-time pressure.

During the tour, students engaged in conversations with journalists, producers, and technical staff, gaining insight into the distinct roles that come together behind the camera: editorial decision-making, studio coordination, sound and lighting, directing, and the split-second teamwork required to keep a broadcast on track.

The highlight came when students participated live on ERT3’s morning show, “Mera me Chroma”, a daily magazine-style program that blends information and culture, with a focus on topics such as society, science, the environment, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Experiencing a live set from the inside transformed “how TV works” from a concept into a lived reality: one that made the craft, ethics, and responsibility of journalism feel immediate and tangible.

This kind of faculty-led, experiential learning reflects ACT’s commitment to teaching that goes beyond the expected: creating opportunities where students don’t just study media, they practice it, guided by educators who actively open doors to the industry.

Read the official news coverage by ERT3 here (information in Greek).

Students from the Anatomy and Physiology course (SNCH 115) conducted a highly successful, research-oriented field visit to the Center of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI) at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) in November 2025. This enriching experience provided students with direct exposure to state-of-the-art scientific research.

The visit commenced with a comprehensive presentation on CIRI AUTh and its core mission, delivered by Department Manager Mrs. Andreadou. Following the introduction, students were divided into three groups and rotated through the following three cutting-edge laboratories:

a. Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases (LND): Coordinated by Professor Magda Tsolaki (Emeritus Professor of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, AUTh).

b. FunPAth and GENeTres Laboratories: Coordinated by Professor Michalis Aivaliotis and Professor Georgios Tzimagiorgis (both Professors of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, AUTh).

c. Magna-Charta Laboratory: Coordinated by Professor Makis Angelakeris (Professor of Physics, Faculty of Physics, AUTh).

The primary goal of the visit was to connect students with active research departments in Thessaloniki and offer valuable insight into ongoing, high-impact research projects, including those funded through prestigious Horizon Europe programs. Through direct interaction with leading researchers, students gained invaluable exposure to interdisciplinary approaches in biomedical and applied sciences, helping to illuminate potential future career paths in these dynamic fields. 

Students enrolled in the Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Spring II 2025 course recently participated in an insightful site visit to a major local meat-production industry. This practical experience offered students a firsthand look at the critical importance of quality assurance in the food industry.

During the visit, students observed the entire production process, from the handling of raw materials to the packaging of the final product. A key highlight was the engaging discussion with the department manager, who provided valuable, market-relevant insights and fielded questions from the students. This opportunity underscored microbiology's crucial role in maintaining food safety and quality, demonstrating for students how classroom theory directly translates into practical industry relevance.

The Fall 2025 Ecology curriculum is bridging the gap between classroom theory and real-world application through innovative, field-based instruction conducted within the urban park environments of the Thessaloniki center. Students actively engaged with core ecological principles through direct, empirical observation, turning local green spaces into accessible, outdoor laboratories.

This hands-on approach involved systematically recording local biodiversity and conducting detailed assessments of anthropogenic impacts, the effects of human activity, within these shared urban spaces. By doing so, students gained a practical, first-hand understanding of ecosystem functionality and resilience within an urban framework. This initiative not only enhanced scientific literacy, but also contributed valuable observational data on the health of our local environment. 

A field research trip by students from ACT - The American College of Thessaloniki to the ecologically rich Lake Kerkini in October has yielded fascinating and significant results, confirming the highly dynamic nature of microbial communities within this important aquatic environment.

The student research team successfully executed a comprehensive workflow, beginning with the collection of water samples from diverse points around the lake. Upon returning to the laboratory, they conducted a cutting-edge metagenomic analysis of the resident bacterial populations. The team utilized the portable and powerful MinION sequencing platform (Oxford Nanopore Ltd) to sequence the DNA extracted from the environmental samples.

Crucially, the subsequent data analysis revealed distinct differences in the species diversity and the relative abundance of bacteria when comparing samples taken from various locations along the shoreline. These variations strongly underscored how localized environmental factors, such as nutrient runoff from surrounding land, sediment concentration, and the degree of light penetration, profoundly influence and shape the microbial ecosystem at different points of the lake.

The successful application of this entire process, from hands-on field collection to employing sophisticated sequencing technology and performing complex data analysis, generated results of high scientific value. This achievement has significantly fueled the students' enthusiasm for the fields of microbial ecology and environmental genomics, highlighting ACT's commitment to providing students with practical, high-impact research experience.