Q&A with Efstathios Vassiliadis
Efstathios Vassiladis completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in 2011 at the University of Bradford.
He is currently Chief Executive Officer at Evnia Group, which provides medical device, pharma and biotech industries with specialised consulting services. He is also Chief Executive Officer at OARK.
Efstathios supports the University as a donor toward the Bradford Futures Fund, supporting students facing the most challenges in accessing and remaining in higher education.
Efstathios Vassiladis
Why did you choose to come and study at the University of Bradford?
"I decided to study at Bradford as it had one of the top three best remote programmes, it was far ahead of any other university in that respect. This, together with its great reputation and full MBA accreditation was a holy trinity of criteria to look for.
"My favourite memory during my studies was the joined assignments with classmates, which provided an invaluable lesson and opportunity to understand each other's views and unite those into a coherent narrative with an academic merit."
How did your career progress after graduating?
"While I was completing my MBA, I was also doing a PhD at the same time, and a full-time job. The years were quite overloaded, yet they were full of knowledge and tangible experiences. My reflection is while in the university environment, one learns how to synthesise knowledge in a meaningful manner. In the industry, the value of decision-making through data analysis was invaluable in my scientific and medical career.
"After several years in Pharma and Biotech, it was obvious to me that I had to create an organisation that fully reflects the duality of my own experience in science and business. From there, it was a focused and successful journey of personal and professional growth.
"Working in the medical biotechnology industry is one of the few professions where one becomes smarter while getting older. Each work day is different and there are different tasks and challenges, this allows you to grow on multiple dimensions and rarely get jaded."
What inspired you to donate to the University of Bradford?
"In my life, I was fortunate enough to have access to education and the opportunities that come with that. I have witnessed time and time again the creative impact of education in action is both on one's life and the communities we are part of. Based on this experience, lifelong learning and contribution became a pilar of Evnia ethos and daily practice. Creative inquisition and striving to gaining more actionable knowledge are a logical step towards positive impact and progress.
"With that in mind, my inspiration to donate to the University of Bradford came from a need to recognise and encourage those who seek knowledge, so they can realise their goals and through time, look back at this stage of their life with eagerness to help the next generation of knowledge seekers. Being an alumnus of the university myself, I know that they will find there an environment that will support them the best way in their academic journey."