Faculty of Business

Mr. Victor Efthimiades is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Axiom Consulting, a leading provider of enterprise customer loyalty and engagement solutions for banking, retail, travel, telecommunications, and other customer-centric industries. He leads the company's strategic direction, innovation, and international business development, helping organizations leverage technology to strengthen customer relationships, increase engagement, and drive sustainable growth.

With more than 38 years of experience in strategic marketing, business development, and enterprise software engineering, Victor has spent the last 28 years building Axiom into an internationally recognized technology company. Under his leadership, the company has grown from a startup into a trusted partner serving leading enterprises across 15 countries, with offices in Cyprus and Switzerland.

Victor combines strategic business vision with deep technology expertise, enabling him to bridge the gap between business strategy and digital transformation. His experience spans corporate strategy, business process innovation, customer engagement, enterprise architecture, and the design of sophisticated software platforms.

Throughout his career, he has successfully led the design and implementation of numerous large-scale customer loyalty and customer engagement ecosystems for some of the region's leading institutions in financial services, retail and other industries.

Prior to founding Axiom Consulting, Victor held engineering, consulting and sales positions at IBM Corporation, where he designed and led the implementation of several large-scale enterprise projects. His ability to combine technology innovation with commercial strategy has remained a defining characteristic throughout his career.

Victor has also contributed to academia as a guest lecturer in Management Information Systems for the MBA program at the CIM, sharing practical insights into enterprise systems, digital transformation, and business strategy with future business leaders. He holds a Master of Engineering in Computer and Software Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Sheffield. He has further expanded his expertise through executive education and numerous professional certifications from MIT, IBM, and other internationally recognized institutions.

Ms. Hana El Kadaha is a dynamic and accomplished leader in the media industry, with over two decades of experience shaping strategies and delivering results in a fast-evolving landscape. She currently serves as Senior VP at WPP Media in the Levant region, where she leads a thriving team of over 200 diverse talents across multiple verticals. Hana drives innovation, growth, and excellence throughout the region, and under her leadership, WPP Media Levant has developed a strong reputation for resilience and adaptability, especially during challenging political and economic circumstances.

After graduating the business school at AUB, Hana joined WPP as a junior executive and advanced to the role of Senior VP. Hana consistently steered her team towards year-on-year business growth. She feels privileged to mentor emerging talents and is deeply grateful for her team’s dedication, which has played a pivotal role in their collective success. Many of Hana’s mentees have risen to prominence within the MENA advertising industry, reflecting her commitment to coaching and empowering the next generation of leaders.

Her teams have achieved remarkable success, earning more than 30 prestigious industry awards, including the Campaign ME and Effie Awards. Hana’s strong client partnerships span high-profile brands such as Unilever, Coca-Cola, Rolex, L’Oréal, Ferrero, Zain Telecom, Arab Bank, American Express, and the American University of Beirut, solidifying her expertise as a business advisor adept at navigating the complexities of modern marketing.

Despite regional challenges, Hana’s unwavering resolve has empowered her team to thrive. She is a passionate advocate for enabling young talents to become job market ready and empowering women in the workplace. Hana’s approach creates lasting positive change, inspiring both her colleagues and the wider industry. As one mentee shared, “Hana’s guidance gave me the confidence to pursue leadership opportunities I never imagined possible.”
Beyond her professional achievements, Hana balances her career ambitions with nurturing her family as a devoted mother. Her strategic thinking, visionary leadership, and dedication to excellence make her a respected figure and an inspiring role model in the media and communications industry.

Dr. Constantinos Kourouyiannis is an investment professional with extensive experience in investment fund management in Cyprus and Luxembourg and in providing portfolio management services to professional and institutional investors. His expertise covers financial analysis, portfolio management, equity valuation, risk management, and sustainable investing.

As President of CFA Society Cyprus, he has promoted professional excellence, ethics, financial literacy, and academic collaboration. As Chair of the CIFA Sustainable Finance Committee, he has led initiatives to advance ESG awareness within the investment funds industry. His CV includes research appointments at the University of Cyprus Department of Economics, where he co-authored academic papers in financial risk management and financial econometrics.

Constantinos has been a CFA Charterholder since 2017. He holds a BSc in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Cyprus, an MSc in Finance and Economics from the London School of Economics, and a PhD in Economics (with an emphasis on Financial Risk Management) from the University of Cyprus.

Ms. Natasha Michaelides is a communications and hospitality executive with extensive experience in corporate affairs, brand development, and luxury hospitality. She serves as Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications at Thanos Hotels & Resorts and is the CEO of Kult, Antasia Beach Club, and Amyth Hotels. Throughout her career, she has led the development and positioning of hospitality, retail, and lifestyle brands in Cyprus and internationally.

Beyond her business roles, Natasha is actively involved in philanthropy and community initiatives as Founder and President of Simba Animal Aid Cyprus and Co-Founder and President of the ENAVSMA Foundation, which supports postgraduate education through scholarships. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Political Science and a Master's degree in Communications from Boston University.

Mr. Marios Tannousis is the CEO of Invest Cyprus. He has more than twenty-nine years of international corporate experience, with twelve years in the international banking and Financial Services group Societe Generale, where he served various key posts.

He is a Member of the Board of the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) and co-founder and member of the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA). He also served as President of the Cyprus Finance & Leasing Association and Board Member in various other organizations and bodies.

Marios is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) and holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Rutgers University, NJ, USA and an MBA from Mankato State University (MSU), MN, USA. He has also completed the FinTech program of Oxford University, Said Business School and the program on Transformational Leadership of the University of Cambridge Judge Business School.

Marios is certified for offering investment services and has a special interest in Economic Development and job creation through Investments especially in Banking, Financial Services, FinTech, Investment Funds and Private Public Partnerships across economic sectors. He represents Cyprus in various international and European Conferences.

Mr. Vassilios Vrachimis is an experienced Partner at PwC Cyprus. He advises organisations on strategy, transformation, governance, technology-enabled change, organisational effectiveness and performance improvement.

Vassilios joined PwC UK in September 1998 after completing his degree at the University of Manchester. He worked at PwC UK until August 2012 and then transferred directly to PwC Cyprus. This international career path has given him experience across two PwC member firms and exposure to both mature and developing advisory markets.

At PwC Cyprus, Vassilios has held a range of leadership positions over time. These have included industry leadership roles, internal management responsibilities and competency leadership roles. His firm-wide appointments have included Chief Digital Officer and Chief Strategic Transformation Officer, through which he contributed to the firm's digital agenda and strategic transformation priorities.

As the senior partner in Consulting, he is responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of the consulting practice. His client work spans public and private sector organisations and brings together strategic thinking, financial discipline, governance and technology-enabled transformation.