The SEV Center of Excellence in Creative Leadership invites you to the next event of the Leading Creatively Discussion Series, taking place on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, from 18:30 to 20:00 at Alba Graduate Business School (6–8 Xenias Str., Athens, 11528).

Our guest speaker will be Sarah E. Toms, Chief Learning Innovation Officer at IMD.

The event will be conducted in English only and held exclusively in person.
Please note: no livestream will be available.

Register here

 The rise of generative AI has triggered a fundamental rethinking of how leaders learn, make decisions, and shape organizational culture. While the technology itself is rapidly evolving, the deeper challenge lies in how we transform human systems: the way we exercise judgment, build trust, and lead people. In this conversation with Sarah Toms, Chief Learning Innovation Officer at IMD, we will explore what it means to lead when intelligence is no longer confined to people. AI is increasingly embedded not just in operations, but in the everyday routines through which organizations and individuals learn and adapt. From personalized learning paths and executive coaching bots to training role-plays and AI-augmented decision-making, the scope, scale and essence of leadership development is shifting fast. At the same time, this transformation raises more fundamental questions: How do we ensure that organizations don’t become only more efficient, but also more humane? How can AI amplify ethical awareness, emotional intelligence, and creativity—rather than displace them? What new skills are needed and what is the role of specialist expertise? This conversation will address the present state of the art as well as the medium- and long-term implications of AI for leadership, learning, and organizational transformation. Join us in a discussion on moving beyond AI as a tool—and toward AI as a force reshaping how we learn, grow, and lead.

About the speaker

Sarah E. Toms is Chief Learning Innovation Officer at IMD where she leads the Learning Innovation and AI strategy, and former executive director and co-founder of Wharton Interactive. She is a demonstrated thought leader in the educational technology field, fueled by a passion to find and develop innovative ways to make every learning environment active, engaging, more meaningful, and learner-centered. She has spent more than twenty years as a leader in the technology sphere, and was an entrepreneur for more than a decade. In addition, she is coauthor with Peter Fader of The Customer Centricity Playbook.

The digital transformation of the economy is a multifaceted topic with large implications for labour markets, the world of work and society at large. It is dealt with in a variety of ways by EU member states, due to different social and economic situations, labour markets and industrial relations systems and existing initiatives, practices and collective agreements.

The digital transformation brings clear benefits for employers, workers and jobseekers alike, in terms of new job opportunities, increased productivity, improvements in working conditions and new ways of organising work and improved quality of services and products. Overall, with the right strategies, it can lead to employment growth and job retention.

The transition also comes with challenges and risks for workers and enterprises, as some tasks will disappear and many others will change. This requires the anticipation of change, the delivery of skills needed for workers and enterprises to succeed in the digital age. Others include work organisation and working conditions, work life balance and accessibility of technology, including infrastructure, across the economy and regions. Specific approaches are also needed for SMEs to embrace digitalisation in a way that is tailored to their specific circumstances.

Since the gains are not automatic, we need to adapt our labour markets, education and training, and social protection systems to make sure the transition is mutually beneficial for employers and workers. The EU and national governments have an important role to play, by ensuring that the framework conditions allow and support employers and workers to grasp the opportunities and leave them space to find appropriate solutions to deal with the challenges, bearing in mind that they know best the situation on the ground and what measures are needed to benefit enterprises and workers.

It is also important to take into account the climate and environmental impacts.

Furthermore, a shared commitment is needed on the part of employers, workers and their representatives to make the most of the opportunities and deal with the challenges in a partnership approach, whilst respecting the different roles of those involved.

This framework agreement is the shared commitment of the European cross-sectoral social partners – BusinessEurope, SMEunited, CEEP and the ETUC (and the liaison committee EUROCADRES/ CEC) – to optimise the benefits and deal with the challenges of digitalisation in the world of work.

Aims
This framework agreement aims to:

• Raise awareness and improve understanding of employers, workers and their representatives of the opportunities and challenges in the world of work resulting from the digital transformation;
• Provide an action-oriented framework to encourage, guide and assist employers, workers and their representatives in devising measures and actions aimed at reaping these opportunities and dealing with the challenges, whilst taking into account existing initiatives, practices and collective agreements;
• Encourage a partnership approach between employers, workers and their representatives;
• Support development of a human-oriented approach to integration of digital technology in the world of work, to support/assist workers and enhance productivity;
  By:

Outlining a joint dynamic circular process, which takes into account the different roles and responsibilities of the different actors and can be tailored to different national, sectoral and/ or enterprise situations, industrial relations systems, jobs and different digital technologies/tools;
Highlighting concrete approaches, actions and measures, which employers, workers and their representatives can use, according to their specific needs and circumstances, to tackle topics such as skills, work organisation and working conditions.

We are excited to kick off 2025 with one more “Leading Creatively” Discussion Series event organized by the SEV Center of Excellence in Creative Leadership. The event will be held on Thursday, February 6, 2025 from 18:30 to 20:00, at Alba Graduate Business School (Xenias 6-8, Athens, 11528). Our guest speaker is Lampros Bisalas, Group CEO & Executive BoD Member of Sunlight Group

To create a more meaningful experience through personal connections, we’re hosting this as an in-person gathering only. There won’t be an option to join virtually.

The event, will be conducted in Greek.

Registration here

At the core of Sunlight Group’s strategy lies a relentless commitment to adaptability. CEO Lampros Bisalas will discuss how the company follows market dynamics, anticipates disruptions, and adapts its strategies. This requires a culture of innovation and resilience, and a commitment to R&D investments.

Through strategic acquisitions, such as Triathlon (Germany) and recently Lehman Marine, active in marine batteries, Sunlight is vertically integrated from production to recycling. Further, with localized production in strategic regions like USA and Germany, they are mitigating supply chain risks while tailoring solutions to regional markets.

To support this growth, Sunlight has undergone an internal cultural, organizational, and digital transformation. Bisalas will explain how the company relies on agile, empowered teams, alongside comprehensive digital platforms ensuring faster data-driven decision-making.

The talk will also explore the challenges of sustaining the company’s track record of high performance over time. Bisalas will address the balance between ambitious growth and maintaining operational excellence, all while aligning with global ESG goals through green manufacturing and circular economy practices.

With over 30 years of expertise in producing lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries, Sunlight Group, a Greek multinational company, has established itself as a leader in advanced battery technology. Sunlight today is present in 14 countries and serves the energy storage market in more than 115 countries. Sunlight’s state-of-the-art facilities include the world’s largest vertically integrated traction battery manufacturing plant in Xanthi, Greece.

About the speaker

Lampros Bisalas is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Sunlight Group since April 2020. He also serves as Executive Director of the Sunlight Group Board of Directors since 2017. Lampros has risen through the ranks at Sunlight, carrying extensive experience of the company and its business operations around the world. Since 2008, he has served in various financial, business transformation, sales and business development divisions – both in the parent company and its subsidiaries. Prior to being appointed CEO, he was Sunlight’s CCO, leading critical areas around sales, business development and product management. He played a key role in the accelerated development of innovative products in lithium technologies. Lampros Bisalas holds a BSc in Business Administration from Panteion University, (Greece) and an Executive MBA from IMD Business School (Switzerland). He has graduated from Harvard’s Business School and MIT‘s Sloan School of Management (USA) Advanced Management Programs (AMP), and has attended several Leadership, Pricing, Innovation, ESG and Strategy focused courses at IMD and Wharton (USA) Business Schools. Lampros has graduated, as well, from the Swiss Armed Forces Training Command for managing crisis and the communications involved.

We are excited to invite you to the second event of this academic year, part of the “Leading Creatively” Discussion Series, organized by the SEV Center of Excellence in Creative Leadership. The event will be held on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, from 18:00 to 19:30, at Alba Graduate Business School (Xenias 6-8, Athens, 11528). Our guest speaker is Vasso Kindi, Professor of Philosophy of Science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

To create a more meaningful experience through personal connections, we’re hosting this as an in-person gathering only. There won’t be an option to join virtually.

The event, will be conducted in Greek.

Register here

 The reaction to developments related to artificial intelligence is marked either by awe at the scope of its capabilities (whether already apparent or projected) or by fear of the potential implications and the unknown risk of the changes ahead. Philosophy can deal with the concerns that have arisen less alarmingly because similar issues to those raised today in relation to artificial intelligence have already been discussed, in the past, in the philosophical literature.

For example, whether Large Language Models (LLMs) can think is analogous to the question of whether animals, which were historically considered mere automata, are capable of thought. The question of how to distinguish humans from machines has also been explored (given also that humans themselves have been thought of as machines). Issues of authenticity, originality, and creativity are not being raised for the first time, while ethical concerns related to privacy, responsibility, accountability, transparency, bias, intellectual property, etc., are variations of old problems. Deriving theories from large datasets is also an age-old practice.

What differs now from the past is mostly scale and speed. Now, the fact that these issues have been discussed does not mean that definitive answers have been reached. But, it does mean that philosophy can offer us ways to address these issues more dispassionately and in their proper dimensions.

 About the speaker

Vasso Kindi is Professor of Philosophy of Science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. She is the author, editor, co-author, and co-editor of books and articles on philosophy of science, T. S. Kuhn’s work, Wittgenstein’s and Collingwood’s philosophy, philosophy of history, philosophy of language, and ethics. Her most recent book is Philosophy of History (in Greek, 2021, English translation forthcoming in Bloomsbury). She is the President of State Scholarships Foundation (2024-), and a member of the Advisory Committee for AI to the Prime Minister of Greece (2023-). She has been the Editor-in-Chief of International Studies in the Philosophy of Science since 2019, Chair of the Graduate Program in History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (2022-2024), and the national representative to the Council of Europe Platform on Ethics, Transparency and Integrity in Education (2020-2024). In the summer of 2024, she was elected member of the Steering Committee of FISP (Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie) for a five-year term.  She has served as a member of the National Council of Research, Technology and Innovation (2019-2023), and as the national representative to the European Research Council (2021-2023). She has coordinated the project “University 2030” of the Bodossaki Foundation (2020-2021) and is a member of the board of the Lilian Voudouri Foundation (2023-). She is a founding member of the Hellenic Society of University Women and has been a member of its board (2011-2022). She regularly contributes to the press on philosophical issues of public interest and matters of academic policy and university reform.

We are excited to invite you to the first event of the fall, part of the “Leading Creatively” Discussion Series, organized by the SEV Center of Excellence in Creative Leadership. The event will be held on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, from 18:00 to 19:30, at Alba Graduate Business School (Xenias 6-8, Athens, 11528). Our guest speaker is Kostas Kefalakis, Chief Transformation Officer at Roche Hellas

The event, will be conducted in Greek and you may attend in person or online, via livestream.

Register here 

In order to respond to today’s challenging business environment, most organizations try to shed traditional structures and strive to be more adaptive, resilient, and agile. This transformation requires not only a shift in operating model but a fundamental reimagining of leadership, culture, and governance. In this presentation, we explore how Roche Pharmaceuticals evolved into an organization that functions like a living organism—dynamic, responsive, and anti-fragile, characterized by decentralized leadership, trust-based governance, and a culture of continuous innovation.

To a large extent, this transformation is inspired by the five phases of organizational evolution as outlined by Frederic Laloux in “Reinventing Organizations”, from hierarchical and mechanistic entities to organic, self-managed, and purpose-driven collectives. Roche’s journey reflects this evolution, having successfully transitioned from a traditional, bureaucratic organization to one that fosters greater autonomy, accountability, and empowerment at every level.

The organization as a living organism is a complex, adaptive system capable of thriving in a fluctuating external environment by decentralizing decision-making to respond to emerging challenges in real time. This adaptive model is underpinned by self-organizing teams with autonomy and accountability being distributed across all levels of the organization.

Moreover, instead of long-standing organizational norms around budgeting, career path development, and decision-making hierarchies companies seek more adaptable systems that allow for flexibility in resource allocation. For example, performance management systems focusing on long-term value creation drive purpose-driven organizations where success is measured by the real-world impact on stakeholders.

Leaders in this model act not as controllers but as enablers and facilitators, guiding the organization through trust-based relationships. Executives act as stewards of the company’s vision and curators of the organizational climate rather than as micromanagers.

About the speaker

Kostas Kefalakis has more than 19 years of experience working in Lean, Agile and cultural transformation.

He started his career in Toyota Motor Europe in 2005 as a project manager responsible for coordinating 5 manufacturing plants, R&D and aftersales to improve initial quality & durability.

In 2011 Kostas moved to Vistaprint in Switzerland as a Global Lean Manager running projects & driving Lean, Agile & cultural transformation in sites across Europe, China, Australia, USA and Canada.

At the end of 2014, he moved to Hilti in Liechtenstein as a Global Lean Manager implementing Agile in R&D and Lean across numerous manufacturing plants and logistics sites in Europe, US and China before taking the role of Head of Global Lean bringing a new culture of Lean & Agile across the organization.

In his time with Hilti he was also invited as a guest speaker to ETH, Lancaster university and IMD.

Today Kostas is the Chief Transformation Officer of Roche Hellas responsible for driving the radical cultural transformation as well as digital transformation and is involved in many global strategic initiatives bringing value beyond Greece.

The SEV Center of Excellence in Creative Leadership invites you to one more “Lead Creatively: Discussion Series” event on Thursday, June 20 , 2024, 18:00-19:30 at Alba Graduate Business School (6-8 Xenias str, Athens, 11528).

The event, featuring Professor Costas Andriopoulos, Bayes Business School (City, University of London) will be conducted in English, with simultaneous translation into Greek available for those who require it. You may attend in person or online, via livestream.

Register here

In this engaging talk you will discover the power of curiosity as a catalyst for personal and professional growth. Through thought-provoking insights and practical examples, Costas will explore how we can all harness the potential of purposeful curiosity to drive innovation, enhance decision-making, and achieve sustainable success. You will gain a deeper understanding of how curiosity fuels creativity, unlocks hidden potential, and leads to breakthrough ideas. By embracing curiosity as a strategic advantage, we can unlock new pathways to profit and long-term organizational success.

Join us to understand the transformative power of curiosity in driving creativity and innovation; develop strategies for cultivating a culture of curiosity within teams and organizations; and to leverage purposeful curiosity for identifying and capitalizing on untapped market opportunities.

About the speaker:

Costas Andriopoulos is Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and serves as the Associate Dean of MBA programs at Bayes Business School (City, University of London). Costas ranks in the top 3% globally in innovation management based on citation count. He is deeply committed to education, equipping founders, and leaders with the tools to think differently, encouraging them to take calculated risks, and guiding them to make decisions that lead to meaningful and impactful innovations. Costas also played a pivotal role in establishing Bayes X, a prominent research centre dedicated to innovation and disruption. He has co-authored the textbook “Managing Change, Creativity and Innovation” (5th Edition, Sage, 2024) and authored “Purposeful Curiosity: How asking the right questions will change your life” (Hachette Books, 2022; Yellow Kite Books, 2023), a popular book that delves into the transformative power of purpose-driven curiosity for success and fulfilment. Additionally, he is the Director of Avyssos Advisors Ltd., a consultancy specializing in innovation management.

www.andriopoulos.org