Celebrating the Futureproof Leaders of Tomorrow

The Alba commencement ceremony is always joyful and triumphant. More so this year when our 2022 graduates gathered at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center on December 5 to celebrate their achievements with all of their friends, family and the Alba community.

The new graduates join an extended family of over 62,000 ACG alumni from Greece and abroad who carve their bright futureproof career paths. Armed with the necessary tools to lead an entrepreneurial, innovative and sustainable future, our 316 graduates from 17 countries were awarded degrees in Masters of Science (MSc), Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and Executive Masters of Business Administration.

Dr. David G. Horner, President of The American College of Greece, gave the welcoming remarks: “Our graduates, with the support of family and friends and the faculty and staff of Alba and the College, pursued their academic goals under challenging conditions. In so doing, they demonstrated their determination, adaptability, and self-discipline.”

Dr. Christos S. Mantzoros, keynote speaker and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, provided words of encouragement when he stated: “For your generation, it will be an absolute necessity to be on the path of continuous improvement through lifelong learning, but you will also need to reinvigorate, reshape, reinvent yourselves again and again over the years. Be open to change, be curious, seek new knowledge, keep on learning and growing and developing yourselves and those around you.”

Stavros Skarlis, winner of the 2022 Highest Achievement Award, reflected on his decision to pursue an Alba MBA program: “Being exposed to the “Alba experience,” I valued two important aspects: the structured teaching program delivered by highly qualified professors and the existence of an extensive community of academics and professionals from a wide spectrum of industries.” 

Following the conferral of degrees, Alex L. Derventzas, a Member of the Alba Alumni Association, welcomed the newly-minted graduates to the alumni family: “As Alba alumni, we all have both a duty and a cause; to make a positive impact on society. We all make endless efforts to become role models for the people around us, acting with integrity and ethos in every aspect of our lives: our job, our friends, our family, and our country!”

Urging the graduates to continue the 30-year Alba tradition, Dr. Konstantinos Axarloglou, Dean of Alba Graduate Business School, urged them to “Be agents of change. Be the salt of the earth. If you wish our country to grow and prosper in the long run, you, as privileged members of this society, carry a higher obligation: to lead, to lead responsibly, to share, to give back to society."

"Class of 2022, congratulations! We are proud of your achievements, perseverance in the face of adversity, and success in completing the Alba learning journey! As you become “global citizens,” remember to continue your development through lifelong learning and commit to making the most of this exciting new chapter. Be open to change, seek new knowledge, be curious, and do business in a socially responsible manner, ethically, with generosity to your partners, clients and the community. Continue this Alba tradition and never forget to look for meaning in everything you do! Wishing you the best of luck in your future endeavors! "