Health Sector Research Center (HealthSec)
Alexandrakis Emmanuel
Adjunct Professor
Managing Partner, Sors Financial & Strategy Hub
Head Strategy Advisor, Techins Group of Companies
Adjunct Professor MBA International, Athens University of Economics and Business
A multidisciplinary strategist and economist, Dr. Alexandrakis brings over 35 years of experience spanning economic policy, public administration, academia, and the private sector. He specializes in the intersection of technology, innovation, and economic transformation, with a strong sectoral focus on the Health Economy. Having held senior executive and advisory roles across healthcare, tourism, finance, education, and infrastructure, he has served both multinational corporations and national governments. His work seamlessly integrates policy development, investment and financial strategy, and digital transformation, particularly within the realm of health, tourism and culture.
Currently, Dr. Alexandrakis serves as an Adjunct Professor and Strategic Development & Internationalization Advisor at the MBA International Program of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), where he also leads the Health Sector Research Center (HealthSec) within the University's Management Science Laboratory (MSL). He recently assumed the role of Head Strategy Advisor at the Techins Group of Companies, alongside his position as Managing Partner at Sors Financial & Strategy Hub, the Group’s advisory branch. Furthermore, he is the Coordinator of the Executive Steering Board for The eMBA Nexus Executive Mentoring at the University of the Aegean. Mentoring remains a central pillar of his professional journey, highlighted by his active involvement with numerous global institutions, including the UBI Business School (Brussels, Luxembourg, Madrid, and Shanghai).
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Alexandrakis has held several prominent leadership positions. He previously served as a Global Strategist for the promotion of the Health Economy at the WifOR Institute, an independent German economic research organization with global reach. Prior to this, he was Associate Director at MSD Greece & Cyprus (Merck & Co., Inc.), where he headed policy, communications, and corporate social responsibility strategies. In the public sector, his impactful tenure includes serving as a Senior Advisor to the Hellenic Parliament - focusing on economic adjustment and fiscal reform - and as Special State Secretary at the Hellenic Ministry of Tourism, where he assumed full ministerial responsibility during the 2009 national elections interim period. He has also operated internationally as the CEO and Vice President of Master Hellas Consulting, overseeing operations in Greece, Romania, and Jordan.
Beyond his executive roles, Dr. Alexandrakis maintains a robust portfolio of advisory and board memberships. He has contributed his expertise to the G20 Health & Development Partnership, the Hellenic Development Bank (Audit Board), the Hellenic Archaeological Proceeds Fund, where he served as an Executive Board Member. Today he serves on Business Advisory and other Boards of MBA Programs in Greece and globally, as well at the Anti-fraud Committee of the Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies. On the international stage, he acted as a policy reform advisor to the Government of Kazakhstan and contributed to the WHO - European Office for Investment for Health and Development as a member of the Expert Review Board on the Health Economy.
Within Greece and the broader EU, he has coordinated Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Investment Committees in the areas of Transportation, infrastructure and tourism, and contributed extensively to policies centered on innovation, entrepreneurship, pharmaceuticals, and tourism development. He has also worked closely with the Economic and Social Council of Greece, serving as a scientific advisor to coordinate and draft numerous published opinions on key legislative and policy issues. Driven by a commitment to future-focused business practices, Dr. Alexandrakis co-founded Unite and Ignite, a global initiative designed to bridge private and public organizations to foster a deeper understanding of how technological innovation is transforming the modern business landscape.
Stavros Stavridis
Research Affiliate
stavros.stavrides@metabusiness.eu
Stavros is a business transformation and innovation advisor with more than two decades of senior leadership experience in strategy execution, portfolio management, and organizational alignment in the pharmaceutical sector. Through his firm, Metabusiness, he partners with executive teams to execute complex transormational programs that enable sustained performance.
Before founding Metabusiness, Stavros held senior commercial and marketing leadership roles at Novartis Oncology and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where he led cross-market strategy deployment, brand growth initiatives, and complex portfolio transformations in Greece and throughout Europe. His work focused on aligning multifunctional teams around shared goals, simplifying decision pathways, and building execution capability in dynamic environments.
An active contributor to the broader innovation ecosystem, Stavros serves as a Board Member of La French Tech Athens, part of the international La French Tech network — a global movement and ecosystem that brings together startups, investors, corporates, public institutions, and community builders to support the creation, growth, and global development of innovative technology ventures. La French Tech is anchored in the French Mission French Tech, a public initiative that connects and mobilizes innovative actors across more than 100 communities worldwide, with the aim of strengthening innovation capacity, facilitating access to markets and capital, and enhancing cross-border collaboration.
His professional interests include leadership alignment, AI adoption, strategic execution, and team activation frameworks that translate strategic intent into measurable impact. Stavros holds an MBA from ALBA Graduate Business School, a BSc in Business Administration, and executive certificates from INSEAD. He is fluent in Greek and English.
Anastasia Balasopoulou
Research Affiliate
Anastasia Balasopoulou counts about four decades of experience in Health Sector and specifically in the Hospitals’ operations and financial management. She has worked as President/ CEO in two Athenian hospitals “Alexandra” and “Hippokration” as well as in the position of Administrative Director in “Pammakaristos” and “Metaxa” Hospitals
She studied “Business Administration” at Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), Hospital Management at the National School of Public Health when she holds an MSc degree on “Analysis for Health Care Decisions” at London School of Economics (Operational Research Dpt.).
Anastasia Balasopoulou includes in her specific scientific interests the following:
- The Hospital Financial and Budgeting System, with emphasis on DRG system as well as the Health Insurance Challenges (both Social and Private)
- The Production Organization related to the Quality of Services, (Lean Production/ University of Michigan) towards improving the Value for the Patient
- The interoperability and the synergies between Hospitals, Units and Sectors towards enhancing performance’s efficiency and effectiveness of viable systems
She has long teaching experience (over 20 years): at the National School of Public Health and the National School of Public Administration as well as at the Universities Frederick (since 2017) and Rene Dekart College (since 2022). She is teaching “Financial Management of Health Organizations”, “Performance Management/ KPIs/ Benchmarking”, “Production Management”, Decision Making”.
Current position: Head of Health Policies’ Planning and Development Directory of the 1st Health Region in Greece, with main responsibility the monitoring and Benchmarking of Health Units’ Performance (both Hospitals and Health Centers) and the development of proposals for improvement.
She has long experience in International Synergies and European Projects:
- Currently she is the Leader -on behalf of 1st YPE (which has been nominated as Competent Authority)- three European Projects:
- EUnetCCC: Establishment of Comprehensive Cancer Centers and relevant network
- PERCH: interpretation of current situation and improvement of HPV Vaccination
- JARED: improvement of Heath Policies about Respiratory Diseases
- She has organized and run the Special Interest Group “Benchmarking and Best practices” within European Health management Association, with Prof. W. von Eiff, University of Muenster.
- Congresses (10 thematic congresses with International participation) & Workshop “Hospitals’ Assessment” within the yearly Congress for Economics &Health Policies
- She collaborates with WHO
Chuah Chai
Visiting Research Fellow
Mr. Chai Chuah’s career in healthcare spans over 28 years. The pinnacle of his career was his appointment to the most senior role in the New Zealand health system, the Director General of Health, and Chief Executive of the Ministry of Health. Before this appointment, he held senior leadership roles at national, regional, and local levels across wide-ranging disciplines, namely:
- developing and implementing strategies, policies, and plans.
- health system and clinical services restructuring,
- hospital operations,
- quality & safety
- workforce development,
- facilities development
- information technology development,
- funding and financial management, and
- supply chain, procurement, and logistics
The challenges faced in First World countries' health systems and the opportunities, potential, and possibilities that lie ahead are Mr. Chuah’s kay interests. Meeting these challenges and seizing opportunities will require a positive and open mindset, disruptive innovations, teamwork, courage to have a difficult conversation, and making hard decisions. Equally important are clarity and coherence of purpose, vision, strategy, plans, and operating model. Last, but not least, Mr. Chuah has the right leadership talent, with a bias to implement health service changes, capable of positive and sustainable impact on those in need.
Mr. Chuah’s current advisory and research portfolio focuses on three priorities, namely:
- Future health system
- Developing leaders
- Better ways to care for our seniors
The first priority focuses on what the future looks like and how we transition to get there. The second priority focuses on developing the right leadership talent, capacity, and capability. The third priority recognizes the challenges of an aging population in many countries.
Layland Adam
Research Affiliate
Adam's career commenced when he joined Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust in 2005, working as a volunteer in the community and as a GP out of hours call taker in 2006. He obtained his Paramedic qualification through Sheffield Hallam University and East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust in 2008 before commencing as a Paramedic with West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Adam was promoted to an Advanced Paramedic and Community Paramedic Officer before being seconded to support the Executive Management Team. During the secondment Adam was a Staff Officer to the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Service Delivery.
He has also held roles in other NHS Ambulance Services; in the London Ambulance Service he was a Mentor Paramedic (Practice Placement Educator), training newly qualified Paramedics to the high standards required by the Health and Care Professions Council. For Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust he was an Operational Support Manager in the Gloucestershire Area responsible for the delivery of the 999 service before becoming the Senior Operations and Performance Manager for the Patient Transport Service across Great Western Region. Adam re-joined West Midlands Ambulance Service in 2012 as a Senior Operations Manager partaking in duties across all sectors of the organisation. He held roles as the Head of Transformation, Acting General Manager, and Head of Operations for the region and was a member of many sub-board groups, including being a Tactical Commander for the organisation.
He is a Member of the Institute for Healthcare Management, Member of the Chartered Management Institute, Member of the British Academy of Management, Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Member of the College of Paramedics, where he was also the Parliamentary Lead.
Adam completed a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Leadership with the NHS Leadership Academy, University of Manchester and the University of Birmingham in 2016. He was honoured with a Senior Award in Healthcare Leadership by the NHS Leadership Academy and was runner-up for the NHS Inspirational Leader of the Year 2014 and nominated for NHS Leadership Award in Leading Service Improvement and Innovation for 2016.
He is passionate about the improvement of patient care, and staff development through excellent leadership and management. He joined Coventry University in 2017 as an Assistant Professor in Leadership and Management and in April 2019, Adam become the Associate Dean for Enterprise and Innovation in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences where he was responsible for a portfolio across the Faculty consisting of: Continuing Professional Development, Consultancy, Commercial Research, Apprenticeships, Intellectual Property and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. In addition to this Adam was a member of the Faculty Leadership Team and represented Health and Wellbeing on the City of Culture 2021 Steering Group for the University. Adam also was the Deputy Executive Lead for the Midlands Engine Mental Health and Productivity Pilot, an £8.1m government funded project across the Midlands region.
In February 2020, Adam completed a review of the Paramedic Acute Visiting Service for the Coventry and Rugby GP Alliance and following this was appointed to a nominal role as Consultant Paramedic for the Alliance.
In April 2020, Adam was appointed to the newly created role of National Head of Commissioning for Health Education England. He is leading the development of a national commissioning policy for all healthcare education in England, and a new integrated investment and planning process which supports an annual budget of £4.3 billon.
He is an Editorial Board member and reviewer for the British Journal of Healthcare Management, and the Indonesian Journal for Health Administration. Adam has also been appointed as a Board Member for the International Network on Health Workforce Education, where he was previously Co-Chair of Leadership and Management Working Group. He is the UK Chair of the BSI Committee on Healthcare Organization Management, Convenor internationally for the ISO Working Group on Healthcare Quality, leading an international standard for Healthcare Quality Management Systems. He is also a Trustee for Community Transport, a National Charity, previously serving as a Director. In September 2020, Adam was conferred as a Visiting Professor in Healthcare Leadership and Management with York St John University. Between 2018 and 2021 Adam served as a Governor of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest NHS organisations in England.
Marinopoulou Anastasia
Research Affiliate
International Change Management professional with lean projects in her portfolio, Visiting Lecturer, Coach and Entrepreneur with expertise in strategic marketing and sales planning, business and operational development towards creating synergies recognizing environmental, organizational, cultural and team dynamics.
Anastasia has successfully integrated lean tools, techniques and practices with marketing, sales and HRD development methods to assess and re-model companies’ positioning and business development plans.
Results include lower operational costs, more committed workforce, more flexible and customer centric services and administration, waste free - efficient operations as well as faster R&D.
Ms Marinopoulou has participated in many change management, marketing and HR initiatives for major Retail groups and Pharmaceutical companies (La Prairie Group, Motor oil, Fourlis, TFL, the NHS (via LSBU collaboration), Eurobank, Novartis, Phizer, Elpen, Skanska UK, Galliford Try, Morgan Sindall, etc) and is supporting Greek companies with regards to Sub-Saharan international business development.
Education and Professional Training
Ms Marinopoulou holds an MBA with Distinction in strategic planning (LSBU - UK) following in the same university her bachelor’s degree in marketing. She is also Belbin® and MBTI® accredited (Personal and Team Development methodologies) and uses her skills in team development and communications to empower managers and executives worldwide.
Her deep knowledge and experience in business development and change management initiatives reflect a careful analysis, innovative thinking and mentoring attitude.
Visiting Lecturer
Anastasia has designed (F2F and Online formats), taught and led modules on business management and operations (including MSc and MBA programs) for the University of Law (London) and London South Bank University.
Representations and Ethical Responsibility
Anastasia is the representative for the renowned Leadership and teamwork Belbin® methodology in Greece and Cyprus.
She often interviews CEOs and managers on practices and values that have introduced a different perspective in business, and she supports very small SMEs for free as part of her CSR responsibility.
Peristeris Platon
Senior Researcher
Platon Peristeris holds a PhD in Biochemistry and a BSc in Human Biology from the University Claude Bernard – LYON I, Lyon - France. He has spent more than 10 years on research work in several laboratories working on various subjects such as acute inflammation, angiogenesis, cancer and cytogenetics.
He then entered in the pharmaceutical industry where he acquired more than 19 years of experience in key positions of increasing responsibility and leading teams in areas such as Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Quality Control, Public Affairs and Pricing & Reimbursement for the markets of Greece, Cyprus and Malta.
Since 2014, he works as an independent Consultant in Pharmaceuticals providing services to several Greek and multinational pharmaceutical companies in areas of his expertise.
He is the author of more than 30 publications, posters and oral communications.
Westwood Anjali Raj
Research Affiliate
Dr Anjali Raj Westwood is an academic, entrepreneur, mentor and speaker. She has an interdisciplinary focus spanning business and healthcare. She works towards delivering impact through her various lines of work. In her academic roles, she has been teaching a range of subjects like basics of healthcare management, promoting quality and safety in healthcare, global perspectives on healthcare policy, international business strategy, and entrepreneurship. She is the lead for Venture Creation Lab for UBI Business School in Brussels. She has worked with over 7 universities in the UK and EU. Her research interests span healthcare service delivery, organisational culture and maternity, breastfeeding, and telemedicine. In her entrepreneurial role, she co-founded a maternity healthcare startup based in India providing a range of omnichannel services during pregnancy and postpartum. Maternia Care (formerly Ilove9months) has raised various levels of funding and received appreciation from state and national bodies. Anjali is a startup mentor with Founder Institute in both the UK and Nordic countries, coaches TEDx speakers and provides consultancy services. Lastly, she is currently working on a book draft titled “Breastfeeding for working mothers”, and a book chapter on “m-health for maternity in India” for the META project, an interdisciplinary research funded by German Ministry of Research and Education.
