A father in becoming. A man who loves family and appreciates the beauty of life. A professional, who embodies a quite unique and rare combination of experiences, knowledge and skills. A pleasant and balanced personality forged, by strong professional experience, deep academic study and rich life relationships.
Dr. Georgios
Karadimas
I was born on the 27th of December 1967 in Athens, Greece. I was always curious and I liked to learn and to create. As a result, I very early developed a strong aptitude towards mechanics and engineering. The urge to become something that could be admired later on, sparked my will to develop myself and as a result I became very interested in sciences. I did not however stay there. I started to study almost everything. My initial goal was set to become an astrophysicist. I therefore started to study physics but very soon I became interested in the philosophy of physics, which heavily influenced my way of thinking about things of life in general.
As a teenager, I was attracted to computers that by then were just starting to appear in homes. I quickly set a target to learn more about them and as a result I managed to be admitted to the School of Computer Engineering and Science of the University of Patras in 1985. That was one of the most esteemed schools in Greece by then. I however soon found out that computer engineering and science was not an area that I dreamt of spending the rest of my professional life in. A couple of years before I finished my studies, I came across the idea of studying business and as a result I decided to continue my studies in this field. Postgraduate studies of this kind were not possible in Greece by then. The main options that I had available therefore were to either go to UK or to US. I preferred the first one.
I was admitted as an MBA student to the University of Sheffield in 1991. Despite the difficulties that I experienced initially, I was able to be integrated and ultimately I developed a strong interest in financial management, financial markets and banking. Despite the fact that this was a subject area that was far from computer engineering and science, I very soon became immersed in it. However my studies in computer engineering and science, actually influenced the way I saw business and I managed them later on.
In 1995, as soon as I left the Greek Army, which I had to serve for almost a couple of years, I was hired by Ford Credit, which had just established operations in Greece, as a Dealer Service Representative. I very soon decided that this was not the job that I would like to have and I moved on to join CPI, a small Greek company by then, as a Product Manager. At the same time I decided to study Marketing. I therefore applied for the Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. I managed to be awarded with the relevant Diploma in 1997. The fact that I was working as a marketer whereas at the same time he was studying marketing, helped me to directly apply the acquired knowledge with significant results. During 1998, I advanced my career by joining Sony as a Marketing Supervisor for Sony Telecom Club and later on as a Product Manager of one of its most traditional product categories, namely Personal Audio.
Immediately afterwards, I joined Altec as a Business Unit Manager for Telecommunications and Retail in 2000. I saw this position as an opportunity to advance my career even further. At the same time I decided to apply for an MSc in Operations and Logistics Management of the University of Surrey. The relevant title was awarded to me on 2003. By then, I was already working for CPI as a Sales Manager Dealer Network and Large Accounts. Later on I also assumed the role of Marketing Manager for the whole CPI Group of Companies.
I moved my career forward to becoming a C-Level Executive on 2007. I was hired by ADT in order to lead its Greek subsidiary as a General Manager. That took place during a very tough time since the economic crisis was just starting, a crisis during which Greece was one of the countries affected most. As a result of my efforts to keep the company alive, I developed a strong expertise in restructurings and turnarounds. During my tenure in ADT, and later AGIS Fire & Security, in which I occupied the role of the President & Managing Director, I decided to further develop myself by enrolling for a PhD in organizational transformation in Adizes Graduate School. I first came across Adizes methodology when I was working for CPI. I very soon became interested in it mainly because of the granularity that it offers to leadership and management. I managed to finish up with his PhD on 2018. In 2014 I moved to KONE as a Managing Director of the Greek subsidiary. I left KONE on 2016 to join Strategy Technics as a Senior Associate, GEP as a Chief Operating Officer and Connecticore as a President & Managing Director. I am currently a Managing Partner of Koubaras, a boutique consulting firm and the only associate of Adizes Institute in Greece and Cyprus.
Throughout my professional career, I did my best to develop myself both academically and professionally. This was always a key element that characterized my way of thinking and acting. The fact that I was managing companies as a C-Level Executive whereas at the same time I was studying for my PhD intensively, offered to me the opportunity to become an expert in organizational transformation. More specifically, I am an expert in the identification of the phase in which organizations are on their lifecycles, a knowledge that is critical for them in order to plan their way forward. This is especially importantl when, for example, organizations face the need to become systematized and institutionalized or the need to transition from one generation of their ownership to the next. It is also critical when they face stagnant development or even decline. Organizations, can stay in prime stage forever and in order for that to happen, management should be able to lead the way. Organizational prime is not a condition but a process and is therefofore highly unstable. As a result of that, organizational decline is always a threat. Mitigating and even reversing it is therefore important for owners, stakeholders and the society. The area of my expertise is definitely important when fundamental organizational change is required.
Clearly, both my academic knowledge and my practitioner expertise are quite broad and as a result very unique. As a result of that, I can see business issues from lots of different angles. I am therefore able to see problems even when none is visible and to propose the right solutions preemptively. The granularity of my thinking, which has been forged by years of professional experience and academic studies are a guarantee for that.
I have two sons whom I adore, Peter who was born in 2006 and Efthymios who was born in 2010. I love to introduce myself using my capacity as a father. In my free time I read books, I walk and I enjoy classic cars restoration. I currently live in Avlonas, Attica, Geece.
Dedicated to extracting value even in the most difficult situations through the understanding of the point of views and the interests of all the stakeholders involved. Strong belief in the fact that there are always possibilities throught perserverance and solutions through mutual trust and respect.
