Alumna Profiled: Zeta Cheimonidou
Graduated: Deree ’94
Lives in: Athens, Greece
Current Position: Vice President, Marketing & Strategy, AB Vassilopoulos S.A.
“There are no glass ceilings; my path was always mine to create, my responsibility. Find your purpose and do your best; nobody else is going to do it for you.”
1994 Deree alumna, Zeta Cheimonidou holds a bachelor’s degree Marketing and a master’s degree in Finance from the University of Hull, United Kingdom.
Since 1996, Zeta has been part of great companies from the food and beverage sector, such as Elais/Unilever, Coca Cola Hellas, Diageo, and Nikas.
In 2014, Zeta Cheimonidou became member of the President’s Advisory Council of Deree – The American College of Greece, while in December of 2015 she became a member of the Women in Business (WIB) Committee of the Greek American Chamber of Commerce.
For almost 6 years now, Zeta is the Vice President of Marketing & Strategy of AB Vassilopoulos S.A. Her experience lies in the field of marketing & communications, strategy and innovation. In her current position at AB Vassilopoulos, apart from retail marketing and strategy, she is also responsible for sustainability, loyalty, internal and external communication, e-commerce and business intelligence.
Q&A
Q: Which three words would you choose to describe Deree?
Teamwork, learning, progress.
Q: What are three enduring values you learned at Deree?
To be determined and persistent, to lead with fairness, to aim for the best.
Q: Looking back, how did your time at Deree help you become the person you are today?
Learning how to work in a team, as a member or as a leader, helped me believe in my potential and find the job I love to do. I had great mentors, such as Mr. Tsikalakis, who helped me understand what it means to be a true commercial marketer and select the best possible MBA to complete my knowledge. That resulted in a great combination of Marketing BA and Finance MBA.
Q: What do you miss most from your days at Deree?
There was always a sense of achievement, of development. I will always cherish that feeling. The sense of learning through experience and not only through theory. I miss my friends, team members and classmates and our common purpose to achieve great things. There was such an optimistic view of the future. It was amazing.
Q: What advice would you give a new Deree student?
Get the most out of it. Enjoy your time and learn, learn, learn.
Q: Who or what inspires you the most?
My parents were the biggest influence in my life and now it is my husband and my son. Being a mother and a spouse completely changed my view of life. I am also inspired by people whose purpose is to have a positive influence in this world.
Q: What is your motto in life?
There are no glass ceilings; my path was always mine to create, my responsibility. Find your purpose and do your best; nobody else is going to do it for you.
Q: What does your work and/or current projects entail?
Prepare my team and the company I work for, for the challenging future ahead. Strategy, talent, digital are three main areas. Bigger social impact is also a goal.
Q: What is the most inspiring aspect of your work?
Working with people for people (team, colleagues, and customers).
Q: What are your plans for the future?
Never stop growing, never stop learning.
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