Interview with graduates pt. 2

The second graduate I had the honor to speak with is Konstantinos Ioannidis. The first time I met Konstantinos was within the course of ‘Research Lab’ at ADandPRLab. He is 34 years old and he loves to travel, reading books and listen to music.

Konstantinos has a ten years in Consumer and User Research and the last two years, he is Supervisor of Usability and Sensory Panels for the Global R&D of BIC Shavers. He is very happy to be a member of an international and growing organization. From what he told me everyday he learns something new and this is the best award he could get.

He believes that we are citizens of the world and the option of working abroad is not a frightening thought but he is open to it. However, Athens is the place he was born and the city he loves the most.

Moreover, I asked him about the risks on our field and more specific in professional and also in personal life. What he believes is that the biggest risk is not taking any risk.

‘Challenges make you better as a person and as a professional. Even if you make a mistake, this should prepare you for the next time.’

Furthermore, Konstantinos doesn’t know anyone who’s working alone on this field. He thinks that the best moment working in teams is when you see synergy happen, when the combined power of a group working together becomes greater than the total power achieved by separate work.

‘As they say: “teams write history”! However, the ideal combination is when a successful team implement a brilliant idea!’

Working in Research, traveling around the world and meeting new, fascinating people are some of his goals for the future. He has recently published a paper on Leadership Skills along with Dimitra Iordanoglou, Betty Tsakarestou and LidaTsene and the most important skills that come up from this study are: passion, collaboration, trustworthiness, inspiring others, flexibility and strategic thinking. Regarding these skills he told me that he loves working with others and he persistently focus on the final goal. He also told me that there is always room for improvement. Ideally, every skill should be further trained.

You cannot rely on previous achievements. The shortest path to failure is when you believe that there is nothing to learn or improve.

‘The importance of technology in our lives is undeniable. We must stay on track with technological developments as to bring more easiness to our work and life.’

When it comes to social media, Konstantinos prefers to call them as ‘social networks’. The idea here is to build relationship with peers and colleagues and learn from them. I asked him also about the ‘ideal co-worker’ and his expectations are not as high as I thought. He/she should be team player, should have willingness for continuous improvement, and should love chocolate. He believes that character is more important than education.

His advice to ‘young blood’ on our field is to be persistent to his/ her dreams and to find ways for new personal and working experiences.

Additionally, I asked him about ADandPR Lab and more specific his thoughts about this lab. He first mention Betty Tsakarestou as the living history of ADandPR Lab. Her vision and her efforts made ADandPR Lab comparable to the best schools of the world. He also mentioned Dimitra Iordanoglou, who is the mentor that influenced him the most during his academic years.

Konstantinos has only good memories from this Lab. He will always remember the trip they had as ADandPR Lab to Ranch Korinthias.

They had two full days with games, seminars and fun.

Finally, ADandPR Lab has been the cornerstone of his professional career. He could not understand its impact as a student, but now -14 years after his graduation, he can say that it has totally influenced him and prepared him for the professional world.

I would also like to thank Konstantinos Ioannidis for his time and this interview.

Babasioti Loukia