I was born in Larnaca. After graduating from the American Academy Larnaca, I went to the US on a Fulbright Scholarship for my university studies. I obtained a bachelors degree on Mathematical Economics and Business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I then joined the Federal Reserve Bank of the US in Economic Research, where I was responsible for the research and publication of papers in academic journals, the preparation of materials for the Federal Open Market Committee (when the Committee was meeting to decide on interest rates) and the production of the Beige Book (which is the quarterly synopsis of the US economy). At the same time, I obtained my masters degree in Economics/Econometrics from the University of Missouri-St Louis. A few years later, moved back to Cyprus and started working at the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, where I was responsible for new strategic investment projects – from their feasibility study to the coordination with investors and other governmental departments. However, I did not enjoy the slow pace of public sector life – so I joined Deloitte’s corporate finance department, where I loved working on M&A deals, valuation analysis, feasibility studies and financial modeling. In 2011, I moved to London and started working at Morgan Stanley, a US bank, in investment banking, where I advised companies on mergers, acquisitions, stock exchange listings and financing deals – first, in the power and utilities sector and then in the technology sector. After 11 years with Morgan Stanley, I moved to UBS, a Swiss bank, mid-last year, where I am heading the software banking practice.
Currently, I am the Managing Director at UBS, in investment banking and more specifically, in the technology team. I lead software coverage across EMEA, which means that I advise software companies on mergers, acquisitions, stock exchange listings and financing deals. I travel a lot and spend time with both corporate clients and financial investors. I feel lucky because in my job, I get to work with exciting companies that are at the forefront of technological innovation – for example, we are now organising an event on artificial intelligence, with many companies that are movers and shakers in the space.
At the Academy, our motto, “to grow and to serve” was not just a motto – it fully underpinned our academic and extracurricular life. This is something that has stayed with me throughout my professional and personal life. Taking my job as an example: “to grow” – my job is one that offers continuous learning and development opportunities, as each project is different, and the nature of the work forces me to think creatively and strategically; and “to serve” – in my job, I have many opportunities for charitable activities, initiatives on diversity (we need more senior women in finance!), mentoring and team development.
I attended the American Academy Larnaca between 1992 and 1999. To this day, I treasure my time there. Not just because of the lifelong friendships that were created, but also because of the way the Academy helped broaden my horizons. We did not just have the highest academic standards and teachers that truly cared – we also had a wonderful sense of community with plentiful opportunities for extracurricular activities. I remember participating in many clubs – the debate club, the theatre club, the French club, the environmental club and the list goes on. All that combined with cherished experiences (like the trip to Greece, the top class show and the theatre performances) and opportunities to give back to society.
One of my fondest memories is working as a team to gather as much money as possible for our Year 6 trip to Greece. We worked at the canteen during the breaks and had to come up with innovative ideas of what to sell in order to increase our profits. Also, we had put our business minds to work and organised other events and activities for the same reason – parties, bake sales, even a Valentine’s day flowers and chocolate sales. And of course, the trip itself was amazing, with many unforgettable memories!
