Biography

Bio

I am originally from Limassol, Cyprus. I first came to the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar in 2008 and obtained my BBA and MPA degrees from the University of Texas at Austin in 2012. Following my graduation, I returned to Cyprus to fulfill the two-year home residency requirement of my Fulbright scholarship.

While in Cyprus, I worked at Deloitte with my main clients primarily in the banking and shipping industries. During this time period, Cyprus negotiated a bailout program with the European Union which resulted in essentially bankrupting the second largest bank in Cyprus. The Central Bank of Cyprus selected PIMCO to assess the financial system of Cyprus, and I was part of the Deloitte team which helped PIMCO evaluate the loan origination process of the largest bank in Cyprus (for its operations both in Cyprus and Greece). The institutional and industry knowledge acquired during this time was invaluable.

My time at Deloitte also made me realize that I wanted to research and understand phenomena in more depth. Therefore, upon completing the two-year residence requirement, I returned to the U.S. and the University of Texas at Austin to pursue a Ph.D. in Accounting which I completed in 2019. In May 2019, I joined the James Benjamin Department of Accounting as an Assistant Professor.

Hobbies

Whenever possible, my wife, our son, our dog, and I enjoy exploring small cities in Texas. We like combining our trips with good BBQ or a 'short' hike. I am also a 'techie' and enjoy learning new programming languages and following the news in the tech world. When stressed out, I usually turn to woodworking and BBQing. Finally, I like running and playing/watching football, soccer, and tennis.