The team behind the Centre

Professor Pieris Chourides is the Director of the CCAF–EUC MENA-MED Research Centre. He also currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission, where he oversees the regulatory authority responsible for supervising casino operations and gaming activities in Cyprus.

Dr Chourides is the Dean of the School of Business Administration at European University Cyprus. He holds a BEng (Hons) in Electrical Engineering, an MSc in Strategic Management, and a PhD in Knowledge Management.

His research focuses on developing best practices in Knowledge Management, including models and tools such as the sophistication scale, people portfolio matrix, knowledge adaptability matrix, knowledge management intelligent systems, knowledge transfer models, and performance measurement frameworks. His work also spans Strategic Management, Project Management, Velocity Theory, and Real Quality.

Prof. Chourides has collaborated with organisations in the automotive and aerospace industries on strategy, quality management, and knowledge management initiatives. He previously served as Head of the Research and Strategic Planning Department at the Cyprus Federation of Employers and Industrialists.

Prof. Chourides also leads the cooperation between the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School and European University Cyprus across the Euro-Mediterranean and MENA regions. He is also an assessor of the European Foundation for Quality Management excellence model and a reviewer for several academic journals.

Alexander Apostolides is an experienced researcher and consultant. He is currently leading research in the MENA region for the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance and is a research associate of European University Cyprus.

Alexander has experience in consultancy across a range of projects, including EU-funded projects. He has also led the European Commission project, the EU One Stop Shop of Green Line Trade, as well as having a role as a lead researcher for the Baltic Finance Centre, a research centre at Riga Technical University, undertaking research on government fintech strategy and sanctions.

Alexander specialises in financial regulation and policy, the economy of Cyprus, and the economics of peace. He has advised the UNDP, the Council of Europe and Transparency International on these issues.

Alexander was also an advisor to the Cyprus government through his position in the National Economic Council of the President of Cyprus and has worked as an economist at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK.

Alexander is passionate about capacity building and training, with experience teaching a range of economics, leadership and entrepreneurship courses to regulatory authorities, local authorities and government stakeholders, as well as providing education at universities in both face-to-face and online settings.