Dr. Costas Konis is a systems thinker who combines unique engineering, management, strategy and innovation skills that have been applied to a variety of needs and cases. He has started his career in Engineering firms of the private sector in Athens, Cyprus and UAE and continued as a public service officer for seven years, taking part in lots of developmental initiatives in the energy sector.
Dr. Konis has been trained by the world's top gurus in creativity and innovation and has trained hundreds of executives in these fields. He has many years of experience in managing complex projects and tackling major technological management and innovation challenges both in the public and the private sectors. Since 1993 Dr Konis has been playing a key role in setting up the Cyprus Institute of Technology, a no-profit economic development institution aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of Cyprus' economy. Through a unique World Bank project he has managed, Dr Konis was responsible for setting up an accreditation system for hundreds of Consultants in all fields. At the same period he has managed succesfuly the development of subsidized consultancy studies for hundreds of enterprises in Cyprus. Dr Konis has been the major contributor to the development of Cyprus' high-tech policy. Among his implemented suggestions were the setup in Cyprus of a number of high tech incubators operating with government subsidy. Major other suggestions such as the set up of a Technology Park in Cyprus are in the implementation process. Dr Konis has served as the CEO of the Cyprus Institute of Technology. In this capacity Dr Konis has been advising his Board chaired by the Minister of Commerce Industry and Tourism on various issues of the Institute’s Mission. Dr Konis served as the Manager of the Cyprus Innovation Relay Center and the Executive Director of the Institute of Management Consultants of Cyprus. Dr. Konis has participated in the design and implementation of major technological schemes for the EU, the World Bank, the UNDP and the government of Cyprus. Dr Konis holds the title of European Engineer (the highest Engineering title in Europe) and is a Leventis Foundation Scholar for his PhD work at the University of Stirling, where he was elected as Honorary Lecturer in the Department of Management Science. He serves as a Consultant for PhD Projects of the University of Middlesex, UK and as a Judge to the Innovation Challenge, the biggest innovation competition in the world. Dr Konis is the author of numerous articles in his area of expertise and an invited presenter in many Conferences and International forums. He is a member of the Board of the European Association for the Transfer of Technologies (TII), the Board of Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation, the Advisory Board of the International Network of SMEs and Chairman of its Enterprise Innovation Group. He is also a member of various professional organizations including the American Creativity Association, the American Management Association and the Strategic Planning Society in the UK. Dr Konis holds BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering and MSc in Engineering from Louisiana Tech University USA and a PhD in Management Science from the University of Stirling in Scotland.