Meet the team – Christos Skoutas, senior business development manager

Christos joined our team as a senior business development manager back in October 2019. Have a read to find out more about Christos' role, what he enjoys doing outside of work and what he thinks the future holds for the industry.

Librarians and publishers are under a lot of pressure these days to keep up with new technologies, manage many different systems, educate their users, make sure the resources the library pays for are used as much as possible whilst negotiating high value subscriptions with different publishers across the globe. Having the benefit of being part of a global business means I share our experience of working with a wide range of institutions around the world with librarians in these regions and discuss how OpenAthens can help them solve their similar problems. 

Another aspect of my role is to work closely with our partners to help them serve our customers better. Local representation and speedy customer service are very important in different parts of the world. 

What are your hobbies and interests?

I am into fitness and sport and have always been active. Nowadays I focus on weight-lifting and I enjoy learning how the body works and how different styles of training lead to different outcomes. Try to go to the gym 3-4 times a week, although when traveling that can be a challenge! 

Music is also something that I followed from a young age. I learned to play the mandolin and violin when I was growing up in Greece and I would like to spend more time getting back to playing again. 

What’s your proudest achievement? 

Leaving Greece to study and work in Oxford, New York and London. That decision took me in a completely different direction and made me grow personally and professionally. Since I left Greece I have travelled around the world, met some amazing people and learned things I wouldn’t have if I had stayed in Greece. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given or could give?

The best piece of advice I would give is NIKE’s logo: Just Do It. I remember when I told people back in Greece that I wanted to go to New York instead of staying in Athens to work in the public sector, they said I was crazy. From my experience no matter how crazy an idea may sound it can work with the right planning and effort. And even if it doesn’t work, the experience of trying to make it work is invaluable. 

Who inspires you?

Athletes like Michael Jordan and Cristiano Ronaldo have been good motivators for me. It’s not the incredible talent these athletes have, but the relentless focus, effort, dedication, and sacrifices they made in order to be at the top of their game that is impressive. 

On a more personal level, the women I grew up with were inspirational figures in my life. My grandmother, mother and sister showed me what resilience and hard work on a daily basis looks like. 

What do you think the future of the industry looks like?

The open access movement, the RA21 initiative that became SeamlessAccess, and now AI have shown that the industry is changing at a much faster pace than before. Data standardization, AI deployment, cybersecurity, and exchange of information in a more open environment will be some of the key themes in the next 10 years. While all the above initiatives are gathering pace, institutions and regions will be adopting the new standards and technologies at different speeds. Also, we may see that big publishers and institutions will adapt more quickly in comparison to smaller ones, due to their greater resources. We may also see some regional differences as well; US, UK and Australia may lead the race with other countries and regions following at a much slower pace.