It is with deep sadness that the Department of Economics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens announces the sudden loss of Professor Emeritus Dimitrios V. Papoulias.
Dimitris V. Papoulias was a distinguished member of the academic community of our Department, with significant contributions to university teaching and research, but also with a broader presence in the public life of the country.
He was born in 1939 in Psari, Trikolona, Arcadia. He studied Mathematics at the University of Athens and continued his studies in Operations Research at the University of Rome, while in 1976 he was awarded a doctorate from the University of Oxford. He worked as a researcher at the University of Rome, at the Transport Studies Unit of the University of Oxford and at the National Technical University of Athens.
In 1989 he was elected Professor at the Department of Economics of the University of Athens, where for many years he taught and developed research work in the fields of Operations Research, Management and Business Strategy. He published numerous scientific papers and co-authored or edited books on the organization, management and strategy of large enterprises, as well as the functioning of the state and public enterprises.
In parallel with his academic career, he held important positions of responsibility in the public sector. Among others, he served as advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, Secretary General of the Ministry of National Economy for Public Utilities, Deputy Governor of ETVA, as well as Chairman of the Boards of Directors of OTE and PPC. During the period 1991–2001, he also served as Chairman of the Group for the Modernization of Our Society (OPEK).
The Department of Economics bids a moving farewell to a dear colleague and university teacher who combined academic knowledge with public service. It expresses its heartfelt support and warm condolences to his family and loved ones.
The funeral service will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., in the Church of Saint Emilianos, on Skouze Hill (17 Athamanias, P.C. 10444).
