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ABOUT

MEET OUR TEAM

Our team is a blend of multidisciplinary scientists, sales and sourcing professionals,

focused on creating distinctive quality and value for your products.

Team

Dimitris Kalias, PhD

Founder & CEO

Dimitris founded VIO Chemicals AG in 2001, after holding various senior positions in business development, sales and chemical development in leading chemical and pharmaceutical companies including Ciba-Geigy, EMS Dottikon and Lonza. Dimitris completed his studies with a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Zurich.

Dimitris Kalias PhD Founder & CEO

Manuela Miracola

Commercial & Sales Director

Manuela joined VIO Chemicals in 2006. She has over 20 years of experience in the chemical field, mainly as head of a back office team responsible for administration as well as purchasing and sales, while maintaining close contact with customers. Before joining VIO Chemicals, Manuela was Sales Manager Switzerland and Italy in a chemical trade company. Manuela graduated from KV Zurich Business School with a degree in commerce.

Manuela Miracola Senior Sales Manager Head of Administration

Ralf Budnik, PhD

Business Development Manager

Ralf joined VIO Chemicals in 2014. Previously, he was responsible for business development at Indukern Chemie AG and has held several senior positions in business development, key account management and international sales in the chemical industry. Ralf studied chemistry at the University of Essen, Germany, where he also obtained his Ph.D.

Ralf Budnik PhD Business Development Manager

George Georgitsakis, MBA, MSc

Sales Manager 

George joined VIO Chemicals in 2021 to develop and manage the intermediates and API business portfolio. He has over 10 years of experience in sales, while he is also skilled in business planning, management and team building. Before joining VIO Chemicals, he worked as a Sales Manager in Turkey, for a well-established brand of medical devices. George holds a Bachelor in Biology from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master in Science (MSc), focused in Health Care Administration and Management, from the International Hellenic University.

George Georgitsakis

Ioanna Kazantzidou, MA

Marketing Communications Officer

Ioanna joined VIO Chemicals in 2020 to support all-round marketing communications activities, including online & print tools. Previously, she worked in digital marketing and communications for the building chemicals and events organisation industries. She has studied Journalism and holds a Master's degree in Advanced Computer and Communication Systems from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. 

Ioanna Kazantzidou, MA Marketing Communications Assistant

Stephen Liu, BSc

Head of Strategic Sourcing & Supply Chain, China

Stephen has more than 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry. Before joining VIO Chemicals, he held various senior positions in business development, sales and marketing in leading pharmaceutical companies, including Sinopharm Jiangsu and HETERO Labs Ltd. In his last position, he was the Chief Representative of China in Pharmaceutical MNC, with a turnover of USD 2 billion. Stephen graduated from China Pharmaceutical University with a BSc in medicinal chemistry.

Stephen Liu BSc Head of Strategic Sourcing & Supply Chain, China

Vaibhav Valodkar, PhD

Head of Strategic Sourcing & Supply Chain, India

Vaibhav has more than 21 years of industrial experience in research and development, project management, commercial API manufacturing, third-party contract manufacturing and sourcing. Over the years, he has held various positions in leading chemical and pharmaceutical companies, including Sandoz-Novartis, E.I. DuPont, Sun Pharma, Torrent and Pharmathen. Vaibhav completed his studies with a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the M.S.University of Baroda, Vadodara, India. He has 14 publications in various international journals.

Vaibhav Valodkar PhD Head of Strategic Sourcing & Supply Chain, India

Thanos Andreou, PhD

Scientific Affairs 

Thanos has completed his studies and post-doc in organic synthesis at the University of Barcelona. He is working to enhance target framing and evaluation and to transform constraints to opportunities. Meanwhile, he is exploring the viability of new concepts, methodologies and upcoming enabling technologies, in order to expand the team's knowledge base and technical arsenal, along with managing research synergies and collaborations with academic partners.

Thanos Andreou PhD Scientific Affairs