Meet my city: Thanos Karanatsios '00 & MBA '04

Thanos was born in Ptolemaida and grew up mainly in Veria, Greece until he was 18 when he moved to Thessaloniki to study his first BSc in Sports Sciences at Aristotle University. Thanos attended ACT in 1996, graduating with a BSc in Business Administration, and was awarded Best Athlete of Class 2000. He then joined the first-ever version of the ACT MBA program, graduating with a double major in Entrepreneurship and Marketing, and was once more awarded MBA Student Of The Year. During his studies, Thanos passionately served as a member and captain of the ACT varsity teams, student representative and volunteer, and member of the National Handball team, as he is a several times Champion, Cup winner, and awarded MVP/Best Handball Player nationally and internationally, even reaching the Final 4 in Europe.

Professionally, Thanos is a “good generalist,” in his words, having diverse experience working in finance, sales, marketing, and academia. After some years in the corporate world, Thanos returned to Anatolia High School as a PE teacher. However, he migrated to Switzerland in 2012 to continue studying neurosciences at the Universities of Geneva and Lausanne. There Thanos worked for the famous private school College Du Leman, for the FT ranked No1 in online executive education IMD Business School Lausanne, and for the United Nations as an expert education consultant, designing and managing courses and coaching hundreds of executives from around the world. Thanos also holds degrees in digital marketing, positive psychology, neuroimaging, business analytics, and performance analysis from the universities of Edinburgh, UEast London, St. Mary’s London, Columbia, Harvard, MIT, and more. 

Thanos is married to clinical neuropsychologist Maria Diamantoudi, an ACT alumna with studies in the USA and UK. They have a daughter and live in Geneva, Switzerland, for the past ten years.

Which is the best time to visit your city?

Geneva is a year-round destination, with many tourists landing during winter time for quick access to the world-famous ski resorts, but also a top destination during summer (especially famous amongst Middle Eastern and North African affluent families) as it provides excellent sightseeing with cool weather.

Which museum or attractions are worth visiting?

There are several options, my favourite being the Croix Rouge (Red Cross) museum and the Patek Phillippe watch museum. Furthermore, the Natural Museum is very popular with kids.

Which restaurant would you suggest?

With more than 1000 restaurants, while being one of the most expensive cities in the world to dine, the secret is to know where to go to taste good international cuisine at affordable prices. Some places are 50% cheaper and sometimes serve even better food than luxury ones! Some of my favourite are Da Paolo, and Luigia for Italian food, Khora for Greek, Le nouveau Lido’ Chez Ana’ for Spanish cuisine, Pad Thai for Thai, the area of Paquis for Lebanese street food, and a very typical Swiss-French restaurant in the city center called Café du Centre, highly recommended for seafood aficionados. Other than that, one should taste the Raclette or fondue cultural tradition, a typical Swiss culinary habit.

Which places would you recommend for accommodation?

Geneva has many options as it is a world center for business, studies, banking, non-profit organizations, etc. though arguably expensive. For a more affordable stay, one can choose neighboring France (Annemasse, Annecy). However, my favourite hotels in Geneva include Citizen M, in the city center (where a Greek employee prepares a frappe coffee for me), and on the top end, if one can afford it, the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues (during the Laver Tennis Cup, Federer, Nadal, and Tsitsipas stayed there) overlooking the lake, and also the hotel Les Armures in the Old Town (US President Clinton stayed there).

What is something worth buying?

Definitely, the Swiss Army Knife, which I always carry in my bag and I gift to visiting friends. I suggest the Swiss Champion version, which is handy in many situations. A fun fact is that I have seen managers wearing it on their belts during business meetings, maybe signaling that “they have a solution for every problem”…! 

What is the best way to get to know your city? 

I would say take advice from the locals. Geneva is very touristy, but one can easily walk around the city in a few days. A very interesting option, which I usually reserve for friends, is buying them a Day Train Ticket, which allows for 24-hour use of any public means of transportation for the whole of Switzerland. This way, one can spend a day or two exploring Geneva, and then hop on any train (Switzerland has an excellent public transportation network!) in the morning and be at the other end of the country in 3-4 hours, stopping in between on a random city for lunch, have an Aperol in another town, and back to Geneva by midnight.

What is your favourite place in town?

My daily routine involves walking through the city and next to the lake. It is one of the greenest cities in the world, so walking around my neighborhood, an area called Rive Gauche, literally meaning left shore, based on the position of the lake (Chene-Bourg, Cologny, Vandoeurves, etc.), submerged in nature, with calm paths via greenery, overseeing the tallest mountain in Europe the Mont Blanc, and the Lake of Geneva. A representative fact is that Geneva was ranked No1 city to live in the world in 2014. 

Which is your top secret place in the city you live in?

Believe it or not, there are many designated beach spots around the lake, so I have discovered some beautiful small beaches where you can swim, nap, and have a picnic when the weather is good during spring and summertime! It is not Greece, of course, but it’s a welcome solution for us Mediterranean expats…