Nikos Sarilakis '06, Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and a minor in Web Development and Multimedia
Nikos graduated from ACT in June 2006 with a B.A. in Marketing and a minor in Web Development and Multimedia. After completing his Greek military service, he moved to San Francisco in January 2008 where he completed his Master's degree in Integrated Marketing Communication at Golden Gate University.
He currently serves as a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Apple, with a focus on worldwide small business marketing. Prior to this, he was a Director of Product Marketing at Salesforce and head of marketing at Twin Prime (Acquired by Salesforce) and Sustainable Brands. In 2019, he founded GiveRoll.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in San Francisco with a mission to allow everyday donors to have a greater impact on the issues they assign higher priorities.
In 2012, he and a few friends founded dopios.com (now WelcomePickups.com), a community marketplace where travelers can discover authentic experiences curated by locals.
The best memory I have of ACT…
I can't recall a single best memory. If I had to pick one, it would be graduation day. It's the day you realize that everything you worked hard for came to fruition. I have so many memories, though. My best friend is the first person I met on my first day at ACT. Crazy, huh?
My favorite professor was …
There were so many that I would like to thank, and I don't know where to start. If I had to choose, though, I would pick Panos Vlachos because of his mentorship. Mr. Vlachos was my advisor and the person I owe the most for my career success. It was his advice that helped me develop my path.
My favorite spot on campus …
The Cafeteria is where we would meet with my friends and chat, compare notes, and have coffee and a bite. So many unforgettable memories from that spot. The library is a close second! Back then, it was a brand-new building, and we would spend a lot of time in the labs!
ACT helped me to…
understand my passion and where I want to be. (Physically and professionally). I'm not sure if I would live in San Francisco and work in Tech Marketing if I didn't go to ACT. So I owe a lot to the professors and staff.
For me, ACT is…
a place to discover what you want to do professionally. At ACT, you get many opportunities to find your passion. In addition, you have plenty of time to explore anything from philosophy to computer science or business. This is very important to an 18-year old who is asked to choose a path for the rest of their life.
The best part of my job is…
I work at the headquarters of one of the biggest tech companies in the world. What I love about it is the access to cutting-edge technology and incredible innovation and the impact of my work on millions of people worldwide.
I consider this an important moment in my professional journey…
My professional career had many significant moments, decisions, failures, and successes. This is true for everyone. A critical decision was when I moved to the tech space because this is what I love. But the most crucial moment was when we launched our startup, dopios.com. We had been working on this side project for many months during our evenings and weekends. That day we launched the website and started getting real web traffic and press inquiries was one of the happiest days in my professional career.
In the future, I want to…
help young professionals and entrepreneurs in Greece and the U.S. to advance their careers. In my 15-year career, I had so many mentors and supporters to help me along the way, and it's very important to me to pass this on to younger generations.
