Welcome and Remarks Dean Costis Maglaras Dean and David and Lyn Silfen Professor of Business Columbia Business School
Outstanding Alumni Award Shai Weiss '97 CEO, Virgin Atlantic
Outstanding Alumni Award: Shai Weiss '97
Shai Weiss is CEO of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays, leading the company towards its vision of becoming the most loved travel company.
Having joined the Virgin family back in 2001 as Managing Director of Virgin Media, Shai has worked in various roles across the Group ever since. His extensive background in finance and operational expertise led him to the CFO position at Virgin Atlantic in 2014, before becoming CCO in 2017 and then CEO at the start of 2019.
Outside of Virgin, Shai serves as a non-executive director of Checkpoint Software Technologies, a leading provider of cyber security solutions to governments and corporate enterprises globally. He is also a long-suffering Arsenal fan, Columbia University alumni and proud father and husband living in London.
Meet the 16th Dean of the Columbia Business School as he begins this new chapter in his career and brings his analytical experience and esteemed background to the School.
Costis Maglaras is dean and the David and Lyn Silfen Professor of Business at Columbia Business School. He received his BS in electrical engineering from Imperial College, London, and holds MS and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
An expert in operations research, data analytics, and quantitative finance, Dean Maglaras has served as chair of the Decision, Risk, and Operations Division; as faculty director for the Risk Management course administered through Executive Education; and as a member of the Executive Committee of Columbia University's Data Science Institute. He has received numerous awards for both his stochastic modeling and data science research and teaching.
Independent of the Business School, in 2007, Dean Maglaras helped found Mismi, a financial technology firm that introduced innovative quantitative electronic trading algorithms and transaction analytics tools to the marketplace. He is a frequent consultant to industry, primarily in the areas of quantitative finance and electronic trading. Dean Maglaras and his family live in New York.
As London’s 21st Century Grand Hotel, the Corinthia combines grace and grandeur with contemporary style. Dating back to 1885, its imposing building retains its vast lobbies, high ceilings and period details, the perfect setting for our CBS London community to celebrate together and honor our special guests.
A champagne reception will take place in the Courtroom, followed by remarks from our new Dean Costis Maglaras. We then move next door to the Ballroom where a three-course dinner will be served along with the presentation of this year's Alumni Award.
Gala co-Chairs: Carol Campili '95, Sonia Mihelic '97
