Theodore Papalexopoulos, a founding member of Alba, was a pioneering leader in sustainability and had envisioned the establishment of a Business School of international standards in the country early on. The endowed Chair contributes both to the development and dissemination of knowledge on sustainability. At the same time, it supports Alba in emerging as a hub of knowledge creation and dissemination on sustainability and further facilitating T. Papalexopoulos' vision and legacy. The chair is established with a donation from the TITAN Group and the Papalexopoulos & Canellopoulos family.

The first Chairholder is Professor Pavlos A. Vlachos. 

Theodoros Papalexopoulos (1926–2020) was a leading figure in the Greek business community and an impactful pioneer in integrating and generating value across various sectors within Greek Society. Throughout his life and career, he adopted and promoted a holistic approach to sustainability and growth by harnessing resources and personally contributing to various sectors and initiatives across the community, including business, culture, and education, thereby integrating all initiatives in the service of responsible citizenship and corporate social responsibility.

In this context, in the early 1990s, Theodoros Papalexopoulos conceived and envisioned Alba as the first Business School in Greece, with the mission to educate the visionary leaders of tomorrow and to develop the future agents of transformation and change in the Greek corporate community.

During the years of his leadership at Titan, Theodoros Papalexopoulos offered invaluable service to the community, the industry and the economy, both in Greek and in European contexts. He served as President of SEV, he was honorary President of IOVE, he established institutions for Volunteerism, and Responsible Citizenship and initiatives for the prevention of accidents at schools and at work.  His catalytic contribution to the rescue and dissemination of cultural heritage was awarded by the Academy of Athens and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.  Theodoros Papalexopoulos leaves a footprint in the Industrial and Business Community, as well as in the Greek Society. He embodied the traits and the virtues of sustainable, responsible and ethical leadership: Leading with a strong mission for making a difference, a caring attitude, a values orientation that shapes mindset and culture, an integrative style that engenders trust, a willingness to innovate and to be radical. And a long-term perspective on societal impacts.

As the founding father of Alba and a role model for Leadership, Theodoros Papalexopoulos leaves a guiding legacy to our School. At Alba, we are committed to perpetuating this legacy through education and learning, nurturing, further developing, and disseminating knowledge, values, and practices that foster personal and professional growth, sustainable organizations, and prosperous communities. After all, this is the spirit of our “Business Unusual” legacy and our unwavering commitment to setting our sights over the horizon, reaching for visionary ideals and working restlessly to get there, against the tide and all the disruptions.