Nico Gariboldi (Pfizer): Thessaloniki, a city with great potentials, is “on the radar” of foreign investors

Thessaloniki, a city with great potentials, is “on the radar” of foreign investors, as the head of the Center for Digital Innovation (CDI) of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer in Thessaloniki, Nico Gariboldi stated, speaking to the Athens/Macedonian News Agency.

The strategic position of the city, the high level of human talent, but also the investment of Pfizer in it, make it a pole of attraction and can lead to new investments, he believes. “The impact (of Pfizer’s investment) is more than positive, and the timing has helped.The fact that Pfizer – which emerged as a protagonist in the fight against the pandemic – chose to establish its Center for Digital Innovation in Thessaloniki, at a time when digital innovation proved to be a “key” in the fight against the pandemic, has put Thessaloniki on the map of innovation and scientific excellence”, he adds.

According to Mr. Gariboldi, Thessaloniki has already begun to be included in the global map of innovation and scientific excellence, while the trend of brain regain (return of specialized executives who had emigrated) for the city is expected to continue: “Thessaloniki has great potential. By bringing together world-class experts and top local minds and encouraging them to work together, we can make a difference and put Thessaloniki in the the global map of innovation and scientific excellence. And this is already happening! Not only talented people from Thessaloniki and the wider region show interest in working with us, but at the same time Greek scientists and professionals, who lived and worked abroad, from the Netherlands and Germany to the USA, have become members of our team in Thessaloniki and are happy and satisfied that they returned and contributed to the change from brain drain to brain regain for the city, but also for Greece as a whole. We are confident that this trend will continue.”

“We are looking for people whose innovative digital solutions “speak” to their technological spirit.

Mr. Gariboldi spoke to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency ahead of the “CDI Tech Hiring Days” event on 11-12 March (https://centerfordigitalinnovation.pfizer.com/cdi-tech-hiring), which, among other things, aims to find candidates for 18 jobs in the Pfizer hub, where more than 350 highly qualified employees are already employed after 21 months of operation. What is the profile of the people the company is looking for to staff these 18 new jobs in the hub?

“We aim to attract the best talent for the CDI, from young people, university graduates to more experienced technology professionals, who are interested in contributing to innovations that change patients’ lives. We are looking for people whose innovative digital solutions “speak” to their technological spirit and who dream of working for a company that pioneers innovation in the fields of health and technology.We have 18 new jobs, related to this event, from Junior Platform Services to Mid Data Integration Engineers and Senior Software Engineers. All interested parties can apply for these positions, by sending their CVs and participate in our event, where they can network with people who think like them, learn more about Pfizer’s Technology, and claim the opportunity to become members of the CDI family”, replies Mr. Gariboldi.

According to Mr. Gariboldi, CDI works closely with the local innovation ecosystem of Thessaloniki and Greece and constantly invests in this collaboration, encouraging the interconnection of the city’s people with its global network.”We have a consistent strategy of working with local and international actors in the field, with the aim of creating opportunities and exchanging ideas and best practices on a mutually beneficial basis. Our collaborations with the Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas and with Elevate Greece are very good examples of this effort to connect and cooperate with everyone involved”, he concludes.

Center for digital innovationforeign investorsinnovation ecosystemNico GariboldiPfizerTHESSALONIKI