Maria Papadaki

Dr. Maria Papadaki is an Associate Professor at the British University in Dubai (BUiD) and a Managing Director for the BUiD Centre for Risk and Innovation (DCRI). She has over fourteen years of experience in Risk Management from both Academia and Industry, with numerous years in the implementation, development, improvement, and management of risk frameworks and tools in the Aerospace Industry. Maria worked previously in Rolls-Royce plc and the University of Manchester. In Rolls-Royce plc. Maria was able to implement risk in most parts of the organization. She initially worked in the ERM Department to improve the ERM system across the organization. She then moved into Supply Chain Function as a Supply Chain Risk Manager to design, develop and implement integrated and standardized tools and processes across the organization (Civil, Defense, Energy, Nuclear, and Marine) for improving risk delivery through the global supply chain. In 2013, Dr. Maria Papadaki was seconded as an Interim Head of Risk, leading the risk management for the UK Nuclear Restoration (UKNR), a joint venture between AMEC, Atkins, and Rolls-Royce plc bidding for the most significant nuclear decommissioning project in the UK (7.2 bn). In 2014, Maria did volunteer work, initiated the idea, and led the development of the first innovation Hub (H2B) in Crete, Greece, on behalf of the Heraklion Chamber of Commerce.

At the University of Manchester, Maria worked as a senior relationship manager and a Head of the PMO office to support and enhance relationships with the United Arab Emirates. In 2016 Maria was appointed as a Managing Director for Dubai Center for Risk and Innovation (DCRI) and led the development of digital certificates for university graduates, making the university 1st in the Middle East and 3rd in the world in implementing Blockchain technology in education. In 2018 she was appointed as a Board of Directors for the Institute of Risk Management in London (irm). Under this profile, she leads the institute's global education and training standards strategy. Dr. Maria Papadaki is a visiting lecturer at The University of Manchester. Her research is now focused on integrating disruption technologies with Enterprise Risk Management (Blockchain and Metaverse), the study of the economics of crypto tokens (Tokenomics), and the introduction of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). In addition, Maria is a TEDEX speaker, trying to create a new model for education through a unique ecosystem that uses disruptive technologies to allow people to understand the power of knowledge and its possibility of reaching a stage of perfect intelligence based on the Plato academy. Finally, Maria is a co-founder and a CEO of one of the first NFT Cardano Marketplace based in Dubai.