A featured contribution from Leadership Perspectives: a curated forum reserved for leaders nominated by our subscribers and vetted by the Construction Tech Review Advisory Board.
DEMO Pharmaceuticals S.A.
Driving Digital Transformation from the Inside Out
Evangelos Vagias’s journey in technology began over 25 years ago. He started out in the fast-paced world of telecommunications, where he spent much of his career, most notably with Cosmo Telecom. Over time, his path led him into the pharmaceutical industry, where he continued to explore how technology could make organisations smarter, faster and more efficient. What’s remained constant throughout his career is his passion for helping businesses embrace change. In parallel lines, he has led large tech teams through complex transitions, always with a focus on empowering teams, simplifying processes and unlocking the full potential of innovation.
Through this article, Vagias shares that real digital transformation is driven by people, not just technology. It begins with a clear vision and a strong strategy, but what truly powers change is trust, motivation and collaboration. For him, lasting transformation happens when everyone feels included, valued and confident in the role they play.
Leadership Principles Led by Vision, Strategy and Execution
When it comes to leading digital transformation across different industries, I believe it all starts with three key foundations—vision, strategy and execution. We need a clear vision and aspiration for what the organisation could become in the years ahead. But having a vision isn’t enough; it must be communicated in a way that makes people feel included, helping them see how their day-to-day work contributes to that bigger picture.
The next step is building a solid strategy, whether that’s modernising infrastructure, developing a digital supply chain core or investing in data analytics. Finally, execution means carefully planning the order in which each initiative is rolled out. It’s important to strike the right balance between long-term foundational projects, which may take time to show results but are critical for lasting impact and short-term quick wins that deliver visible progress. This balance helps keep the organisation moving steadily towards its goals while also maintaining energy and confidence along the way.
Digital Foundation Redefining DEMO Pharmaceuticals
At DEMO Pharmaceuticals, where I currently work, we are in the unique position of being both a traditional, family-owned company and a rapidly growing force in the pharmaceutical industry. As the leading supplier to Greece’s National Health System and a major exporter, DEMO has been experiencing strong, double-digit growth across turnover, workforce, product lines, global operations and all other areas for more than five consecutive years.
To sustain this momentum, we realised that IT could no longer serve merely as a support
function. Instead, it needed to become a strategic enabler of growth. Around the same time, the company launched a major investment plan to expand manufacturing and R&D capacity, reduce production costs, boost productivity and streamline operations.
Our digital transformation roadmap was designed to support these goals. We focused on building scalable infrastructure, like migrating to the cloud and increasing our digital maturity by developing a workplace that allows seamless, secure collaboration from anywhere. At the same time, we’re targeting specific business processes such as procure-to-pay and planning to ensure we deliver tangible value.
Turning Compliance into a Strategic Advantage
Of course, with any major digital transformation, especially in a sector as sensitive as pharmaceuticals, there's always a risk that things can slip out of control if you're not careful. But in our case at DEMO, we were already starting from a strong foundation. Compliance has always been part of our DNA, both at the company level and within IT. Because we operate in a highly regulated industry, our IT systems have long been subject to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), which come with very strict rules set by bodies like the European Medicines Agency and the FDA.
It’s not just about following the rules. It’s about documenting everything thoroughly, having clear procedures in place and making sure those procedures are actually followed. That mindset has really helped us stay grounded as we introduce new digital tools. And now, with even more regulations coming into play like the Network and Information Security Directive 2 (NIS2), which applies to critical sectors across Europe, including pharmaceuticals, we’re already well-prepared. For us, this level of structure is something we’ve been doing for years, and it gives us the confidence to keep growing and evolving without compromising on quality or safety.
Transformation Begins with Empowered People
As much as digital transformation is about systems and strategy, it's equally about people. Around three years ago, when I started building and expanding our technology and digital transformation team, I knew that having a high-performing team would be essential. Transformation is a demanding journey, and you need people who are not only skilled but motivated and willing to go the extra mile. That’s why we put a strong focus on relationships, motivation and empowerment right from the start.
We focused on building scalable infrastructure like migrating to the cloud and increasing our digital maturity by developing a workplace that allows seamless, secure collaboration from anywhere.
For me, empowerment means creating a clear framework— setting out the direction, the goals and the boundaries, just like defining the field and rules in a game. Once the team knows where they’re heading and how they’re expected to play, they can take ownership, make decisions and lead initiatives with confidence. That’s the approach we've taken across our teams in our digital transformation unit. And it’s worked, today, we’re not just coworkers; we’ve built friendships, trust and a shared sense of purpose.
Leadership is less about giving orders and more about coaching, supporting and trusting your team to lead from within. That approach proved its value during one of our most challenging projects: the rollout of our new ERP system. It was a massive undertaking, touching nearly every part of the business and pushing our teams, especially in infrastructure and operations, to deliver under pressure without disrupting day-to-day work. It wasn’t easy, but the team stayed focused, driven and united throughout.
Building Trust Across the Business
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that successful transformation is never just about systems. It’s about people. As leaders, our role is not to control every move, but to guide, coach and support our teams, especially during the most demanding moments. When we launched our new ERP system, a massive, high-pressure project that touched nearly every part of the business. It pushed our teams to their limits. But what kept us going was the trust, the shared purpose and the spirit we had built together.
But even the best internal team can’t succeed alone. Real, lasting transformation happens when you build strong relationships across the organisation with R&D, manufacturing, quality and every other function. My advice to anyone leading change is simple: be a true business partner. Show that you’re there to improve people’s work, not replace their value. Yes, transformation may change how they work, but it should never make them question why they matter. Respect their roles, involve them in the journey, and you’ll gain their support and build something that lasts.
