Siemens Healthineers uses pioneering technologies to enable healthcare professionals to deliver cutting-edge personalised care. Country Head Dimosthenis Tziolias explains how innovation is key to transformation in the sector.

Q: What has been your personal journey with Siemens Healthineers?
When I took on the role, I entered a sector that was relatively new to me, as it focused on the diagnostic part of the healthcare business – my background had been mostly in the interventional side. At that time, Greece was emerging from a decade-long recession and financial crisis, and the healthcare system was under significant strain. My vision from the outset was to provide the best possible diagnostic services to the citizens of this country.

Q: How has innovation helped overcome sector challenges?
Market conditions were difficult, especially as our business model is primarily CAPEX-driven, and economic stability, particularly in the private sector, is essential to trigger any kind of investment. Still, we found ourselves at a promising moment: signs of optimism were emerging, and there was growing interest in exploring new investment opportunities. We took careful, deliberate steps to introduce greater innovation into the market. Greece is a small country, and we don’t enjoy the same level of international exposure as countries like Italy, France or Spain. However, the work we do here is truly innovative.

Q: How did the pandemic impact growth?
Within that crisis, we found many opportunities – not just to deliver systems and solutions, but also to lead in innovation. One standout initiative was our collaboration with a private customer to develop telemedicine solutions, which few companies were actively pursuing at the time. Traditionally, people are used to physically going to the hospital, so this shift represented a major step forward. It gave us strong momentum and enabled a powerful re-entry into the market.

Q: What are the most significant milestones of your tenure?
One of our proudest achievements was the transformation of the Onassis Hospital. We won the tender for this, and what makes me happiest is that we were able to offer a truly comprehensive solution – not just systems and modalities, but a fully integrated approach. We connected the hospital’s systems to our digital platform, incorporating a new information system developed by SAP.

Q: What does this mean for the hospital’s patients?
Now, all patient exams and interventions are routed through our system into the hospital’s digital infrastructure, which both doctors and patients can access at any time. Patients from remote islands no longer need to travel back and forth, and doctors can even make remote diagnoses while travelling. At the time, this felt like a dream come true for the Greek start-up ecosystem – and we helped make it a reality.

Q: To what extent are you pioneering preventative treatments?
Among the significant innovations we’ve introduced is artificial intelligence in mammography screening across a network of diagnostic centres. The AI system can detect cancer up to two years earlier than the human eye, which allows for far less invasive treatment and dramatically better outcomes for patients.
One of our newest initiatives, both nationally and as a company, is the launch of the mobile stroke unit. Healthcare systems everywhere are under pressure, and solutions like this offer real, measurable impact.

Q: Why is it important to prioritise a more preventative approach?  
Once you reach the point where intervention is necessary, there’s always a risk of failure; that’s why our company’s philosophy is built around prevention. As we shape our strategy for the next five years, our focus will be on cardiology, oncology, mobile stroke units and other solutions aimed at preventing secondary strokes. We’re actively working to promote solutions that already exist in Greece but are not yet widely known or used. Prevention isn’t just an option, it’s a necessity for a more effective, sustainable and humane healthcare system.

Q: Which other clinical areas have benefitted from early detection innovations?
Another example is the Cardiac CT scan, which allows us to examine the cardiovascular system through a simple 10- to 15-minute visit to a diagnostic centre. This quick check-up can help prevent heart attacks and detect coronary disease early, often before any symptoms appear.

Q: What role does government support play?
The Prime Minister has placed significant emphasis on developing the healthcare system, recognising it as a fundamental national priority. The German Ambassador, Andreas Kindl, is especially important. Through him, we’re able to communicate not only what Siemens Healthineers can offer but also what German companies more broadly can contribute to the Greek healthcare system. These collaborations allow us to provide more tailored and impactful services for our customers.

Q: How have your experiences shaped your leadership style? 
I have gained experience working in healthcare systems with vastly different levels of advancement, but regardless, patients remain patients. That drives me to work harder to address healthcare inequalities. These inequalities also exist locally – for example, healthcare in Athens differs greatly from that on Skyros, a remote island in the Aegean Sea. We are committed to doing our best to provide equal healthcare for everyone, because health should never be negotiable. What matters most in healthcare is that every person has equal access to care.

Q: What is the guiding philosophy behind Siemens Healthineers’ business?
Siemens Healthineers is a global company with over 70,000 employees dedicated to delivering the best possible care to patients in every corner of the world. We strive continuously to improve, guided by our CEO’s commitment to innovation and expanding healthcare access to underserved countries in the future. This commitment forms the core of our strategy for the next five years. We are a company driven by the mission to provide sustainable healthcare for everyone, everywhere. We often work quietly behind the scenes, the silent heroes making a real difference.