Well hello there! My name is Areti and I am originally from Athens, Greece. In 2005, I came to the UK to do my degree and have been in the UK ever since. I studied Management and completed a MSc in Marketing and Business Strategy while working part-time in a IT and Marketing role. My first full-time role was for a facilities management company within the IT team as a systems analyst.
A couple of years later, I was responsible for introducing Dynamics CRM to a new business unit of the company I worked for and the rest is history. I spent a few years on the client side and eventually switched to consultancy. I work within the AI Business Solutions division of Telefonica Tech as Head of Professional Services overseeing project and programme delivery – helping people and organisations use the Microsoft stack to make the work world a better place.
I love the Dynamics 365 & Power Platform community – I am the Co-Chair of the UK Dynamics 365 and Power Platform User Groups and also lead the quarterly user group events for Reading as well as the all-day London event that takes place twice a year. I am also on the organising committee for the Scottish Summit and act as a mentor through the Women in Power(Platform) group as well. In 2025 I also became a dual Microsoft MVP in the categories of Customer Experience and Power Apps and started the Power Delivery podcast with fellow MVPs Vlad Sarov and Antti Pajunen.
I speak internationally about Artificial Intelligence, the AI tools available in the Microsoft stack and how best to adopt them (and the challenges with this) as well as future AI trends to look out for. I’m passionate about improving diversity in the IT industry and am an advocate for Women in Tech and also work closely with smartSTEMs, a charity focused on inspiring young people to study STEM and pursue careers in STEM. I am also a participant of the UK delegation to the annual United Nations Commission for the Status of Women (CSW).
In other news, I use a lot of GIFs, I have a rescue cat, I’m a mum to my 5 year old daughter and love many things: films (anything but horror), music (soft spot for pop hits and most of Taylor Swift’s catalog), yoga, photography, Eurovision, hiking and kayaking! I can also tell really really bad jokes.
Thanks for reading, enjoy the site!
Areti
Areti Iles 