Dr Serafini is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour at the Business Administration and Economics Department. Prior to joining the University of York Europe Campus, he was a Lecturer in International Business & Management and member of the Management Science and Entrepreneurship Group at the Essex Business School, University of Essex (UK). Moreover, he has a noteworthy industrial background as HR professional with a rich experience of Human Resource Management application in multinational firms operating in the luxury segment of the hospitality industry.
After gathering varied industrial experiences at Disneyland Paris (France) and Munich Park Hilton (Germany) during his earlier studies, Dr Serafini embarked on a Food & Beverage Management training program with Hilton Hotels & Resorts in the UK. In 1997 he moved to Greece as Training Manager at Sani Resort (Sani/Ikos Group) and two years later he joined Hyatt Hotels & Resorts as Training Manager of Regency Casino and Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki. In 2002 Dr Serafini took over the position of Personnel Manager at the Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki and from January 2008 until November 2013 he held the position of Human Resource Manager in the same property. As a Hyatt trainer, he was part of the Human Resource Management task force teams for the opening of the prestigious Grand Hyatt Dubai (UAE) and Park Hyatt Milano (Italy).
He has published research in The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management Review, International Business Review, Leadership in Health Services, and the International Journal of Training and Development. His most recent book chapters reflect an evolving research agenda that bridges digital transformation, skills development, and comparative international human resource management. These include a study on the implications of digitalisation and artificial intelligence for human resource management (Serafini & Szamosi, 2025), a co-authored analysis of skills gaps among European small and medium-sized enterprises, with particular emphasis on financial, institutional, and demographic contexts (Bellos & Serafini, 2025), and an earlier examination of variations in the application of human resource policies and practices by United States hotel multinational subsidiaries across coordinated and transitional periphery economies (Serafini & Szamosi, 2024).
In collaboration with the South-East European Research Centre, Dr Serafini is actively engaged in the organisation, planning, and implementation of several EU projects as a Senior Researcher. These responsibilities involve close cooperation with diverse European teams to achieve project objectives, milestones, and deliverables (see, e.g. https://tracce-project.eu/ • https://www.moreproject.eu/ • https://r-map.eu/).
Moreover, Dr Serafini specialises in conducting training programs and lectures on leadership, change management, organisational culture, team dynamics and human resource management in various organisations, both in Greece and internationally. While sharing the latest developments in organizational behavior and human resource management in industry conferences, symposia and forums, Dr Serafini promotes a holistic approach to business management strategies.
Dr Serafini holds a PhD in Management (Human Resource Management) from the University of Sheffield (UK), an MBA in General Management from the University of Sheffield (UK), a BA in Hospitality Management from Bournemouth University (UK), and a Swiss Higher Diploma in Hotel Management from SHMS, Swiss Hotel Management School (Switzerland). He also completed the Human Resource Management Certificate of the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (USA).
He is a member of the Greek People Management Association (GPMA) and speaks Italian, Greek, English, and French. Lastly, Dr Serafini is a Certified Trainer by DYPA, the Greek Public Employment Service (formerly OAED).
