The ceremony began with the address by the Rector of the University of Piraeus, Professor Michael Sfakianakis, and was followed by the presentation of the commendation speech (Laudatio) by the Chair of the Department of Business Administration, Professor Dimitrios Georgakellos.
In his opening speech, the Rector of the University of Piraeus Professor Michael Sfakianakis mentioned among others: “An Honorary Doctorate degree (Doctorem honoris causa) is an act of the highest honor bestowed by the University to those who have the greatest contribution to society, economy and Country. Michael Tsamaz, with actions and values codified in a system of best practices with guiding value for society, is a lesson and a source of inspiration for all of us but primarily for our students, as he showed the whole world, how much we are capable of doing and what kind of achievements Greece is capable of accomplishing.” He then added, "His inspiring entrepreneurship, combined with his important social work, contributed to the collective development and cohesion of our homeland. For these, his overall contribution to the Greek economy, his important contribution to Greek society, but foremost his decisive contribution to the promotion of Greek entrepreneurship, today we award this charismatic leader a Honorary Doctorate of the University of Piraeus."

The Chair of the Department Business Administration Professor Dimitrios Georgakellos presented the commendation speech (Laudatio) for Michael Tsamaz, welcoming him to the circle of Honorary Doctors of the University and to the academic family. He cited extensively his studies and his successful professional career in multinational companies (Warner Lambert, Philip Morris, Panafon), where the honoree left his mark, pioneering in various fields. As Professor Dimitrios Georgakellos pointed out, Michael Tsamaz took over the reins of OTE Group in 2010, at the most critical and historical juncture and managed to lead it, through a path of continuous transformation, into a new era of prosperity and development. At the same time, from a very early stage, he integrated the principles of Sustainable Development into the entire strategy of the company and into every function and action.

In reference to the extensive social work of the Honoree as Head of the OTE Group, the Chair, specifically mentioned the company's long running Scholarship Program, the support of seventy three organizations that cater to children’s needs and the creation of twenty three fully equipped Emergency Departments for children in Greek hospitals. Last but not least the creation of COSMOTE History channel, an inspiration of Michael Tsamaz, which has produced over one hundred and fifty documentaries highlighting Greece and its history, and is freely available for Greek schools.

The awarding ceremony ended with the honoree’s speech, who warmly thanked the University and the Department for the honor bestowed upon him. He referred to the lessons about life and entrepreneurship that are taught to us every day, starting from our childhood. From our paternal family, from the schools we attend, from playing with our friends, from our teachers and professors at the University, from our own family later, from our children, everybody and everything is a teachable moment. "Talent is important, but it is not enough," he said. "Many have talent; few manage to become the best in their field. The noticeable difference is attitude. Practice, commitment, hard work, the desire to become better, and the need to learn constantly." The path to success, professional and personal, is full of difficulties and obstacles, but the strength of a team, the feeling of responsibility, dedication to a goal and collective work, create the conditions to achieve the great and the good. "From the difficulties I faced, I learned to see every obstacle as an opportunity, to move with boldness, flexibility and adaptability and never be discouraged. After all, difficulties and failures are what shape us and make us better» and then he added "If you have faith, passion and commitment to what you do, success is guaranteed, still never rest on your laurels, for at any given moment, success just like failure, becomes the past.” He reserved a special mention for the Chatzidakis family, the people who treated him as their own when he went to Canada for studies and his professors at the University of New Brunswick, who helped him, discover his potential and shaped his attitude towards life. With warm words, he referred to the former President and CEO of OTE, Panagis Vourloumis, the man who began the transformation of OTE in 2004 and in 2010 handed over the reins to him to continue the evolution of a great company.
The ceremony was attended by Alkiviadis Stefanis Minister of National Defence, Pelagidis Theodoros Minister of Finance, Katsikas Sokratis Minister of Digital Governance, Papathanasis Nikolaos Deputy Minister of Finance, Colonel Konstantinos Voulgaridis representative of the Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff, Evangelos Skiadas, representative of the Chief of the Coast Guard.
Theotokatou Androniki, president of the Hellenic Single Public Procurement Authority (HSPPA), the Vice-Presidents of the Hellenic Court of Audit Evangelia-Elisavet Kouloumbini, Konstantinos Kostopoulos and Ligomenou Anna,
George Patoulis, the Regional Governor of Attica,
Professor Dimitrios Bourantonis the Rector of the Athens University of Economics and Business, Professor Spyridon Kintzios Rector of Agricultural University of Athens, Professors Vasilios Papadakis and Georgios Lekakos, Vice-Rectors of the Athens University of Economics and Business
George Ioakimidis Mayor of Nikea - Ag. I. Rentis Municipality, Dimitrios Karydis Vice Mayor of Piraeus, Dimitris Mathios, Chairman of the Federation of Athens & Piraeus Industries, the management team of the OTE Group and a number of prominent personalities from the entire spectrum of the country's business life.