The profiles of the GIWA shortlisted candidates.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Alexandris Gina
Senior Program Director, Law Practice Program; and Special Advisor, Faculty of Law
For over 20 years, Gina has been inspiring and supporting individuals and organizations to strategically define their hopes and achieve their goals. As the Senior Program Director of Ryerson’s Law Practice Program, Gina is responsible for the development, implementation and general management of the new innovative transition year training program for licensing Candidates in Ontario. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring academic excellence and the quality of service and program delivery for participants, and outreach to hundreds of contributing members of the legal profession. Gina has also been actively involved with the development of Ryerson’s proposal for its new innovative law school. With a passion for adult education, leadership and diversity, she completed her Masters of Education in 2012 and received her Coaching Certification in 2017. Gina developed and directed the award-winning Internationally Trained Lawyers Program at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law and spent more than 12 years with Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, first as Director of Career Services, followed by nine years as the Assistant Dean of Student Services. Between 2013 and 2014, Gina was the Director, Strategic Planning and Knowledge Management for the Legal Services Division of the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario. Following her graduation from Osgoode Hall Law School, Gina began her legal career practicing family law and civil litigation in Toronto, Canada. She is a proud Greek-Canadian soccer mom living with her family in Toronto.
Ioannides Elisabeth
Education Curator & Art Psychotherapist
I'm an education curator at my museum and an art psychotherapist. I design and implement learning programs and art project specially tailord for school and a variety of other groups both within and outside the museum. Apart from school groups I try to provide opportunities to the public for cultural development and participation through tours that I deliver in the museum both in Greek and English. In 2017 I started at our Museum an innovate program on group art psychotherapy, thus delivering psychotherapy to individuals within the Museum.
Kassinou Gabriella
Visual Effects Compositor
I have started my three years studies at University of Nicosia (Cyprus) in the field of Applied Multimedia (BSc) and then I continued in the field of Special Effects (BA) with pathway on Visual Effects at Solent University (Southampton), where the same time I started working as a waitress. After my studies, I moved to London where I continued working as a waitress, secretary, photographer and during some periods I was working for three jobs at the same time to be able to live in London, which was also keeping me going closer to my dreams. I managed to start my carrier by getting positions in companies with big international aspect which was my ticket for success. One year later I found the job I was passionate for, as a Visual Effects Compositor at Technicolor for the Netflix kids TV series “Moon & Me”. Where I have got some professional experience from remarkable people and working by the side of an Emmy awarded supervisor as well as being part of his team. Continuing my work in London, I moved to Deluxe - Encore Post company to work for the BBC series “Our Girl”, “Silent Witness” and the Netflix series “Flack”. Then TPO VFX followed to offer me a position as a VFX compositor until March 2020 for the new James Bond film “No Time to Die” where I have got a crucial credit as part of the Bonds team. My passion for visual effects and films helped me reach my dreams and keep achieving any future goals I am setting up, without letting anything intervenes my way. This period I am in contact for agreement with other companies to start cooperation’s for some new TV series and advertisings.
Kouli Menia
Director of public affairs
I love what I do. I am devoted and passionate about contemporary arts. I got my BA in Business Administration from University of Laverne and for more than 18 years I have been promoting, communicating and demonstrating the importance of Greek contemporary arts and Greek artists both in Greece and abroad. I have worked with very important people in this environment and field, endorsing, providing and showing the world that Greece does in fact exist! Working alongside them and learning from them helped me and empowered me to continue and never quit, despite the personal difficulties I had to face as a mother, daughter and wife. I love to work and I think that my job is of great importance, not only for success but as a way of my personal development.
Lyraraki Elli
Designer
I was born and raised in Athens. I studied music and interior design. 9 years ago I moved with my family in Crete. Crete changed my life. I discovered that I was capable of doing new, very creative things in my career. At the beginning I started to design leather sandals, loafers and leather accessories. Now I have my own workshop in Chania. Last summer I had the great opportunity to participate at the Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris with my first Haute Couture Shoe and jewelry Collection ALAGONIA inspired by the Minoan civilization. I have been honored to be the first Greek shoe designer who had a fashion show in Haute Couture in Paris.
Matheopoulos Helena
Author, Public Speaker, Journalist
After graduating from Pierce College in Athens I moved to London and obtained a BA Honours and a Master's Degree in Mediaeval History from UCL London. Immediately after, I started work as a journalist for 10 years at The Tatler, The Daily Express, (Fashion & Travel) and The Evening News (culture) and freelanced for the Sunday Times, The Times and Gramophone. In 1982 I published my first book, MAESTRO;ENCOUNTERS WITH CONDUCTORS OF TODAY (Hutchinson, UK & Harper & Row, USA),which was named "Music Book of The Year" by Steero Review in the US. Seven more books followed (detailed in attached list) three of which are considered "BIBLES" by aspiring and established opera singers. ( I also wrote an authorized biography of King Juan Carlos of Spain in 1995.) After the considerable impact of my third book "DIVA: Today's Sopranos and Mezzos Discuss their Roles and the Art of Singing", Christos Lambrakis asked me to become International Artistic Adviser of the newly opened Athens Megaron from 1991 -96. This was followed by 8 years as Special Adviser, Vocal Projects at the Philharmonia Orchestra (1996-2004). The following two years I organized a concert titled "Greek Gods. Myths & Heroes at the Opera in Milan with Orchestra of La Scala in 2005 and London, with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006 at Cadogan Hall, Both featured six Greek Opera singers and the concert at Cadogan Hall launched the British career of baritone Dimitris Platanias, heard by Covent Garden's Casting Director Peter Katona, who auditioned him shortly after and the rest is histor!. Since then I have also launched my self as an international public speaker on topics related to my books and music in general and have lectured at the Hellenic Centre, the Polish Club and the Wagner Society in London, the Oxford Literary Festival, Blenheim Palace, the Metropolitan Opera t in New York, the Hellenic Centre in Paris and various locations in Greece.
Papadamaki Apostolia
Director/Choreographer
Apostolia Papadamaki is an internationally acclaimed performance director and choreographer. Born and raised in a small town in Greece, she built a remarkable career devoting over 30 years in her field, conceiving and implementing unique large-scale projects that have had a positive impact on arts, culture, and society. At the age of 21, she was accepted at the State School of Dance, without any previous dance training, as an exceptional talent in choreography. With scholarships from the Onassis and the Goulandris Foundations, she studied Performance & Choreography in New York. A polymath, a humanitarian, creative, and innovative spirit, hardworking and collaborative, Apostolia presented her latest project, Anamnesis / Ancient Zone, under Covid-19 safety measures, with the participation of renowned actor Yiannis Stankoglou, and offered a miraculous participatory spectacle of Dance, Music, and Theatre, full of hope for humanity. To mention a couple of her outstanding artistic achievements: -Drops of Breath, at the Temple of Poseidon, the 1st underwater dance performance in the world, with disabled performers among the cast. -The Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony / Athens 2004, with 600 professional and amateur dancers, broadcasted live in 40 countries. Her life -long project Anamnesis / is a series of big-scale performances in sublime Greek archeological sites. It started in 2018 at the Temple of Apollo Epicurius and in 2019 in the sacred island of Delos, receiving unanimous approval from the Archeological Council of Greece. Her interactive, participatory performances, engage the local communities, and attract national and international audiences in a life-changing experience. Being an artist with outstanding organizational and management skills, she served as a MOB of Directors at The Athens Concert Hall, President of the Board of the State School of Dance, and has been leading cross-cultural EU Creative Europe programs.
Pistofidou Alexandra
Palaeographer / Historian
Mag. Alexandra Pistofidou Secretary of the Executive Board of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures (IARPS) and Founder and President of the Austrian Committee for the Repatriation of the Parthenon Sculptures. I studied History and Archaeology in the University of Athens and continued my studies in Palaeography with transcriptions of various Manuscripts in ancient Greek and Latin. In 2010 I moved from Athens permanently in Vienna, Austria where I completed my Master in the faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies, in the University of Vienna (Historisch-Kulturwissenschaftliche Europaforschung Uni. Wien). During this period, I excelled in Cultural Heritage, History and Law by raising the ethical question of emptying "International" Museums which serve as trophy-cases of their looted treasures (in the context of imperialism and colonialism), by stressing the immediate return of the stolen property back to their country of Origin and their rightful heirs and by writing my Thesis on the sensitive subject of the Repatriation of all the plundered Parthenon Sculptures. Parallel to my job as a Palaeographer, I also study Law in the University of Vienna (Juridicum - Rechtswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Uni. Wien) and fight daily the status quo alongside my team, by trying to raise awareness, engage the community, face challenges and spread the Code of Ethics of Cultural Heritage through Conventions, publications, declarations, proclamations, norms and projects.
Tsesmeli Fofi
Editor, Consultant, DJ
Fo aka Fofi Tsesmeli is a professional DJ and a leading figure in the Greek dance music scene. She has played at all major clubs in the country (Cavo Paradiso, +Soda, Bolivar Beach Bar, Six D.o.g.s, Net, Berlin, Kalua, Gaz, Atlantis, NID, MAZE, Steam, Terraza Club, etc) and she holds the longest living residency at a club in the country, being a resident of Sodade2 BackStage for the past 20 years. She has shared the decks with international DJs like Nicole Moudaber, Ramiro Lopez, Honey Dijon, Cristian Varela, David Morales, Smokin’ Jo, Louisahhh, Nakadia, VONDA7, Skin, Kiko Navarro and others. Apart from her DJing career, Fo is a music journalist. She was the editor-in-chief of Freeze mag, the presenter and editor of ‘Heineken Zone’ dance music show on MAD TV and a radio producer on NRG FM 105,5 and Kiss FM 92,9. She was also the A&R of D-Version Music Publishing. She is currently hosting successful mix shows on 86,6 UP Radio and radiodoc.gr. She collaborates with LiFO, the leading urban culture online mag in Greece, providing exclusive interviews with international DJs/producers and various content regarding the local and international club scene. DJ Fo was voted “No1 DJ of 2014”, “No1 DJ of 2016”, “No1 DJ of 2017” and “No1 DJ of 2018” in the Athens Voice Annual poll. In 2018 she introduced her project “HER” to the Greek crowd, with an all-female lineup for the first time in Greece, aiming to promote female artists from Greece and all over the world. HER supported and co-organized the event “Women In Techno_logy” event at the Athens Concert Hall. It was the debut of techno music in its premises, by an all Greek female line up, one of whom was Fo. HER project was part of the first Sonar Athens festival with a b2b set by Fo and VRGN.
Wilde Zina
Actor/Writer/Producer
Zina Anaplioti- Wilde is an American actress born in London and raised in Greece. She moved to the US after high-school to attend the prestigious New York University Drama School. She graduated with a BFA in Acting. She has also studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse and dance with the Alvin Ailey dance company for a year. As an actress, Zina is mostly known for her work on the hit SHOWTIME show BILLIONS. She has been acting alongside Damian Lewis, Paul Giammati and Maggie Siff among others. She has also appeared in numerous other TV shows like The Blacklist, and Rescue me. Recently she also starred in the film The Climb that won the audience award at Cannes Film Festival. She also acted alongside Liev Shriever, Elizabeth Moss and Naomi Watts in the film Chuck. Zina is also a writer and producer and her work has been seen worldwide. Her first short film In Private has won the best drama award at Cinemuskoka Film Festival and was an official selection at Toronto Film Festival. She is now working with Christos Konstantakopoulos on a new project.
Zafirakou Andria
Secondary school Teacher and CEO of Artists in Residence
Andria was born in north-west London to Greek-Cypriot parents and was state-educated in Camden and Westminster. She went to the Institute of Education in London where she undertook a PGCE post graduate certification in Secondary Art and Design Education. Andria is an art and textiles teacher in Brent on the outskirts of London, one of the world’s most ethnically diverse places. She is passionate about education and changing the lives of young people and underserved communities through creativity. She has worked her entire teaching career of 15 years at Alperton Community School and was promoted to Deputy Head of Art within a year of her arrival. She is now an Associate Deputy Headteacher and member of the school Leadership team. In 2018, Andria was awarded the Global Teacher Prize a prestigious award given to one teacher every year. Using the prize money awarded by the Global Teacher prize, Andria founded a charity called Artists in Residence (AiR) with an aim to improve arts education in schools. In 2019 she was awarded with an MBE by the palace for her outstanding contribution to education. Andria has also been named in the top ten of The Evening Standard's 1000 Londoners List, a list of the most influential people in London. She is a Culture Leader for the World Economic Forum as well as a member of their Global Future Leaders Council. When she is not teaching she is a keynote speaker and consultant of the Arts in Education for national and international audiences ranging from Ministries of Education, Cultural and Educational institutions. She has recently become a certified Transformational Coach. Andria sits on the Advisory boards for the Cultural Leaders Alliance and for Becoming X. She is also a trustee for Metroland charity and Art UK.
Agnos Mina
President and Co-Founder
Mina Agnos has been in the travel industry for more than 20 years. She began as an IC and went on to found Travelive in 2001. Her invaluable experience as an agent selling destination in the Mediterranean has been translated into Travelive’s everyday operations since she understands the needs of agents down to the smallest detail. Today, Travelive is a trusted DMC partner for more than 10 000 agents across the US, Canada and Australia with offices in Boca Raton, FL and Athens, Greece. Her dedication to the quality of product offered and multiple years of valuable luxury travel experience have been recognized by her peers, she has been listed in Travel + Leisure’s A-List for 9 consecutive years and featured as a top travel specialist in Condé Nast Traveler for the last 4 years. Apart from annually inspecting all partner hotels, she also travels across the Mediterranean and especially Greece in search of new and off-the-radar destinations, exceptional hotels and travel products offering clients the opportunity to experience the destination like a local. To travel journalists across the globe, she is known as the person who knows the best places to visit long before they become a trend and, apart from the mentioned Conde Nast Traveler and Travel and Leisure, she has been featured in Forbes, NY Times, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Fashionista and numerous other globally renowned magazines and articles.
Karampatsou Nadia
Founder/CEO
Academic: Sorbonne university - Law School National and kapodistrian university of Athens - Political sciences and public administration Harvard Summer school - communication in business UCLA - public relations Founder of Pylos Poems Fine Foods company PR - Navarino Estates Karampatsos Activities: golf, tennis, sailing, running, traveling.
Kouraki Eva (Evdoxia)
Project Manager
Eva has been working as a project manager of the Urban Development Open Arena at Johanneberg Science Park since 2015. Her focus is on living labs – testbeds’ development and coordination of innovation projects. She holds a MSc in Environmental Management & Policy from Lund University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Economics & Management, and a BSc in Economics from University of Macedonia (Greece). At Johanneberg Science Park she works closely with a variety of private large companies, SMEs, public actors as well as academia (triple helix model of innovation) to promote collaboration and creation of innovations within urban development. Examples of collaborative innovation projects she is involved or coordinating are HSB Living Lab - a unique 10-year collaboration research project of 12 partners, including academia and industry, on sustainable living environment and “Smart Sustainable Parks” – a 3 years testbed in the city of Gothenburg open for developing the smart green areas of the future. She is also WP leader for Living Labs and replicability in the EU Interreg NSR project SCORE (Smart Cities and Open data RE-use). Eva also holds the 2019-2020 Coordinator position for “Women in IASP (International Association of Science Parks & Areas of Innovation) subnetwork”. Until November 2020, she has also been member of the Gothenburg organising committee for the World Sustainable Built Environment Conference, "BEYOND2020".
Lantzouni Panagiota (Peny)
Chief Product Manager, Analytics and Insights
Peny has worked in technology roles for Shell for the past 10 years, focusing on the customer space and the marketing businesses. Currently, as the Chief Product Manager for Analytics and Insights, Peny drives the strategic roadmap for analytics projects across Shell’s Global B2B businesses. Peny leads the delivery of digital products that enable data driven decision making for a business that is the market leader for 12 consecutive years and sells 5bil litres of product to over 1300 commercial customers in 100 countries. Prior to this Peny worked as Technology Manager for Shell Retail, leading digital projects that transformed the B2C business from a fuel to a mobility retailer, including loyalty, CRM and digital marketing. Peny holds an MPhil in Technology Policy from the University of Cambridge, a Diploma in Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science and a Management and Information Systems degree from Athens University of Economics and Business. Peny is passionate about women career development in technology roles and has organised multiple events about Women in Tech. Peny has also been involved in graduate development since the beginning of her career, actively mentoring early career professionals and students in Greece, the UK and India.
Laskaridis Suzanna
Director
Suzanna Laskaridis after her studies in Humanities turned her academic interest to shipping, completing her studies in Ship Management and her LLM in Maritime Law at City University of London. She is a Director in Lavinia Corp and Laskaridis Shipping where she has been working since 2007, and is involved in all aspects of daily management. She is an active member of the Greek Shipping Community, is on the Board of the Union of Greek Ship Owners, the Hellenic War Risks Association and the United Kingdom Defense Club. She is the General Secretary and Treasurer of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, a nonprofit, cultural institution, where she also heads and promotes its environmental initiatives. In 2016 she founded Real Time Graduates, a nonprofit initiative that connects young graduates with valuable work experience within the maritime industry. It is the only free access CV database in Greece and has helped countless young graduates in their first steps in Shipping. Drawing inspiration from her experience in shipping and her environmental activity, in 2019 she founded BlueCycle the first integrated company in Europe, focusing on the recycling of marine plastic waste, originating from shipping and fishing activities. As its director, she participates often in Greek and international forums on sustainability and circular economy and the sustainable use of marine plastic. Since 2018 she has served on the Leadership Committee of the UNSDSN (United Nations Sustainability Development Solutions Network).
Makrygeorgou Alexandra
Founder & Chairwoman
I am the founder of Liofyllo SCE and one of the two inventors of the innovative, eco-friendly material from olive leaves. I am a graduate of Bachelor degree in Accountancy at School of Economy and Administration at High Technology Institute of Patras and I have a master in Business Administration (MBA) at School of Economy and Administration at University of Patras. My basic studies have helped me to deal with financial sector of a business, marketing, administrative decision-making and human resources management. It was also important that during my undergraduate studies I fully completed my computer skills and attended seminars on Marketing and Office Automation while later during my postgraduate studies I successfully completed the "Basic Banking Soft Skills" of an Educational Program at the Hellenic Open University. In 2008, through my postgraduate studies, I participated in Hay Group's "Future Leaders" program, addressing social problems faced by non-profit organizations in their local ecosystem, reaping the benefits of social entrepreneurship and experience in the field from an early age. My previous work experience has helped me in interpersonal skills by developing my sense of responsibility as well as excellence in customer service. It is worth mentioning my experience in network marketing and in the organization and human resources management, which gave me the potential to meet the requirements of administrative positions. The last and most important is that I am mother of two little girls and unemployed for the last five years. After the economic crisis in Greece, unemployment has risen and most young people leave the country. I decided to fight for the next generations and in particular for a better future for my daughters. So, I chose to create something of my own with people who had the same dream.
Markaki Evangelia
Founder of Excellentia International
Dr. Evangelia Markaki, CEO and founder of Excellentia International completed her post-doc studies in Applied Statistics with Innovation & Research Scholarship from Aristotle University Thessaloniki in 2016. Since 2008 she works in business consulting, in career development and coaching. Dr. Markaki is specialized in the application of psychometric tools, the human learning styles and the brain function. She is responsible for career planning and development processes in organizations, providing career coaching services and outplacement programs in companies. She is project manager for surveys and researches both in Greece and abroad. Since 2009 she is lecturer in universities in Greece & abroad. She teaches courses on Human Resources Management, Leadership, Employee Relations, Professional and Personal Development, Applied Statistics, Game Theory and Strategic decision making. She is a graduate of Communication and Mass Media Studies department at University of Athens. In 2007 she graduated with honor from the Master of Human Resource Management program at the Athens University of Economics and Business. She participates presenting academic work in workshops and conferences in Greece and abroad. She is invited speaker in conferences and seminars of private and public institutions. She speaks four foreign languages: French, English, Italian and German. She is a member of Scientific and Professional Unions such as: the European and International Research Association, the International Political Science Association, the Institute of Communication, Human Resources Management, Business Management Associations and Data Analysis associations. Since 2016, she is a member of the management board of the Institute for Human Resources Management (EIMAD) of Hellenic Management Association (EEDE). In 2020 she published her first book: “Who influences, who is influenced?” (Epikentro publications).
Raptaki Christie
Founder/Director of Roadfill Limited
Project Manager/ Civil Engineer/ Innovator and Internal Designer. A construction professional with over 19 years of experience within the construction industry with direct experience in high-end interior design and installation works within the residential, commercial and hospitality sectors. Since 2018 started actively working on innovative projects focusing into how to find uses for our excess plastic usage and waste plastic. It is much better to walk on a road made from used plastic than swim in it. Potholes was the first given solution with Roadfill limited developing one of the first road products to help our road infrastructure by using recycled plastic into a road material. Prior to that, Good experience within new-build construction, working with high-grade materials including wood, marble and granite for internal finishes. Focusing on how to make urban spaces look modern enough but always close to nature. UK experience managing projects with values from £200k-£500k, Greek experience operating in projects up to 8.4m €, including projects which range from branded large-scale leisure facilities and projects on the hospitality sector to commercial offices and luxury residential villas. The combination of excellent client facing skills with advanced concept ideas and design capability ensured client satisfaction that resulted in winning more work through the same established network until Greece fell into a deep crisis. Having done my first steps in UK after moving to London, I am seeking the opportunity to continue exercising and developing further the design and management skills. My motivation is creativity and how all innovation actions can affect our world.
Stanegloudi Ioanna
Co-Founder & Chief Risk Officer
Ioanna Stanegloudi is a seasoned credit risk professional with 18+ years of experience in the banking & management consulting industry. She has served in positions related to credit risk assessment, management and mitigation. She possesses significant experience within the fields of financial business modeling, as well as financial analytics for financial institutions and management consulting firms. Ioanna is the co-founder & Chief Risk Officer of Finclude, a pan-European scoring provider for individuals that assesses affordability & creditworthiness through analyzing their spending behavior on transactional data. Ioanna has pitched Finclude throughout the globe gaining more than $800K in prize money up to now. Finclude was one of the ten finalists of the Global Female Founders competition of Microsoft’s Venture Fund, won the New Venture competition of NYU Stern, as well as in the pitcHer competition of 2020’s Grace Hopper Celebration. Finclude was included in the Youth Solution Report for 2019 with the 50 solutions globally who promote the UN’sF SDGs. Ioanna was in the Greek “Fortune 40 under 40” list for 2019.
Baxevani Janaina Joanna
Lead Senior Designer / Art Director
Janaina Baxevani is a multidisciplinary communication designer. She holds an FdA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins, a BA(Hons) in Fashion Promotion: Public Relations from London College of Fashion, an MA in Graphic Branding from the University of the Arts London, and an MRes in Communication Design from the Royal College of Art. She has worked for clients including Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Maddox Gallery, InStyle, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar, and her greatest expertise revolves around the worlds of art and heritage. Janaina designs for purpose and her design work attempts to tell stories and create meaningful experiences. She has worked for Halcyon Gallery, producing identities for exhibitions, bespoke client fine art volumes and promoting contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol, Dale Chihuly, Lorenzo Quinn and Bob Dylan. Her works are research driven, through intelligent enquiry and evaluation, they create a framework for a deeper insight into graphic design and its future development. Alongside her current professional work (for Sebastian Gallery), she is conducting research and writing a book on ‘Smellscapes in Museums of 18th century Old Masters’. This project explores means of communicating historical significance through smells. With her research and sensory creations, Janaina aims to show the potential of communication design practice to contribute towards history of art education, preservation of heritage and curatorial practice.
Ifanti Anna
Director at CZWG
Anna is a Chartered member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and a Director at CZWG. Previous collaborations include architectural practices in Greece, Barcelona, Glasgow and Edinburgh, on a broad range of project sectors. Anna has fronted two of CZWG’s most high-profile public building projects. On Canada Water Library for Southwark Borough Council, she led the design team as Construction Project Manager and Lead Consultant/Contract Administrator. CWL received widespread publicity and was the recipient of numerous awards including the RIBA Regional Award 2012, the Civic Trusts Award 2013 and the Selwyn Goldsmith Award for Universal Design 2013. Anna was the Lead Consultant on The Curve, a Cultural centre and Library, undertaken as a JV for Slough Borough Council. She managed the project from post planning stage to practical completion, using BIM technology. Anna's prior collaborations with local authorities on the delivery of “landmark” buildings have enabled her to manage complex, high profile projects on sites which have been in forefront of the public eye. She has a proven experience on rigorous frameworks within the context of large-scale regeneration projects as well as an understanding of the requirements for successful development opportunities. Anna has a strong interest in Delivery, Construction Project Management and Business Development. She is a highly motivated individual, with proven written communication skills, extensive experience on technical aspects of project delivery and team management. Anna takes an active role in representing women in the construction industry, whilst facilitating future collaborations by instigating numerous business development initiatives within the practice studio. She is also responsible for the CPD curriculum within CZWG, a Part 3 professional external examiner and an Ambassador for the Architects Benevolent Society.
Psarologaki Liana
Senior Lecturer, Head of Architecture
Dr Liana Psarologaki is an awarded Greek architect, artist, scholar and educator, based in the UK. She is the founder of the Architecture department at the University of Suffolk, UK, and the research lead for sustainability in the built environment at the School of Engineering, Arts, Science and Technology and the Suffolk Sustainability Institute (https://www.uos.ac.uk/people/dr-liana-psarologaki). She is one of the youngest and most visionary female Heads of Architecture, and in 2020 she was elected Chair of Education for the Royal Institute of British Architects East Region and is overseeing the educational agenda and activities supporting and representing around 1800 RIBA members, 500 students and 250 practices Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. Dr Psarologaki qualified from the National Technical University of Athens (M.Arch. Eng.) and practiced Architecture in Athens. In 2011 she was offered an academic excellence scholarship and PhD studentship at the University for the Creative Arts, UK, to complete one of the first interdisciplinary and hybrid/practice-led PhDs. She lectured and led a number of art and design courses spanning from fine art to interior architecture before setting up one of the newest and most distinct Architecture degrees at the University of Suffolk in partnership with the regional branch of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Her scholarly work is recognised internationally by publications and exhibitions and is contributing to current debates of architectural experience, and experimental design pedagogies. Dr Psarologaki is one of the youngest senior fellows of the higher education academy in the UK recognised for leadership in Higher Education and by invitation a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Her interdisciplinary creative practice portfolio is on www.aylostopos.com.
Svoronou Rania
Design Director
I began my career over 10 years ago at a local print design shop in Athens, Greece. After various stints with different start-ups, design studios, and Ad agencies that took me from Athens to London, I arrived in New York City in Spring 2019. Currently, I am a Design Director with IBM based in Manhattan, NY. I’ve been a global keynote and TEDx speaker, guest lecturer, industry mentor, and a frequent judge at hackathons and design events across the world. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design from the Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne. Also, I hold a Master of Arts degree from the University of the Arts London (London College of Communication). I’m a proud member of the 'Founders of the Future' - launched by Founders Forum - a private network of the top entrepreneurial minds in Europe under the age of 35. I believe in designing for humanity and not for the sake of technology and by working for one of the most prominent tech companies in the world I’ve been able to make a global impact. My research thesis was on IoT and how we can create more humane products for the future.
Aronis Elisabeth
Model
Elisabeth's career in modeling, started 10 years ago when she was approached by model scouts in Germany where she lives.After the aforesaid collaboration with well known model agencies her career skyrocketed. She made her first steps deep in the fashion industry by participating in Campaign Shootings, Fashion Weeks/ Catwalks and Magazine Editorials around the world. Her first major worldwide campaign was for Christian Louboutin back in 2016.Following this successful collaboration, the famous brand booked Elisabeth once again as a major model for the next upcoming worldwide campaign.After that, many more worldwide advertising campaigns followed, for brands such as BMW, Schwarzkopf, Birkenstock, Keune and many others.In 2017 Elisabeth completed her acting studies in Berlin where she also shot various TV commercials and participated in the cast for German TV series.As a proud Greek, she states that she loves working in Greece, as she has done already, with famous Greek designers such as Celia Kritharioti, Deux Hommes as well as fashion editorials for Greek magazines. Finally, Elisabeth strongly believes that Greece has the potential to attract significant fashion projects from around the world and would like to contribute in bringing her country in the spotlight of the world fashion industry.
Konstantinidou Eleni
CEO & Co-Founder
I am a mother of three and a graduate of the Economic University of Athens with a Master's degree in Marketing. One of my strongest beliefs is that future belongs to those who follow the beauty of their dreams. So along with my partner, Celia Sigalou, we founded Callista, a business, empowering women & daily elegance with a vision to create accessories of exceptional quality. I find myself constantly seeking out new opportunities ,to leverage our company's capabilities ,to achieve new goals and increase brand awareness ,both locally and internationally. I would like to believe that my creative thinking and team spirit have endowed Callista with a fresh, diverse and inclusive spirit that has turned the company into a living and breathing organism.
Liouta Amalia
International Fashion Model
I started travelling in 2016 and I have worked in Milan, Paris, Madrid, Cyprus, Istanbul, Mexico City, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, while my work was also published in London, New York and Canada. In those trips I did campaigns and lookbooks for local and internationally known designers and editorials for publications such as L'Officiel, Elle, Instyle, Shape etc. Also part of my work included runway shows for individual designers and in the context of Fashion Weeks around the world, e-commerce (e-shop shootings), fittings and in house modeling. Some of the designers and brands I've worked for are Roberto Cavalli, Rocco Barocco, Jean Paul Gaultier, Moncler, Antonio Marras, Linviana Conti, Vatanika and Patricia Field. In between of my trips I was also working in Athens with known designers and companies such as Dimitris Petrou, Vrettos Vrettakos, Celia Kritharioti, Stelios Koudounaris, MiRo, Paris Valtadoros, Maison Faliakos, Klelia Andriali, The KNLS etc.
Makriyianni Katerina
Jewelry designer
Katerina Makriyianni was born in Chania, Crete and was raised in a home where art was a way of life and artistic expression was encouraged. She studied ballet and theater throughout her childhood which led her to complete her degree in Theater Studies at Patra University, Greece. In 1988, her parents Nikos and Eva Makriyianni opened “Technima”, a jewelry boutique–workshop specializing in unique, one-of-a-kind designs which quickly became a highly successful business. Katerina’s love for the applied arts, and her family’s legacy, led her to focus her own interests and career in the field of jewelry design and production. She pursued specialized courses in design and engraving at the L’ Arti Orafe University in Florence while running the family boutique and developing her own personal design style. Before the launch of her first personal collection Katerina was trying to find a way to combine the world of theater that she loves so much with the art of handmade jewelry that her parents taught her. To this empty canvas she brought her Greek heritage, the Cretan tradition that she was raised with, the love of art and design and her highly developed aesthetic sense. In 2015 Katerina presented her first personal collection at the Paris Fashion Week in collaboration with Maria Kastani as global brand ambassador and as an incubator of the new brand. The worldwide journey began with the presence of the brand on Net-a-Porter, which was followed by significant stores worldwide such as Browns Fashion and Matchesfashion in London, Boutique1 in UAE, On Pedder in Asia, Jill Wolf Jewelry in Switzerland and many more to this day.
Moschouti Vermeer Anna Rosa
Designer & Owner
Anna Rosa Moschouti officially founded her namesake jewelry brand in Antwerp in 2017. She holds a Diploma in Architectural Engineering from the Technical University of Crete and prior to her jewelry line launch, she worked as an architect in the Netherlands for the renowned office OPA. Anna Rosa's work has been sold in many museums, galleries and boutiques all over the world, while in 2019 she opened the doors of the first official AR.M Flagship Store, located in the heart of Antwerp. Her and her designs have been featured in multiple international printed and digital publications, including the global platform Design Milk, Elle, Marie Claire and more. Through her brand, Anna Rosa advocates for fair sourcing, production and consumption. She exclusively works with small suppliers in Belgium and Greece, in order to minimize her work's footprint and support the local economies. In 2020 Anna Rosa co-founded Lead Aesthetically, an online community for product-based business owners, where she specializes in helping fellow women entrepreneurs develop a strong, consistent brand identity and build their business strategy with purpose.
Papaconstantinou Anna Paola
Founder & Creative Director
Born in the United States, raised in Greece, to a Greek father and a Mexican - American mother, Anna Paola’s designs encompass her multicultural upbringing. Informed perspectives on design, colouring, and ergonomics not only reflects Anna Paola’s training at Instituto Marangoni in Milan and London, but also an attention to detail that she obtained whilst working with iconic designers Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan. Anna Paola’s collections are all about storytelling and an exploration of humanity in art, culture, history, across the world and across time. Her diverse array of influences informs her extensive research, which ranges from libraries, museums, archives, travels and endless sources of inspiration. Finally, this manifests into the development of her unique textiles and designs. Anna Paola moved to the UK from Athens in 2000 where she studied and graduated with a B.Sc. in Psychology. She then moved to Milan and began her studies in Fashion Design at Istituto Marangoni, transferred to the UK two years later and graduated from their London campus. Between finishing her studies and founding Paolita, Anna Paola worked both at Alexander McQueen and later at Hussein Chalayan. In 2010, armed with creativity and determination, Anna Paola founded PAOLITA. Anna Paola’s vision was to create a luxury brand that would sit alongside some of the world’s leading resort-wear labels. With her first collection launching in 2011, Paolita now sells to over 25 countries and is growing year on year with the recent opening of her flagship store in London’s Notting Hill, and her second store in London.
Papageorgiou Melissa
Co-Founder
Born and raised in Athens Greece, Melissa Ward-Papageorgiou did her collegiate studies in Washington DC. She started her career in international logistics in the US and subsequently commenced planning and organizing global events for the American Bankers Association. After moving to Qatar, she assumed the role of Director of Sales for the Qatar Airways in-flight magazine, a position she kept until that one fateful day in 2018, when she joined forces with a childhood friend to launch Anaskela, a beach lifestyle brand that currently produces the ultimate travel towel.
Zacharis Lydia
Senior Buyer
Lydia Zacharis is a Senior Buyer at the global luxury e-commerce platform Net-a-Porter, where she has been working over the last seven years. She oversees their biggest department, Shoes, and works closely with both established and new, emerging brands on curation and strategies, along looking at key areas such as Sustainability in the luxury goods sector. Whilst fully Greek she was born and raised abroad, in Luxembourg, and moved to the UK for her studies, completing a Bachelor’s in Economics at London School of Economics and a Master’s in Management at London Business School. She has had previous experience at Harrods, Swarovski, Quintessentially and L’Oreal.
Bantanidis Sophia
Head of Regulatory Strategy and Policy TTS Innovation
Sophia Bantanidis’ career spans over 15 years in financial services covering strategy, regulation, policymaking, derivatives, technology and innovation in banking and asset management. She has worked at two financial services regulators (in France and in the UK), tier 1 banks and asset managers in global roles. She is currently the Head of Regulatory Strategy & Policy within the Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS) Innovation Lab at Citi in London. She joined on 1 February 2016 from Northern Trust where she managed a team as the EMEA Head of Regulatory Developments enabling the bank to commercialise regulatory change for clients as well as to comply with rules and regulations. She is named on the global Innovate Finance Women in FinTech 2019, 2018 and 2017 Powerlist and a finalist for Women in Finance FinTech Champion of the Year (2018 and 2019) and Disruptor of the Year (2019) categories. Over the last 4 years at Citi she has been deeply engaged on innovation, FinTech and RegTech and how this transforms business models in banking. She is an expert in bringing external innovation to Citi having mentored and shepherded numerous international start-ups from inception to growth with a focus on women founders. She leads the TTS regulatory relationship on innovation. She actively represents Citi externally at high profile conferences, chairs industry events and briefs premium clients on the intersection of innovation, regulation and technology. Sophia speaks 5 languages; she holds an LLB in UK Law and German Law from University College London and from the University of Cologne as well as a Master’s Degree in European Business from ESCP Europe in Oxford and Paris. She is a former gymnast and coach and has competed at German national level. She continues to be passionate about health and fitness and during the covid -19 pandemic she has taken the initiative to create an international community of women with personalised workouts empowering women from all walks of life.
Delikoura Aikaterini
Chief Compliance Officer
Katherine Delikoura is a C-level banker, a Risk and Compliance Head with managerial banking experience in banking for over 20 years in Central Eastern Europe (CEE) and Southern Eastern Europe (SEE). Currently Katherine is an International Financial Institution (IFI) top executive, member of Risk, Finance and Project Finance Committees at the CEB, an International Financial Institution Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) focused on social, environmental and viable job creation projects, Paris based (page 48 and 49, Report of 2019). Katherine has a strong expertise in Risk Management (Credit, Market, Operational), Portfolio and Counterparty Due Diligence, Regulatory Compliance (page 8-9 of CEB info 1 2018). She is the Winner of the world-wide award ‘Chief Compliance Officer of the Year 2019, Small Medium Companies” for Private Sector Companies and International Financial Institutions (page 16 of CEB info 2 2019 ). Katherine holds an MBA and a Bachelor in Law and Economics and she is Athens Bar licensed. She has bilingual proficiency in English and French and a very good knowledge of Italian and Spanish. She served as Group international Risk Head in CEE & SEE Regional Greek and Foreign Banks, she has been a Representative of Greek Regional Banks in International Financial Institution’s fora, Chairwoman of Regional Banks Risk Committees and a member of several Boards of Directors in Regional subsidiary Banks. Katherine is married and has two daughters. She was a competitive swimmer and continues to be a swimmer, loves art, cooking and travelling with family and friends around the globe.
Farmaki Teresa
Partner
Teresa is Partner, Co-Founder and member of the Investment Committee of Astarte Capital Partners and has over 17 years’ experience in structuring, execution and senior management across the spectrum of private equity investments. Astarte is a specialist investment platform with focus on real assets, covering natural resources, transportation and real estate. The firm is based in London and has presence from Sydney to Toronto. At Astarte, Teresa is responsible for investment and portfolio activities including evaluating, negotiating and structuring investments across sectors. Before co-founding Astarte, she was Head of Private Equity for Signia Wealth, a multi-family office, where she oversaw the investment strategy and investment selection for fund investments and co-investments. Prior to this, Teresa was CIO for Private Equity at Piraeus Group, where she co-led the establishment of the private equity group, launched three private equity and venture capital funds and developed the group’s strategy in the renewable energy space. Teresa joined Piraeus from UBS Investment Bank in London and New York, where she advised on corporate transactions in the real assets space in the US and Europe and was part of the team that launched the renewable energy practice of UBS globally. Teresa holds a BSc. in Economics and Finance from the University of Athens, Greece and an MBA from Columbia University in New York.
Iosifellis Aspasia
Managing Director - Foreign Exchange
Aspasia Iosifellis is a Managing Director and Foreign Exchange Risk Advisor in the Foreign Exchange Division at First Republic Bank. Mrs. Iosifellis joined First Republic in 2017. In her role as Risk Advisor, she is responsible for providing currency risk management solutions to clients, with an emphasis on hedging solutions for corporate and private clients in particularly focusing on Technology firms. Prior to joining First Republic, Mrs. Iosifellis was a Foreign Exchange Advisor with Silicon Valley Bank, her primary area of focus was in servicing early stage clients in the technology (hardware & software), innovative energy space and wine. In her 10 year tenure with SVB she assisted in building the operations and sales team for the SVB Analytics division and was also part of the corporate Digital Marketing team. Earlier in her career she focused on advisory and marketing roles internationally for companies based in Greece. She has been employed at companies such as Dimitriadis Camping Goods Inc, GCPMed and Opel Kaltsounis S.A. Mrs. Iosifellis has a passion in connecting with people to help them find solutions and successfully grow their business. She enjoys sharing market views, having good wine and time with her family and friends. Mrs. Iosifellis holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the American College of Greece – Deree and also holds an ACI Dealing Certificate from The Financial Markets Association.
Matraki Apostolia Polly
Senior Market Risk Manager
Born and raised in Greece. At the age of 18 I came to London to study engineering at Imperial College. During my time there apart from the pure academic activities I was actively involved in extracurricular including my strong involvement at Hellenic Society for which I was also a president. After university I started working ( firstly as an intern and then as a graduate) at Credit Suisse. During my 8 years there I have completed short assignments in 3 other countries (Singapore, Poland, Spain) and in the most recent one in Madrid I was instrumental in setting up the risk office as part of the Brexit contingency efforts. Over the course of my 8 years in the industry I have managed to work hard, go above and beyond to achieve my current level of seniority and recognition within the firm at a global scale. On the side I have completed a part time acting course and up until 2019 ( pre covid) I was actively participating in theater productions in London ( last one is the Trojan women in 2019 by Mazi theatre). Further to that I am in the organising commitee of the alumni network of my high school ( HAEF) and together with the other committee members we take the lead on organising events that retain the school community together and keep its principles alive. Finally I am an active member of campus recruitment activities at my firm focusing on attracting young talent and in particular young female. Due to my recognition in some female oriented networking activities I have been recognised as a Hubdot champion.
Sarri Xenia
Director
Xenia advises corporate and private equity clients on complex debt transactions and cross-border financings with a focus on leveraged buyouts, dividend recapitalisations, refinancings and debt restructurings. Having worked in both the U.S. and Europe, Xenia has a truly global outlook across international debt capital markets. Since 2007, Xenia has completed over 70 financing transactions, arranging over $50bn of debt across the full spectrum of debt and capital markets products. Over this time, she has developed a strong network of relationships with local and global finance providers both in the US and Europe. As such Xenia is able to draw from extensive experience in advising on capital structures and debt instruments across a wide array of industries both as an advisor and as a lender, and has particular industry experience in the TMT, Business Services and Healthcare sectors. After starting her career in the accounting and consulting space in the US, which gave her valuable exposure to corporate strategy and financial management, Xenia joined the TMT Leverage Finance team at ING (New York & Amsterdam) and subsequently moved to the Debt Structuring & Origination team at Jefferies (London). She earned a B.A. in Business Administration and Public Policy from Franklin & Marshall College in the US, studied International Business at the Copenhagen Business School and International Affairs at New York University. Having studied in both Europe and the US and worked in New York, Amsterdam and London, Xenia has a truly global outlook across the complex world of international debt capital markets, which enables her to provide valuable insight, perspective and expertise to her international client base.
Vlami Eleni
Head of Account Management
Eleni has over than 17 years working experience mainly in Financial services & fintech. She is currently Head of Account Management in Meniga, an Icelandic Software Provider, where she joined in 2012 as a Sales Director. Her team is fostering relationships with Financial Institutions, Strategic Partnerships and existing customers. The team is responsible for maintaining an on-going collaboration with existing customers in 32 countries across the globe. Prior to that, Eleni was working in Citibank and Piraeus Bank, supporting digital banking projects in Greece. Eleni was named in Women in Fintech PowerList, an initiative launched by Innovate Finance that aims to showcase women who are driving global success across the sector. Eleni is an active advocate on Diversity and Inclusion in Fintech industry, and she is has also been a Mentor in ‘’Women in Banking & Finance’’ (WIBF) and ‘’Reload Greece’’ organisations. She holds a BSc Degree in Economics from Athens University.
Alexandropoulou Christina
Director of Security
Global Hospitality Business Professional with extensive experience in: Business & Facilities Management, Security, Health & Safety, Business Continuity, PR Strategy & Communications, Profit Protection, Loss Prevention, First Responder Training for Crisis Management, Business & Project Management, PMP (PMI certified), Employee First Aid Training, On-boarding, Internal Audit & Commercial Real Estate Management / Marketing & PR (damage control). MBA with major in International Marketing, Bachelor's BSc Degree in Business Management, member of the ASIS Aegean Chapter & CPP scholarship certification recipient. National Honors Society Scholarship, DoD (Department of Defense)- U.S. Air Force Scholarship, Senior Class Valedictorian & Class President, TASIS Hellenic International School, class of 1990. Captain of High School & College Basketball Team.Married to Greek-Australian basketball former player & now Coach, Mike Kouris, mother of 11 year old twin girls.Passionate member of the Greek Softball Team prior to the 2004 Olympic Games. Committed to making the world a better place by driving Global Sustainability,Health & Safety initiatives and being an active Volunteer, while acting as Diversity Champion, supporting inclusion and work life integration programs in the region.Headed up the 1st LEAN IN Circle for Women in Security in Greece mentoring fellow female professionals for over 3 years. As a member of the Pre-Opening team of the 1st Four Seasons Hotel in Greece, is accountable for the Security measures throughout the resort, maintaining strategic oversight of every aspect of the resort's security & safety for Guests, Employees, Assets & Reputation including staffing, budgets, protocols & procedures as well as crisis management. Set in a pine-clad peninsula in Vouliagmeni, the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel is the epitome of luxury, a sanctuary of 30 hectares (75 acres)– featuring 3 private beaches, 8 exciting restaurants, lounges & bars, upscale retail, and a Spa.
Arvaniti Afroditi
General Manager & Senior Advisor to the Board
Agile, inspirational leader, creating state of the art experience in the Hospitality industry. Managing Director in the hospitality industry with 20+ years of experience in leading management roles with International Luxury Hotel Chains as well as Hotel Investment Companies. A transformational leader with systemic view in developing business and creating high expectation value. Ability to work in unpredictable settings when the stakes are high. Inspire high levels of performance, thoroughly design and implement corporate plans and strategies while building motivated and high performing teams. Leading by example, creating added value for the organization and the generations to come. Afroditi has a Master Certificate in Hospitality Management (focus on Financial Management & Revenue Management) from Cornell University, USA. Selected experience in the Tourism & Hospitality sector: August 2020 – today General Manager & Senior Advisor to the Board at Kalesma Mykonos Hotel SA From June 2020 - Senior Consultant-Associate Hospitality Strategy & Analytics – Deloitte Greece August 2019 – April 2020: Managing Director L+ R Properties, TITANIA HOTEL PROJECT July 2018 – July 2019: CEO & General Manager SLS Cardinal SA – Hospitality Investment and Management June 2010 –June 2018: General Manager NJV Athens Plaza Hotel – Member Preferred Hotels & Resorts & Managing Director of the owning company Varnicos SA July 2006 - May 2010: STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS, Director of Sales & Marketing of Astir Palace Complex Jan 2003 - July 2006: HILTON INTERNATIONAL , Director of Sales & Marketing, Hilton Athens April 2002 – Dec 2002: ATHENS 2004 (Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games), Project Manager Hotels/Athens Head Office March 1998 – March 2002: ACCOR Sofitel Hotels Complex Director of Sales, Rhodes New Conference Centre Opening for 3,000 delegates 1990 – 1998: Director of Sales & Marketing, Horizon Travel
Chantzi Natalia
Owner & General Manager of Avaton Luxury Hotel & Villas, Relais & Châteaux
Since my adolescence I have been trying to get informed about international issues to find possible solutions. This passion was channeled through my participation in Model United Nations in which I started as a member of staff and reached the highest position, that of the Secretary General at Anatolia College MUN. This journey gave me the opportunity to explore new spiritual horizons, to meet people from all over the world and to deal thoroughly with the problems of humanity in order to provide help in any possible way. I managed to participate to participate at Harvard and The Hague MUN trying to raise awareness around me in order to help people contribute to a better tomorrow. At the same time, I represented Greece in the European Youth Parliament. As a student at the Business School of Brunel University London, I participated in a small group of students aiming to create a national garment labeling system to promote ethical fashion in the UK while I was volunteering at local NGOs.
Georgakopoulou Anjie
Event Planner
Anjie Georgakopoulou is the wedding designer, planner, and creative director behind Only For You Events. An alumnus art & graphic designer, she earned her stripes in the fashion world working as an art director and stylist for Madame Figaro magazine and other esteemed press, before turning to the world of curated events. Gravitating around flawlessly styled celebrations Anjie instantly began pouring statement-making details into her event designs, which instantly turned Only For You Events into a stand-out company in the Greek destination wedding industry. Having spent over 20 years melding the tenets of décor, artistry, and high-end fashion expertise, with the razor-sharp organization in the field of luxury weddings beyond Greece, in Italy, France, Turkey, and the U.K., Anjie's reputation today precedes her. An avid humanitarian and cause-supporter Anjie is also devoted to supporting the children's HARA foundation, giving back through her annually designed signature jewelry and holiday gifting collections. Her celebrity clients whose weddings and events have made international press headlines, praise her on balancing beauty with the real, the devotion to style with resourcefulness, the incubation with foresight. Always on tap for the most creative challenges, Anjie will bring her vast expertise to the fore, always making certain people, love, and experiences come first.
Gkika Elena
Director of Human Resources / Author
On 1992 I was admitted in the department of Hotel Management in TEI of Larissa. Till my graduation which came 4 years later, I was constantly working for pocket money as a waitress. After my graduation, on 1996, I was hired as a waitress in Helios Hotels & Resorts, Elounda Beach & Elounda Bay Palace hotels, based in Crete. A year later, I got promoted to the role of HR assistant manager. The same year, I took again exams and was admitted to the Kapodistrian University of Athens, in the faculty of Politic Science and Public administration. On 2000, I was promoted to the position of Human Resources Manager in Grand Resort Lagonissi. My mission, which I successfully fulfilled, was to multiply the existing team of 100 employees by five and to develop a skillful manpower, matching the exceptional level of the renovated and luxurious hotel facilities. By 2006, Grand Resort Lagonissi, had become a big success, considered by then one of the best hotel resorts in Greece. In the meanwhile I had graduated and right after I got admitted in the faculty of Law, in the Kapodistrian University of Athens. On 2006, I was offered the job of Director of Human Resources in Club Hotel Casino Loutraki. During my three years’ service, the company was awarded twice as a best work place. In addition, that was the only period in the history of the company, with no strikes. On 2009 I was offered the role of DHR in Costa Navarino. Costa Navarino employs a proud team of 1200 highly skillful and committed associates, has been repeatedly certified as a great place to work, has been awarded domestically and internationally for its HR practices and has won countless recognitions for its impeccable services. On 2018 I also took the role of Head of tourism studies in the Delta 360 school in Kalamata. I have published 3 novels and 1 leadership book,(“Μορφόκοσμος” Pigi Publications, “Καθρέπτες και είδωλα”, “7+1 καθημερινά αμαρτήματα ηγεσίας”, “Η ζωή που σου κλεψα” Psichogios publications).
Kambourakis Anna Maria
Owner and Certified Sommelier
My name is Anna Maria Kambourakis. I was born and raised in the United States but decided in 2013 to move to my ancestral home of Crete. I am the owner and operated of Chania Wine Tours, the top rated wine tour company in Greece. I have been involved in the Greek wine industry since 2008 where I have worked in many capacities from Certified Sommelier, assistant importer of Greek wines to the United States, wine sales in Greece and the US, and currently as a tour operated and wine writer based in Chania, Crete.
Karayanni Anda
Hospitality Marketing Management Expert
Anda is Manager of Irene Palace Beach Resort in Rhodes, www.irenepalace.gr, a 4-star hotel,500 beds, seasonal operation, on the beach, with loyal repeat customers. She studied Tourism in ASTER - School of Tourism Profession- and MSc Marketing and communication –Economic University of Athens-. She is specialized in conference tourism (Chamber of Dodecanese), digital culture (UoA) and digital marketing (UoA). Anda is the founder of «Praxis Plus», a company in strategic communication and marketing. She is actively involved in strategic planning and business development of companies, local authorities and organizations. She served as Vice President of the Rhodes Hotel Owners Association and Vice President of the Rhodes Hotel Managers Association. She is active in the "Culture-TOURISM" field for over 20 years with the belief that the "heavy artillery" of tourism is our culture. She executed gastronomy projects in tourism. She is a partner of FVW Medien, the largest tourism media in Germany. She was also Vice President of International SKÅL Rhodes, member of the Board of the Dodecanese Tourism Organization of the Prefecture of Dodecanese on the subject of the tourist development of the islands, member of the Board of the Cultural Organization of the Municipality of Rhodes, member of the EPOT Think Tank, Scientific Tourism Group of the Dodecanese Chamber, representative of EEDE (Hellenic Society of Business Administration) in the Dodecanese. Voluntary participation: • She is a member of the Rhodes Committee of the Dodecanese Melissa (Bee) Association (founded in 1931), which supports with sponsorships through events, financially weak Dodecanese students in the difficult times we are going through.. • Member of EPOT. An autonomous, non-profit Tourism Think Tank that consists of experienced tourism scientists and practitioners.
Nikolaou Dina
Head Chef
Dina Nikolaou’s gastronomic preoccupations started at a very young age. Although she started with economic and marketing studies in Paris, her passion for the culinary art quickly changed the course of her life. She started her culinary professional studies at Le Cordon Bleu, Ritz Escoffier, Alain Ducasse formation and Lenôtre schools in Paris. Beloved, popular, multi-award winning, obsessed with Greek gastronomic culture and Greek products. Her restaurant in Paris (Evi Evane) is synonymous with Greece and the Mediterranean diet for Parisians. In 2017 Gilles Pudlowski , the publisher and creator of the famous gastronomy guide “Publo Paris”, brought “Evi Evane” on the very top by awarding it as the best foreign restaurant in Paris. With many cookbooks, TV shows in both countries, cooking seminars and creative cuisine in many branded restaurants in Greece, Dina Nikolaou is rightly considered the ambassador of Greek gastronomy internationally.
Santikou Katerina
Managing Director
Experienced Hospitality Entrepreneur, recognized in the Fortune 40 under 40 and Forbes 30 under 30 lists. Business Development Director for Santikos Collection, a group of owned and managed hospitality properties and founder of Workathlon, a leading hospitality recruiting software.
Asimaki Angeliki
Senior Lecturer in Cardiac Morphology and Sudden Death
I left Greece in 1999 to pursue a degree in Medical Genetics at QueenMary, University of London and then a PhD in Cardiovascular Pathology at University College London. In 2006 I joined Harvard Medical School (HMS), first as an intern, then as a graduate student where I got to complete my PhD studies, subsequently as a postgraduate fellow and finally as a faculty member. Following 11 years at the densest scientific community in the world, in 2017 I returned to the UK to establish my own group at St George’s Medical School. Today, I am a tenured Senior Lecturer in Sudden Death. I hold several prestigious young investigator awards including the Bevan Price for the highest ever average in my BSc degree and the Dennis Escande Award of Excellence. To date, I have authored 48 original peer-reviewed publications including a first author paper in the New England Journal of Medicine; the highest impact factor journal in the world (IF: 70,67). I have also authored 11 invited reviews and book chapters and have presented my work in 97 national and international meetings including a TedX conference. Throughout my career, my research has been supported by the American Heart Association, the Heart Rhythm Society and the National Institute of Health while I currently hold grants from 5 funding bodies including the Wellcome Trust and the British Heart Foundation to improve timely diagnosis and develop mechanism-based therapies in diseases underlying unheralded death in the young. Molecular cardiac pathology is the emerging discipline that brings together clinical cardiology, anatomic pathology and molecular biology. This ‘cross-over’ field is where my niche lies. As a consequence of my research, today, we are able to diagnose deadly heart diseases just by analysing cheek smears, an invention I patented in 2017. Finally, through teaching several courses and mentoring students I am heavily invested in seasoning the next generation of researchers and hence creating tomorrow’s leaders.
Elgabry Mariam
Director and Co-Founder, PhD
Hello, I’m Mariam! I am a founder and director at Enteromics, a MedTech startup that is changing the way we monitor gut health, through the power of IoT. We’re building GutLab™ a proprietary platform for our smart gut-sensing pills that pair with our app to deliver AI-powered medical insights, moving healthcare from the hospital to the comfort of your home. What led me here is my fascination in multidisciplinary systems integration, such as computational biology, Cyber-biosecurity, and programmable biology. My background is in deep-tech and bioengineering, and I hold a MSc in Bioinformatics & Theoretical Systems Biology from Imperial College London, as well as a MRes in Security & Crime Science from the University College London (UCL). At UCL, I am conducting research in Bio-crime, the Internet-of-Medical-Things (IoMT), and Cyber-biosecurity as part of my PhD at the Jill Dando Institute. My most recent work discusses the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on Cyber-biosecurity in the UK and abroad; published by the UK Parliament Joint Committee on National Security. My experience lies at the intersection of industry and research, focusing on tech, health and security. At AstraZeneca, I led an award winning technology for early detection systems in drug testing. Later, Microsoft Inc. offered me opportunities in translating technology, where we exported innovative tools, from hackathons into start-ups. Alongside studying, my work as a Sergeant at the London Metropolitan Police exposed me to operations on the field, including risk mitigation - from managing policing activity, to effective deployment of resources to incidents; I used these lessons in my work as a Security Design Consultant at Toren. I am determined to disseminate my knowledge and offer opportunities to younger generations; particularly involving more girls in business and STEM; like Tour de Tech, a program I organized at Microsoft to promote women in Computer Science around the world (US, EU, UAE).
Fragopoulou Marianthi
CEO, Prof Nuclear Physics
I am nuclear physicist, invited Professor at Oklahoma State University OSU, and HERADO CEO. I have experience more than 18 years in medical physics and space research and I have received numerous grand’s and awards while I have extensive research activity and participation in experiments in Greece and abroad. I have international collaborations with laboratories and large organizations such as NASA, DLR and Lockheed Martin and I have done research and retraining abroad. I am a member of international scientific societies and organizations and I am invited speaker in international conferences related to medical physics, nuclear physics, space research as well in economic forums. I am in the scientific committee of International conferences and I have large number of published papers in international Journals.
Kapsetaki Marianna
PhD student
Dr Marianna Kapsetaki completed a MBBS (1st Hons; top 2.5% of Class 2015) at the University of Crete, receiving scholarships from IKY Foundation and the Parisianou S.A. Award for achieving top grades. She undertook 30 projects, was offered an Erasmus scholarship to attend clerkships at hospitals in London, and a Fellowship Award for research at Boston University. She then completed a MSc in Performing Arts Medicine at University College London (Distinction and the BAPAM Award for Best Dissertation), and is currently completing a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at Imperial College London supported by the Onassis Foundation, Leventis Foundation, Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust, and Hilda Martindale Educational Trust. She was offered financial support from the Guarantors of Brain, World Hellenic Biomedical Association, Bodossaki Foundation, Onassis Foundation, Organisation for Psychological Research into Stroke, and Imperial College London (Dean’s Internship Award) to attend conferences and courses. She has been Guest Lecturer at UCL and has co-supervised students at Imperial College London. She has received the UNESCO Medal, Citizen of Honour Award from the Municipality of Hersonissos, Ede & Ravenscroft Bursary, ‘World in Harmony’ Association Scholarship conferred by HRH Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, F.Marr Award, J.Tzonker Award, Director's Award from London’s Blyth Centre, GEMMA Trust Grant, 9-year full tuition scholarship from the Minoan Conservatory of Music, and the BAPAM Shipley-Rudge Research & Education Grant, was named runner-up of the Rising Star Award 2020 by the Organisation for Psychological Research into Stroke (World Federation for Neurorehabilitation), and was shortlisted for the Next Generation Women Leaders Award 2020. She is associate member of the British Neuropsychological Society, member of the Psychonomic Society and has previously been a member of the Imperial College Neuroscience Society and Medical Association of Heraklion.
Konofagou Elisa
Robert and Margaret Hariri Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Elisa E. Konofagou is the Robert and Margaret Hariri Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Professor Radiology as well as Director of the Ultrasound and Elasticity Imaging Laboratory at Columbia University in New York City. Her main interests are in the development of novel elasticity imaging techniques and therapeutic ultrasound methods and more notably focused ultrasound in the brain for drug delivery and stimulation, myocardial elastography, electromechanical and pulse wave imaging, harmonic motion imaging with several clinical collaborations in the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and elsewhere. Elisa is an Elected Fellow of the American Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, an Elected Fellow of the Acoustical Society of Acoustical Society of America, a member of the IEEE in Engineering in Medicine and Biology, IEEE in Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control Society and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. She has co-authored over 200 published articles in the aforementioned fields. Prof. Konofagou is also a technical committee member of the Acoustical Society of America, the International Society of Therapeutic Ultrasound, the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology conference (EMBC), the IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). Elisa serves as Associate Editor in IEEE Transactions in Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control, Ultrasonic Imaging and Medical Physics, and is recipient of several awards including the CAREER award by the National Science Foundation, the Nagy award by the National Institutes of Health and the IEEE-EMBS Technological Achievement Award as well as additional recognitions by the American Heart Association, the Acoustical Society of America, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, the Bodossaki foundation, the Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers and the Radiological Society of North America.
Mailis Angela
Medical Director
I obtained my MD from Athens Medical School in 1976; my Physical Medicine Fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians of Canada in 1982; and my Master from the Institute of Medical Science, UofT in 1988. I am Clinical Professor at the Department of Medicine, UofT, founder/director of the Toronto Western Hospital Pain Program (1982-2015), and the Pain & Wellness Centre in Vaughan since 2014, the only community-based publicly-funded pain program in Ontario. I am Evidence Based Guideline developer; medicolegal expert in chronic pain matters; published many scientific papers; trained numerous students and international trainees; lectured around the world; and served as the Canadian Association for Retired Persons newsletter contributor (2009-2014). I have chaired since 2005 a not for profit organization, ACTION Ontario, promoting changes in pain management by educating members of Parliament. I actively participated in several panels and have been advisor to the Ontario Ministry of Health since 2009.I have appeared in numerous media outlets on chronic pain matters. Currently a TV series with several episodes on pain is been prepared (The Pain Project) with me serving as Executive Director and Anchor/Host.I was founding member of the Greek Canadian Medical Association in Toronto (president 1999-2004). I spearheaded the creation of a Greek school and currently I am member of the Daughters of Penelope, the women’s branch of AHEPA.I am a Popular Science writer: BEYOND PAIN was published in 2003 and Smart, Successful and Abused -on Domestic Abuse of high functioning women- by Sutherland House in 2019 (based also on my own research and experience as victim of domestic emotional abuse). My activities can be summarized as follows: Educational Leadership; Leadership in exemplary practice development; Research /professional activities impact in clinical practice; Administrative Leadership; Mentorship/ Advocacy/ Public Education/ Community involvement
Nika Marily
Senior AI Product Manager
Based in San Francisco, Marily Nika works for Google as an Artificial Intelligence Product Manager and a part-time Teaching Fellow for Harvard Business Analytics where she runs a forum series on Technical Product Management. Marily holds a Ph.D in Computer Science & Epidemiology from Imperial College London. Marily's role at Google focuses on developing Speech technology products that give users the ability to interact to their devices by voice. In 2017 Marily lead the launch of Speech Recognition for 30 language varieties in features like its virtual keyboard Gboard on Android and in voice search, including Greek. In 2017, Marily initiated the development of a. 'greeklish' keyboard, that allowed users to type greek in latin characters with a greek output that had the correct orthography. Outside of her day job, Marily has delivered three TEDx talks and has received international recognition — including the Woman of the Year 2018 Award by everywoman as well as the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Influence Award in 2015 awarded to her by HRH princess Anne in London for empowering the Women in tech & science community in various ways. Marily has co-founded 3 Women in Tech communities that have over 10k members globally (Geekettes, Wonder Women Tech, Bay Area Women in Voice, Greek Women in Tech - Lean-in, Greek ACM-W Chapter) and is also actively involved in the startup scene as she serves as an advisor for 3 startups in the EdTech, FinTech and Environmental Tech space.
Panagiotopoulou Olga
Assistant Professor (Senior Lecturer) in Anatomy
I am an Assistant Professor in Anatomy and Head of the Functional Mechanics Lab at the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Monash University, Australia. I am also the Chair of the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Honours Program, Deputy Chair of the Monash Animal Ethics Committee and Associate Editor to Frontiers in Zoology and Royal Society Open Science International Peer Review Journals. In 2003, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Archaeology and History of Arts from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. The opportunity to switch from social sciences to Science & Technology came in 2004 when I was awarded a scholarship from the Bakala Foundation in Greece to study for a Master of Science at the University of Bradford in England. My MSc studies were followed by doctoral studies at the University of York where I was one of six early stage international researchers to receive a prestigious scholarship funded by the European Commission under the Marie Curie Actions of the Sixth Framework Programme (grant number MEST-CT-2005-020601). My PhD work unravelled the function of the masticatory system using engineering principles and computer simulations. In 2009, I started my postdoctoral appointment on foot biomechanics at the Structure and Motion Laboratory at the Royal Veterinary College, UK and was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). In 2010, I received a prestigious Marie Curie Re-Integration Fellowship from the European Union (ERG-MACACA 267207) to expand on my PhD work on feeding biomechanics and I received additional training on experimental and surgical approaches by Professor Ross at the University of Chicago. On March 2013, I relocated to Australia and commenced my first academic position with the University of Queensland [UQ] (Lecturer in Anatomy). I resigned from my position in UQ in 2018 to accept my current academic appointment with Monash University.
Tsiropoulou Eirini Eleni
Assistant Professor
Dr. Tsiropoulou is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Mexico, USA. She obtained her Diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering from National Technical University of Athens in 2008 and her MBA in techno-economics from the same institute in 2010. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from National Technical University of Athens in 2014. Her main research interests lie in the area of cyber-physical social systems and wireless heterogeneous networks, with emphasis on network modeling and optimization, resource orchestration in interdependent systems, reinforcement learning, game theory, network economics, and Internet of Things. Five of her papers received the Best Paper Award at IEEE WCNC 2012, ADHOCNETS 2015, IEEE WMNC 2019, INFOCOM 2019 by the IEEE ComSoc Technical Committee on Communications Systems Integration and Modeling, and IEEE/ACM BRAINS 2020. She was selected by the IEEE Communication Society - N2Women - as one of the top ten Rising Stars of 2017 in the computer networking and communications field at an international level. She received the National Science Foundation, Computer and Information Science and Engineering Award in 2019 for her pioneering research in Advanced Wireless Networks. She received the Early Career Award by the IEEE Communications Society in 2019 and the Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, School of Engineering, University of New Mexico in 2018. Dr. Tsiropoulou has established a collaborative research program with the Sandia National Laboratories, USA on cybersecurity in smart grid systems and renewable energy harvesting. Dr. Tsiropoulou has published more than 80 peer-reviewed research works and has an impressive number of citations to her research work by other authors worldwide. Her methods in optimizing distributed systems, from wireless to renewable energy systems, have attracted the interest of the international research community.
Bollanou Kate
Founder, Maritime D&I Coach
An ICF Certified Coach, with an expertise in gender parity and cross-cultural communication for the shipping industry, Kate’s mission is to help the industry become truly inclusive. “My work in the shipping industry is not personal anymore. It’s about helping others get recognised and rewarded for their efforts and their potential!” Kate says. Kate comes from a maritime family and has a Master’s in Shipping and Commercial Law from Southampton Solent University. She completed her PQE with the UK branch of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. Kate worked as a shipbroker in London for six years. While expecting her second child, Kate was made redundant. Despite this, she decided to stay in the industry and made it her mission to make shipping an industry that is not only diverse, but truly inclusive. She went to retrain as a Women’s Leadership Coach so she can help other women in shipping progress, through bespoke professional coaching and mentoring. She gained her Executive Certificate in Women’s Leadership from Cornell University and founded The MemberShip Club, a private membership for women in shipping who are at the pre-managerial stage and want to accelerate their career. Kate also leverages her biracial background and partners with companies to help them bridge communication gaps between Greek and Filipino seafarers. Kate has been vocal about the invisible barriers women in the industry face and for this, in 2019, she was awarded the Mpower UK Business Award. In the same year, she was also a finalist for the Global Young Gender Balanced Leader. In 2020, Kate was also recognised as one of the 18 women reshaping the ocean industries. As a speaker in in-person and online international maritime conferences, she addresses gender parity and cross-cultural communication issues, working towards her goal to ensure all people in the shipping industry have access to equal opportunities, regardless of their gender, age and cultural background.
Kaparaki Anna
Solicitor/Lecturer in Maritime Law
I am a dual-qualified Solicitor specialising in marine and shipping law matters with particular focus on shipboard and offshore casualty claims, Hull and Machinery (H&M) marine insurance claims, charter-party disputes and fleet purchase transactions. I am a member of the Law Society of Scotland and a Notary Public in Scotland. I was called to the Athens Bar Association in 2005 and I am admitted to practice law before all Greek Courts of the First Instance, all Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court in any procedure. I work as a Solicitor at Mackinnons Solicitors LLP, which is a shipping law firm in Scotland/UK renowned for its clientele in the maritime industry. I am also working as a Lecturer in Maritime Law at Liverpool John Moores University. Prior to my current roles, I have been working as an associate lawyer for over 10 years in an international law firm based in Athens. I was involved in various maritime law matters, such as in negotiations for the terms and conditions of charterparties, I handled cases related to the sale, transfer and deletion of vessels and I was involved in various casualty claims as well as in litigation related to damages due to sea pollution. I had been a member of the Board of Directors of AKKED Prometheus- a Mediation Training Centre based in Athens. I graduated with Distinction from Liverpool John Moores University, after completing a Master of Science in Maritime Operations Management. My master thesis was related to the assessment of the legal challenges associated with the use of electronic bills of lading in the carriage of goods by sea. I was also awarded an LL.M. in Private International Law from the Athens National and Kapodistrian University. I am an active member of various maritime organisations, such as Liverpool & North West Propeller Club and WISTA (Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association) UK & International. I participate actively in various international maritime events.
Notias Irene
Managing Director
I love to create and fill needs. I consider myself an Athenian – New Yorker because I was born in Athens and raised in NYC from 5 months old till 33 years old when i decided to try 1 year in Greece working there. I love both countries. My parents were very humble hard-working immigrants from Greece who instilled in me the values of their time. Still, they wanted me to be independent and be well educated. I have founded and run two entities in Greece. One entity is a business in Shipping services, and one is a non-for-profit organization. It is a never-ending process of creating, adapting, managing, and developing a demanding marine fuels broker business which competes in the international arena for 2 decades. Prior to careers in bunkering and shipping, my work experience has been in wholesale, retail, and multi-national corporations like IBM & Nichiman America in NYC. I received a bachelor’s from Pace University NY, majoring in International Management and minoring in International Marketing, in 1984. During school, i always worked and held positions in associations like the Maid of Athena, Greek Orthodox Youth Association and Holy Cross Parish Council. I was also elected President of Women's International Shipping & Trading Association in 2006 but i rejected it and became VP so i could run my business smoothly. I was raised to be part of a community and help others before i helped myself. I was an administrative assistant most of my youth which helped me to learn how to organize my own companies.
Panayiotou Gina
Concept Founder
Ranked by Legal 500, GC Powerlist Greece and Cyprus, as one of the Top 100 in.-house counsel driving innovation within their sector, I have extensive experience in senior roles; ranging from Legal Manager of a shipowning company, Global Head of Shipping & Energy in a multijurisdictional law firm, to Contracts management within the in-house legal team of a cruise manager. My main focus has been in dry and transactional shipping, with particular emphasis on contract drafting and negotiation, newbuilds, sales and purchases, ship finance, flag and mortgage registrations, as well as policy compliance strategies (i.e GDPR, Cybersecurity, GDPR etc.) My proudest achievement throughout my career however, was when I received the first Young Leader Award in Cyprus, by YoungShip and WISTA Cyprus, for my voluntary contribution as a passionate advocate of the shipping industry, via my role as Concept Founder of the online broadcast “It’s ALL about Shipping,” which aims at raising the profile and inspiring youth to acknowledge shipping as a key industry. Furthermore, serving this mission consistently, I have been involved in creating content and formulating social media campaigns for maritime related NGO’s, such as WISTA Cyprus and WISTA UK. My academic background is in maritime law and strategy, while I also hold an MBA. I am also a member of WISTA International Trade Committee, Board Member of WISTA Cyprus, member of the event committee of WISTA UK, Legal Counsel of SPNI and Legal Advisor of Association of Merchant Marine Officers (MMOACY). Additionally, I have been appointed to the Navigation Committee of the Cyprus Bar Association and hve participated on various committees of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber and have also acted as Project Manager of ShipCon2018. Furthermore, I have had the honour to be a speaker at various Maritime Conferences, including among others, the IMO 2020 & Fuel Symposium 2019.
Panayiotou Theodosiou Despina
Co-CEO, President
Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou is joint CEO of TOTOTHEO MARITIME, a leading global service provider specialising in innovative, efficient, and functional solutions in the fields of digitalization, maritime satellite communications, automation, and navigation systems. She is a board member of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber, the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation and Invest Cyprus. She also sits on the Board of Governors of the Cyprus Maritime Academy, the Strategic Committee of Crans Montana – Club of Ports, and supra partes member at the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Despina has also taken the role of the Coordinator in the Transport, Shipping and Infrastructure Group in November 2020. The Policy Production Groups are under the auspices of the Democratic Rally (DISY). They aim at the continuous and productive process to offer a step for political action that is in line with our time. In July 2020, she was elected as a Member to the General committee of the Association of SA and Limited Companies in Greece and as Head of its Shipping Sector committee. She is President of Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association, an organization comprised of 53 National WISTA Associations. She has been instrumental to WISTA’s success in receiving consultative status at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2018. Leading international shipping publication Lloyd’s List selected Despina as one of the Top 100 Most Influential people in shipping in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2019 she was also named as the “International Personality of the Year” at the Lloyd’s List Greek Shipping Awards. She holds degrees from the National and Capodistrian University of Athens, the Copenhagen Business School, and the University of Oxford.
Papaioannou Marina
Principal Academy Advisor
I graduated from the University of Patras, Department of Geology in 1989 and received a PhD in Geophysics in 2002. I have participated in various scientific projects related to archaeological geophysics, which was also the specific topic of her Thesis titled “The application of geophysics in the investigation of underground structures in urban environment”. I worked as a free-launch geologist/geophysicist until 2000, undertaking a major part of the geophysical investigations for the construction of the Metro of Athens, participating in various NATO SFS Programs, as well as numerous archaeological /geophysical projects and civil construction works. In 2000, I started my career in the maritime business with my employment with the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association – HELMEPA. Within my duties were to follow the works of the Committees for the Protection of the Marine Environment (MEPC) and Maritime Safety (MSC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London, translation and simplification of laws and regulations relevant to the protection of the marine environment and oil pollution prevention and response and teaching at seminars with relevant subjects. In 2008 I started her employment with Germanischer Lloyd Academy and I have been GL Academy Area Manager for Southern Europe, responsible for the training activities of GL for Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Turkey, Spain, Portugal. Since 1st January 2014, I am managing the training business under the new merged organization – DNV GL’s Maritime Academy Hellas, for which I am also a trainer and Principal Academy Advisor. I have a significant presence in national and international conferences/symposiums as a speaker, with numerous publications. Elected Secretary General of WISTA Hellas (April 2014 – March 2016).
Plakantonaki Charis
Chief Strategy Officer
Charis Plakantonaki is the Chief Strategy Officer of Star Bulk Carriers Corp., the largest US listed dry bulk shipping company. Under her capacity she oversees the company’s strategic planning, human resources, information technology, corporate communications and public affairs. Before joining Star Bulk in 2015, Charis worked at Thenamaris (Ships Management) Inc. for seven years, initially as Strategic Projects Manager and subsequently as Head of Corporate Communications. Prior to Thenamaris she was a Senior Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group where she managed strategy development projects for multinational companies across different industries. Charis received a B.S. in International & European Economics & Politics from the University of Macedonia, where she graduated as valedictorian, and a Master in Business Administration from INSEAD. She is an alumna of the Anatolia College in Thessaloniki where she graduated as valedictorian. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Liberian Shipowners’ Council, on the Advisory Board of Blue Growth, and on the Board of Trustees of Anatolia College. She represents Star Bulk in the Global Maritime Forum and the Getting to Zero Coalition and she is also the Vice Chair of the Clean Shipping Alliance 2020. She is the mother of two boys, six and eight years old.
Souli Elina
Regional Business Development Directr, V.P-FDD Manager
Elina Souli is a lawyer qualified both in Greece and UK with over 20 years of experience in P&I and FD&D matters. She obtained her Law Degree from the Aristoteleio University of Thessaloniki and holds an LLM degree from Southampton University in UK. She started her career as an Associate lawyer in one of the major shipping firms in Greece before joining an IG P&I Club office in Piraeus in 1999 where she dealt with a wide range of P&I as well as FD&D cases over the years. She has received specialized training in crisis management of marine emergencies and she has handled major casualties within the scope of her role as Casualty Coordinator of the Greek office. She has participated in many Arbitration and Mediation hearings both in the UK and in the US dealing predominantly with major claims and disputes that have arisen in the respective jurisdictions . She joined SCB (Hellas) Inc., the Piraeus Claims Liaison Office for the Managers of the American P&I Club, (Shipowners Claims Bureau Inc., NY) in November 2018 where she currently holds the position of Regional Business Development Director, V.P – FD&D Manager . She is regularly invited as a speaker in various International Conferences related to P&I and Marine Insurance topics and she is a visiting lecturer at the LLM course of Athens Law School. She has been elected as Vice President for Wista Hellas BOD in June 2020.
Varvate Maro
Head of LNG Projects
Maro Varvate is Head of LNG Projects in Cass Technava Maritime S.A. a leading shipbroking house in Greece. Her 18 years experience in shipping started by her joining the Greek family company Naftotrade Shipping as a young graduate with focus in business development, strategy and planning. Eventually she became responsible for the commercial operations of the Group in Greece, Turkey and Italy. In 2014, Maro relocated to Qatar to join Qatargas as LNG Shipping Commercial Specialist. Upon her return to Greece in 2018 she worked as Business Development Manager for RINA. Maro holds a Diploma and MEng in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, an MSc in Corporate Finance from SDA Bocconi, Italy and an MBA from Athens University of Economics and Business. She is a member of various professional communities and she is a frequent lecturer and presenter at international shipping conferences and courses. Maro is an active support of business integrity, inclusivity and diversity. She is married and mother of two daughters.
Archontidou Vanessa
Founder & Alpinist
Vanessa Archontidou is a mother of two boys, Marketing Director of a multinational company and member of the 1st Greek women mountaineering team that on May 2019 climbed Mt Everest.Although the last 17 years, Marketing and Sales are in the core of her professional career, her personal path was driven by her love for nature, mountaineering and travelling the world.In 2004, she became a member of A.O.S (Athenian Mountaineering Association), where she assists as a guide to several ascents within Greece. In 2006, Vanessa completed the Climbing and Winter Mountaineering School of AOS. Since then, she has climbed almost all the Greek mountains, reached the top of the African & South American continent (Mt Kilimanjaro-5985m & Mt Aconcagua-6962m) and participated in commercial expeditions to Nepal, Malaysia, Morocco and the Swiss Alps. As member of the mountaineering team “A Woman Can Be”, aiming to climb 7 Summits (the highest mountains of each of the 7 continents) she has climbed Mt Elbrus (5642m in Russia), Mt McKinley/Denali (6190m in Alaska, USA) and Mt Everest (8848m in Nepal). In November 2019, she founded the organization “A Woman Can Be” focusing on women empowerment by promoting dynamic women role models. Furthermore, “A Woman Can Be” embraces initiatives that create awareness for climate change and foster love for nature, the environment and outdoor living.
Klokoni Ileana
Educational - Olympic Education Teacher
Dr. Ileana Klokoni is Educational of Olympic Education, History and Values. She is also the writer of children's educational books on Olympic education. Her successful book "Olympic Values! From Ancient Olympia to the whole world», has been taught to thousands of students in Greece and abroad.Ileana Klokoni created the National Olympic Academy of Greece. As General Director of the Academy, for eight years, she designed and implemented more than one hundred Olympic Education programs for children and young people. Many of these programs have been awarded in Greece and abroad.Today, many educational institutions have her work as an example. She continues the effort to bring children and young people close to sports and the virtues it represents and to make Olympic Education a regular subject in the schools of Greece, the country where Olympism was born.She lives in Athens, she is married to ENT doctor Stelios Triantos and is the mother of one child.
Patroni Katerina
Sport Assistant
EDUCATION-EKPA | University of Athens, Greece - Law School PhD in Public Administration and International Sport Events. EPFL | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, Masters of Advanced Studies in Sport Administration and Technology (AISTS). EKPA | University of Athens, Greece - Law School, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration specializing in Management. PUBLICATIONS Survey: "Future Event Requirements of International Sport Federations, "RESEARCH PAPER“ Testing the Relationship between Attractiveness and Fans’ Involvement in the context of Rhythmic Gymnastics”. WORK EXPERIENCE: Sport Assistant of the Gold Paralympic Champion, Greg Polychronidis, in the Sport of Boccia. We compete together as a duo. We have won together two Paralympic medals in “Rio 2016” (1 Silver and 1 Bronze) and 18 Medals (9 Gold, 3 Silver, 6 Bronze) in Official International Competitions. We currently hold the title of World Champions since 2018 and European Champions since 2019 and we are 1st in the World Ranking Lists for 3 consecutive years. Manager of Greg Polychronidis Marketing Campaign and Sponsorship issues. INTERNATIONAL TENNIS FEDERATION (ITF): Statistics Analyst. INTERNATIONAL VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION (FIVB): Project leader, TV & Marketing Department. GREEK MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS: Marketing & Communication Assistant to Undersecretary. COUNTY REPRESENTATIVE: elected with 6000 votes. INTERNSHIPS GREEK MINISTRY OF DEFENSE: Communication & Campaign Intern to the Minister. POLITICAL OFFICE OF FOREIGN MINISTER D. BAKOYANNIS: Campaign Intern SPORTS & AWARDS - HELLENIC TENNIS FEDERATION (HTF): Current member and former competitor 3rd Place Greek National Tennis Championships 2003. VOLUNTEER FEDCUP BNP PARIBAS: Press Services Agent for access of the Press (Fribourg, Swiss) SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHENS 2011. SKILLS: Languages Fluent in English (TOEFL 112/120), French (Sorbonne 1) & Greek (mother tongue).
Petropoulou Patty
5Rhythms Teacher
Patty is the only 5Rhythms® Movement Meditation Teacher in Greece certified to teach from the Moving Centre® New York.5Rhythms® is spiritual movement practice, an exercise for body and mind that brings self consciousness and awareness. She holds a Bsc in Shipping Management, and enjoyed a successful carrier in the Events Production industry. She lives in nature with her husband and two sons and also runs an organic pomegranate farm and juicery.Work Experience2014-Now Teaching 5Rhythms® classes and seminars in Greece,and broad, owner of Biojuicery Organic Farm 2011-2014 Traveling the Globe to study 5Rhythms® and get certified.2005-2011 Worked at KERAMIDAS TRAVEL, in Patras, in designing and producing conferences in Greece and abroad.2002-2005 Worked as Technical Production Manager in YPSILON LIVE SA, a company engaged in the sound, light and projection coverage of events, concerts, television productions etc. likeTorch Relay 2004 – ATHENS 2004, ARDAS 2004 – Arda Municipality, SYNCH FESTIVAL 2004 – Lavrio, STEFI SA, PASOK Election Campaign, Period 2004 - LEO BURNETT, Nea Dimokratia Election Campaign. Period 2004 – ORASIS, G. Kotsiras Tour, Summer 2003 and 2004 – Erodios, USY 2002 – Internation Festival of Socialist Youth – PASOK Youth, 25th River Party 2002, Nestorio Kastoria, LUZ CASAL, ΑLICE COOPER, CIRQUE ELLOISE, TANGO PASSION, MOSCOW ON ICE, EMMA SHAPLIN, TIGER LILLIES, SAFRI DUO, BLIND GUARDIAN, HELLOWEEN, CARDIGANS, GOTAN PROJECT, SIGUR ROS, M. Fragkoulis, G. Dalaras, A. Protopsalti, G. Kotsiras, M. Hatziyiannis, Alkinoos Ioannides, E.Tsaligopoulou and others. EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND2011-2014 5Rhythms Teachers Training, Moving Center New York1997-2001 BSc Hons MANAGEMENT IN SHIPPING & TRANSPORTLONDON GUILDHALL UNIVERSITY, LONDON, UK. 1997 GRADUATION FROM ARSAKEIO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, PATRASADDITIONAL SKILLS AND HOBBIES Languages: Greek, English and Italian Hobbies: Dance, Travel, Music, Literature, Painting, Scuba Diving.
Stavri Katerina
CrossFit & Nutrition Coach, Life Sciences Consultant
I’m a chemist by education; a pharmaceutical consultant by profession; a CrossFit trainer; a nutrition coach and a constantly-improving athlete. Above all I’m a woman on a mission to not let “real life” compromise our health and love for fitness. I graduated from Imperial College London in 2018, as a chemist (MSci) and started working as a pharmaceutical consultant in October 2018, which is what I continue to do today as my day job. During my last year as a research chemist at Imperial College London, the stressful and sedentary life of research, internships and studying, like for many others, led to sacrificing my health, energy levels and confidence for what many define as “real life”. That’s when I truly got into a sports and fitness, started working out consistently and got my qualifications. In December 2018, I qualified as a TRX trainer and in January 2019 I started training as a CrossFit athlete. During CrossFit session I realized how passionate I was about educating other people on the benefits of an active lifestyle and I thus got my CrossFit Level 1 Trainer certification in September 2019 (followed by the CrossFit Judges Course Certificate in Oct 2019). Whilst our bodies thrive when we are active, and fitness is the protector of wellness against sickness, fitness is not just sports but also nutrition. Thus in May 2020 I also qualified as a Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition.
Andritsaki Natasha (Anastasia)
Undergraduate Student
I am currently a 4th year Mechanical Engineering student at the NTU Athens, experienced in Marketing and Manufacturing with a demonstrated history of working in Formula related projects. In 2013, I participated as Manufacturing Engineer and Marketing Manager of Ground Force Project in F1 in Schools Greece. After winning 2nd place overall and 2 awards (Research and Development, Pit Display) me and my team were nominated for the World Finals that were held in Austin, Texas. In the World Finals we were ranked 11th among approximately 40 teams from all over the world, we were the best Greek participant and we were also nominated (top 3) for 2 awards (Research and Development, Marketing and Sponsorship). Since 2014, I have been judging various aspects of the project in all National F1 in Schools Championships. In 2014, I helped in the establishment of F1 in Schools Brazil as Consultant. It is worth mentioning that the Brazilian delegation won Best Newcomer Award in the 2014 World Finals. In 2016, I worked as Mechanics Teacher at Garage, a STEM hub for primary and high-school students. In November of 2016, I joined Prom Racing NTUA Formula Student Team. By February of 2017 I had already undertaken the role of Business and Marketing Manager of the team. In the 2017 Formula Student Austria me and my Business Plan Partner reached 12th place among approximately 30 combustion teams in the Static Event of Business Plan Presentation. In the 2018 Formula Student East we won the 3rd place and in the 2018 Formula Student Austria the 2nd place overall for our novel and entertaining Business Plan Presentation. Among other promotional actions, I also organised the 2018 Roll Out Event at Flisvos Marina. Since 2017, I have been participating as a Business Plan Judge in Formula Student Netherlands. Since 2017, I have also been consulting the new Business Plan Presenters of Prom Racing. It is worth mentioning that the 2017 Presentation reached 4th place in Formula Student East, 5th place in Formula Student Austria and 7th place in Formula Student Germany.
Charlafti Maria
Assistant Vice President (AVP) - Strategy
I graduated with a Masters in Civil Engineering from Cardiff University in July 2013. In August 2013, I started working at South Thames College as a Lecturer coordinating the Apprenticeship Programme in the Civil Engineering department whilst studying for my teaching qualification (PGCE), which I completed in June 2015. I then took a position as a rail bridge engineer at a global engineering consultancy firm, CH2M Hill, and quickly moved into the management consulting space providing advisory services for Transport and Infrastructure clients including Transport for London and Network Rail. During my tenure with CH2M Hill, I've published my research work in Slope Stability and Vegetation with OMICS International Group. Having spent almost 2 years with the firm, I've decided to pursue a new challenge and moved to Atkins where I joined its Business Consulting division, achieved APM accreditation in Project Management and delivered large scale change and transformation projects within the Public Sector – some of the clients included Imperial College London, Department for Education, High Speed 2, Home Office, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Manila Water Company (international experience). I was then headhunted by a global financial services management consulting firm, Capco, which I joined as a Consultant in the Capital Markets space in October 2017 and was seconded to a number of Tier 1 Banks including Morgan Stanley, UBS, HSBC, and Barclays. During my tenure with Capco, I've led high profile and fast-paced strategic transformation programmes through to successful completion and developed large global professional teams operating in a control function. I then pursued my current role at Barclays as an AVP within Group Strategy where I've significantly supported several high profile internal client engagements and team initiatives, developing strategies and optimising complex processes, which drove £5m revenue and increased visibility across the group.
Gounari Erifili
Founder of The Z Link
I was born and raised in Athens, Greece, and I moved to Scotland at the age of 17 to study Digital Media and Information Studies & Art History as a double major the University of Glasgow. I am now 21, and I work as a social media specialist and entrepreneur, while doing my final year of University. During the COVID lockdown in May 2020, I founded The Z Link, the first Gen Z-led social media marketing business that helps brands market to our generation of digital natives. Combining my love for entrepreneurship with my passion for effective marketing has led to me being listed as Forbes 30 Under 30 GR, and has given me the opportunity to be featured on Business Insider, and various other publications and podcasts. Through my company, I now help businesses from all around the world reach the younger generation of social media users (16-25 years old), from a perspective of a Gen Z social media specialist. My digital marketing skills started being developed from an early age, as I was always curiously exploring the internet, learning to create my own websites and forums, and by the age of 14, I had grown multiple social media accounts across platforms to have between 10.000 - 20.000 followers each. I soon turned this hobby into something more serious, by undertaking internships and part time jobs at organizations such as the European Parliament, the Uffizi Museum, and multiple startups and larger companies across the world, working on their social media content and digital strategies. Today, I am balancing full-time University with full-time work for The Z Link, while I plan my next steps.
Katsouli Christina
Senior Retail Merchandiser
I left Greece at the age of 18 to pursue Business studies at Cass in London. Despite the hardships of living in a foreign country I obtained a 1st Class Honours. The Vice Chancellor selected me as an Honorary Graduate and I delivered the graduation speech of the Business School ’16 class. Alongside my studies, I came across an article about hydroponics and its application to grow crops 5-7 times faster, yielding profit maximisation. A striking idea was born “How about bringing this technology to areas of the world that suffer from poverty due to soil infertility?” HydroVillage was born as a social enterprise, which aimed at reducing poverty and malnutrition in deprived areas. This is achieved with affordable hydroponic units which are self-made by the end users. Winning the Green Dragons Award, the project got full funding. International recognition came through the McKinsey Venture Academy. We collaborated with local charities and the project became part of ENACTUS where we implemented a 120-plant system, increasing harvesting growth of beneficiaries by 350% in August 2015 in Brazil. Shortly after, I then started my career in retail undertaking the role of a Digital Merchandising Assistant at the global Burberry HQ focusing on e-commerce trading when the company was initiating the “See now, Buy now” revolutionary business model. After 6 months, I moved to a small sized company to have the chance to view end-to-end the business operations of a retail brand and I joined Amanda Wakely as a Merchandising Assistant. Shortly after, I got referred by the CRM Manager of Bulgari, part of LVMH maisons, for a mid-senior role in Merchandising. With 9 months total experience, I passed the assessment process and became the youngest Merchandiser of the brand. I obtained two Best Employee of the Year awards and got promoted as a Senior Retail Merchandiser at the age of 24, reporting directly to the Managing Director of the UK in 2020.
Ntracha Anastasia
Co-Founder of iCry2Talk
Anastasia is 23 years old and graduated from an integrated master in Electrical and Computer Engineering (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), with a specialty in Telecommunications. She is starting her PhD in digital diagnostics for neurodegenerative diseases, she has been awarded by AUTH for international academic excellence and was chosen as one of the 100 Leaders of Tomorrow at GapSummit 2019 (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard) to discuss about pressing issues of the bio-economy and catalyse innovation to solve them. As a student she founded and run the biggest interdisciplinary students’ team in Greece in the biotech field, EMB AUTH, that connects academia with professionals and offers educational stimuli to students, under the umbrella of the international Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS IEEE). Simultaneously, she is the founder of the internationally awarded (Microsoft Imagine Cup, MITEF, Ennovation) babytech startup iCry2Talk, that uses AI to translate the baby’s cry and associate it to its needs (eg. hunger). As an entrepreneur, she is a member of the Kairos Society, a global community of change makers driven in solving complex issues and was also selected among thousands candidates to participate in UNLEASH Innovation Lab, in China, to work on the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) and specifically on how to raise STEM awareness and accessibility for women all around the world. This particular issue is very close to her heart and she has been a science communicator (International Finalist of FameLab competition) and an active advocate of female empowerment through her volunteering work (Microsoft AI Bootcamps for girls, MeXOXO, UNLEASH Hacks SA). She has been taking initiatives and fostering active youth citizenship, as a member of and a leadership trainer for the European Youth Parliament, and was thus chosen by McKinsey in the Next Generation Women Leaders Program to continue growing and developing as a leader.
Paxinos Melina
Composer / Saxophonist
Melina Paxinos is a young saxophonist and composer who combines modern jazz with her greek roots in her pieces. Born in Hamburg and living in Berlin for almost seven years, she studied music production - arranging and composition at SRH Hochschule der populaeren Kuenste and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. Now she lives between Berlin and Athens. A fusion between odd meters, mediterranean melodies and groovy riffs build the foundation of her compositions „Greek-Jazz“. Melina’s first album „Circle of Oddness“ (2018) illustrates the connection of the odd and even meters and also links the circle constant π = 3.14 by Archimedes, with which her father always opened his suitcase and to whom this album is dedicated. Inspired by the Athenian vibe she recorded her second album „Athens“ (2019) in her hometown Athens at Sierra Studios and named it after it. On this album the special guest is Ross Daly, who accompanied the band with his Cretan lyra. All of her bandmembers are from the Athenian Jazz scene. Melina’s third album “Remixes EP” (2020) is a collaboration with the pioneer of Greek electronic music ‘Lena Platonos’ and it is based on four compositions of Melina's two albums and released on Hamburgs’ Label MachenMachenMachen! (PlazaPlasa Edition). Platonos combined three music worlds - Greek Jazz, Ethnic & Electronic Music and created unique sounds where saxophone and electronic music coexist in harmony giving a nostalgic, atmospheric mood. Beyond the jazz context Melina accompanied artists such as Kat Frankie at the Pop-Kultur-Festival in Berlin (2018) or the band ‘Dope est Dope’ in a live session for Red Bull Music in London (2018). Melina's long-term goal is to write music for film/documentaries thus the first steps are already made. She wrote the music for the trailer of the light installation festival ‘Evi Lichtungen 2020” Hildesheim and now she is working on the music for the silk road- documentary “Closing of the Circle” by George Kalomenopoulos (2K Films).
Polykarpou Panagiota
Co-Founder of Thkio Logia/Be an Ally Foundation
As a zealous and genuine personality, passionate on building a more equal environments and able to inspire others to do the same, I envision my career to be a source of inspiration for young people. While studying Business Administration, I found the key to my future success: the power of using my voice.The first meaningful step for me during my studies was my research on Female Entrepreneurship in Cyprus.I found myself being constantly worried and uncomfortable with the lack of education on issues of gender equality in the Cypriot educational system.In 2019, I become one of the meritorious and inspiring European Leaders, representing Cyprus to the US under the SUSI Program with focus on Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership.In March 2020, I co-initiated the first digital awareness campaign for gender equality issues in CY: Thkio Logia (Θκυο Λόγια).Thkio Logia is the first multi-awarded campaign that aims to provide reliable and accessible information for a better understanding of gender equality issues. Now, we launched Be an Ally Foundation, which I’m honored to be its President.In December 2019,I was selected along with other 10 Cypriots young people, to participate on a training organized in Israel with focus on social entrepreneurship.As a talented person with a career around social entrepreneurship and gender equality, I am also member, as the Social Entrepreneurship expert, to the team of Gardens of the Future; a community garden in CY, that embraces sustainable practices to encourage agriculture within the city. The last 2 years,I am an active mentor for many talented students, and girls in particular, for two initiatives: Junior Achievement CY and STEMi Africa.For a year now, I work as the Program Coordinator at the first accelerator for the commercialization of academic research in CY. My experience in entrepreneurship led me to be selected as a member at the Parallel Parliament for Entrepreneurship.
Tsilia Styliani
Astrophysicist and Educator
I am a Physicist, currently studying towards a MSc in Astronomy in Leiden University, the Netherlands. For my master thesis I am collaborating with the European Space Agency (ESA, ESTEC), while my bachelor thesis resulted in me being co-author in a scientific publication. Since 2015 I have been an active volunteer, science communicator, and STEAM educator. I am a member of the regular volunteers team (Ambassadors) of the Greek NPO SciCo (Science Communication), and a member of SpaceGates, a public outreach team of students in the Department of Physics, University of Athens, dedicated to space and astronomy communication. I have also been a mentor of high school students through the organization Unique Minds, and a member of the NPO Greek Newspace Society. I have taught educational robotics classes for children and adults, and I have worked as a robotics coach, training a school’s team for the First Lego League robotics competition. I have created and co-facilitated multiple educational workshops about science and space, held in collaboration with the Onassis Library, in events like Athens Science Festival and World Space Week, and abroad in Malta’s Science in the City.I have also co-facilitated a space education related training for adults for the PNPC SciFy (Science For You). I was one of the project managers of the science communication school SpaceGates Academy, an initiative aiming to educate future scientists on proper and diverse science communication practices. Overall, I have participated in more than 30 individual events as a volunteer, volunteer coordinator, member of the organizational team, or doing remote volunteer management. In 2017 I created a facebook group to promote volunteering opportunities in Greece, which grew into an active community of more than 1900 members. I have participated in Erasmus+ Youth in Action programmes, like the KA2 training course Maths in Motion, for which I became an assistant trainer during its dissemination in Greece.