Sustainability Forum Speakers

Fotis Panagiotopoulos is a Managing Director leading the Strategy & Consulting practice of Accenture in Greece. He has over 15 years of experience in shaping and delivering large scale transformation programs for companies across industries in Greece and abroad. Fotis holds an MBA with Highest Distinction from the Athens University of Economics & Business, a BSc and an MSc degree in Information Systems & Communication Networks from the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens.

He was born in Athens in 1966. He holds a Bachelor on Business Administration & Political Science from Connecticut College, U.S.A. and Insurance Science in the Greek Institute of Insurance Education.

In 1989 he was occupied in AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP (AIG), New York, in Marine & Cargo
Department and he attended regional congresses. He returned to Greece and for the period of 1993-
1998 he was appointed Customer Management Group Manager and HR Manager in AIG GREECE –
renamed to Chartis Greece. From 2008 he has been the Deputy General Manager and Executive Vice
Chairman of the Board of Directors in AIG GREECE.

He is a member of the Hellenic Association of Insurance Representatives and member of the Board of
Directors of the American-Hellenic Chamber.

Alexandros Kosmopoulos,
Managing Partner
AKL Law Firm
Alexandros Kosmopoulos leads the AKL banking and finance team and has had a key involvement in most of the firm’s major M&A mandates.

Bringing more than 25 years of dense practice experience, he enjoys being a hands-on lawyer.

His focus areas include leveraged and project finance, corporate acquisitions, privatizations, energy and infrastructure projects. Alexandros typically acts for banks, investors, corporations and governmental agencies.

A fundamental element of his service philosophy is balancing a keen understanding of the business context with expert legal technical knowledge.

Alexandros is consistently recognized as a leading transactional lawyer by Chambers and Partners, Legal500 and IFLR100, in the areas of banking and finance, corporate, real estate and project development.

Alexandros holds a law degree from the University of Athens Faculty of Laws and an LL.M. in International Business Law from the University of London.

Shannon Exarchou is the Head of ESG and Strategy Manager at AKTOR Group since 2024. Her responsibilities include designing and developing the Group’s ESG strategy, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and working closely with the Chief of Strategy on matters of general strategic decisions and investor relations.

Prior to joining the Group, she worked at PwC Greece, where she held the role of Senior Associate Tax & Legal ESG (2022-2024), focusing on the development of the Tax & Legal ESG department, where she coordinated significant cross-sector projects. Earlier, she worked as a Sustainability Policy Analyst at City University London and at the UK & GR law firm, ERI Law.

She studied Business Management and Law at the Universities of Westminster, Boston (SF), and City University London, and holds an LLM with Merit in Dispute Resolution & Regulatory Compliance from Queen Mary University of London. She is an LPC (Legal Practice Course for Solicitors in the UK) graduate from City University London.

Ioannis M. Emiris
He was born in Athens in 1963. He studied Economics and Business Administration at the Athens University of Economics and Business (former Athens School of Economics and Business) and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, as well as a US Certified Public Accounting degree. He started his career as a certified public accountant in PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York. From 1991 to 2012 he worked for the Alpha Bank Group, initially as an Investment Banker in Alpha Finance and from 2004 as Head of the Investment Banking and Project Finance Division of Alpha Bank. From 2012 to 2014, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF). On 5.11.2014, he was appointed Executive General Manager of the Bank and on 19.11.2019 he was appointed General Manager-Wholesale Banking.

Η Σοφία Παπαϊωάννου είναι η παρουσιάστρια και παραγωγός της ενημερωτικής εκπομπής “360 Μοίρες» της τηλεόρασης του Alpha. Η εκπομπή ασχολείται με πολιτικά, οικονομικά, κοινωνικά και ιστορικά θέματα. Έχει ταξιδέψει σε πολλές χώρες του κόσμου για να καλύψει μεγάλα γεγονότα και έχει πάρει συνεντεύξεις από πολλούς ηγέτες κρατών και εξέχουσες προσωπικότητες. Έχει εργαστεί πάνω από 15 χρόνια σε ενημερωτικές εκπομπές ως αρχισυντάκτρια και παρουσιάστρια στην εκπομπή «Φάκελοι» στο Μέγκα και «Νέοι Φάκελοι» στον Σκάι και έχει υπάρξει συνεργάτης της «Καθημερινής» και του ραδιοφώνου του Σκάι.

Έχει σπουδάσει Αγγλική Φιλολογία στο Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο της Αθήνας και Ιστορία στο Deree College και έχει λάβει μεταπτυχιακό στην Τηλεοπτική ∆ημοσιογραφία από το New York Univeristy της Νέας Υόρκης.

Είναι η συγγραφέας του βιβλίου «Κρυμμένο στο Αιγαίο» (Εκδόσεις Πατάκη) – Η πραγματική ιστορία ενός ∆ωδεκανήσιου ήρωα

Ο Θοδωρής Μ. Κυριακού είναι μέτοχος και Πρόεδρος στην “K Group”, τον Όμιλο εταιριών που ανήκει στην Οικογένεια Κυριακού, και περιλαμβάνει μία ναυτιλιακή επιχείρηση με μεγάλη οικογενειακή παράδοση και παγκόσμια δραστηριότητα, τον Όμιλο ΑΝΤΕΝΝΑ, έναν διεθνή Όμιλο Μέσων Ενημέρωσης και Ψυχαγωγίας κι άλλες επενδύσεις.

O Θοδωρής Κυριακού έχει συμβάλει καθοριστικά στην ανάπτυξη του Ομίλου ΑΝΤΕΝΝΑ, προσδίδοντάς του μοναδική αξία μέσω οικονομικής πειθαρχίας και επενδυτικής διορατικότητας. Σήμερα ο Όμιλος ANTENNA δραστηριοποιείται στην Ευρώπη, την Αμερική και την Αυστραλία με επενδύσεις στην ελεύθερη και συνδρομητική τηλεόραση, τα ψηφιακά Media, το ηλεκτρονικό εμπόριο, τις τηλεοπτικές παραγωγές, το ραδιόφωνο και τη μουσική βιομηχανία.

Επίσης, ίδρυσε το Kyriakou Family Office στο Λονδίνο, όπου μια εξειδικευμένη επενδυτική ομάδα, διαχειρίζεται ένα ευρύ χαρτοφυλάκιο επενδύσεων.

Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι ο Όμιλος ΑΝΤΕΝΝΑ επένδυσε, στις εταιρείες Facebook, Twitter και Spotify, από το ξεκίνημά τους, πολύ προτού γίνουν γνωστές στο ευρύτερο κοινό.

Είναι αριστούχος απόφοιτος του Georgetown University με πτυχία στο International Business και Physics και βραβευμένος με το Treado Medal for Physics.

Ο Θοδωρής Μ. Κυριακού είναι μέτοχος και μέλος του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου της παγκόσμιας επενδυτικής τράπεζας Raine Holdings, με έδρα τη Νέα Υόρκη, που επικεντρώνεται στους κλάδους της τεχνολογίας, των μέσων ενημέρωσης και των τηλεπικοινωνιών. Η Raine Holdings, στην οποία ο όμιλος Antenna είναι σημαντικός επενδυτής, διαχειρίζεται τα ιδιωτικά επενδυτικά κεφάλαια Raine Partners και Raine Venture Partners, που επενδύουν στις νέες τεχνολογίες, στα media, στη ψυχαγωγία, και στο τηλεοπτικό και κινηματογραφικό περιεχόμενο.

Επιπλέον, ο Θοδωρής Μ. Κυριακού είναι μέλος του Advisory Board of Cambridge University’s Center for International Business & Management (CIBAM) και μέλος του Business Advisory Council of the MBA International Program στο Οικονομικό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών.

Επίσης, είναι πιλότος ελικοπτέρων και αεροπλάνων.

Ο Θοδωρής Μ. Κυριακού γεννήθηκε το 1974. Είναι παντρεμένος με τη Δήμητρα Μπιθαρά και έχουν μία κόρη, τη Σοφιάννα.

International LLP Mr Karagiannis is an Operating Partner of Apollo, covering private equity, credit and
real estate investments. He has 25 years of professional experience in finance with a focus on
investment management and transaction execution, including 17 years in a principal investment
capacity. Mr. Karagiannis has served as Chairman of the Hellenic Association of Investment
Management Companies, and as Executive Director on the Board of the Hellenic – Securities Investor
Protection Fund (SIPF). Mr. Karagiannis received his MBA from The George Washington University,
where he was a Marvin L. Kay Fellow.

George Xiradakis
President of the Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping
Founder – Managing Director, XRTC BUSINESS CONSULTANTS

George Xiradakis was born in Athens and grew up in Volos. He graduated from the Nautical Marine Academy of Aspropyrgos-Athens and he holds a diploma in Commercial Operations from City of London Polytechnic and an MSc in Maritime Studies from University of Wales. He served as Senior Manager in the French bank Credit Lyonnais both in Athens and Paris. In 1999 he founded XRTC Business Consultants which acts as a commercial representative of foreign banks and institutions in Greek Shipping Market.
Mr. Xiradakis is President of the Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping, Vice President of China Hellenic Chamber (HCCI). He is President Emeritus of International Propeller Club-Port of Piraeus, Honorary Member and Special Maritime Advisor of the BOD of the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce & Industry, BOD member of Piraeus Marine Club, Member of the Mediterranean Committee of China Classification Society and Member of the Hellenic Maritime Museum and Hellas Liberty Floating Museum. In May 2019 he participated in the European Parliament elections.

Yianos Kontopoulos
CEO Athens Exchange Group

Mr. Kontopoulos has a long and successful international experience in global capital markets. He was a Partner, Chief Macro Strategist at CQS Fund in London, with previous service at UBS and Merrill
Lynch, and he was CEO at Eurobank Asset Management. He has worked in senior management positions in capital markets in New York, London and Athens. He started his career on Wall Street at Salomon Brothers. He was Managing Director at two of the largest international investment banks, UBS and Merrill Lynch,
where he created and led large teams of leading analysts, building an extensive international network of contacts with major and significant investment firms around the world. In Greece, he was Chief Investment Officer of Eurobank as well as CEO of Eurobank Asset Management, the largest mutual fund
management company in the country. He has also worked in key positions in hedge funds abroad with billions in investments in global markets.

Mr. Kontopoulos holds a Ph.D., M.Phil., and M.A. in Economics from Columbia University and an A.B., also in Economics, from Harvard University. He was born and raised in Thessaloniki.

Harry Sachinis
Chief Executive Officer
Athens Water Supply & Sewerage Company SA (EYDAP)

Mr. Sachinis is the Chief Executive Officer of EYDAP, the largest water and wastewater company
in Greece. He has negotiated a new favorable €6 billion 20-year concession agreement with the Greek State. He is also focusing on executing a €1.6 billion 10-year investment plan, transforming the company to achieve operational excellence and become a leader in ESG ratings. He previously held the position of Business Development Officer at Aegean Airlines. He has been involved in private equity as a Partner at Global Finance, as an Operating Partner at
Advent International and independently. Earlier he was the Chairman and CEO of DEPA Group, where he significantly improved profitability, negotiated and completed major supply contracts worth $20 billion and contributed in the shaping of alternative gas supply routes to Europe.
He has also served as President of the McGraw-Hill Companies’ Business Information Group,
which he made into one of the top global business-to-business information companies, specializing
in the energy, construction, aviation, aerospace and defense industries. Prior to this, he was President of Platts, which he built into the world’s largest energy and commodities price and information provider, and at the same time he actively promoted transparency and integrity in the global energy markets.
He was also Group Vice President of Standard & Poor’s, where he grew key strategic businesses
in the financial information sector. He has served as Vice Chairman of ATHEXClear and as a Member of the Boards of Directors of ENEXClear. He is a Member of the Boards of Directors of the Atlantic Council and οf the
Investment Committee of CNL Capital. He holds an engineering degree from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece and an MBA from Harvard Business School

Eleni Vrettou,
CEO, Attica Bank

Eleni Vrettou has been the CEO of Attica Bank since September 2022, with more than 20 years of international experience in Banks, in Greece and abroad, specializing in corporate and investment banking. Mrs Vrettou held the position of Executive General Manager, Chief of Corporate and Investment Banking at Piraeus Bank Group during 2019-2022. Before that, she had worked for 14 years at HSBC Bank Plc in Greece and the United Kingdom, promoted to Managing Director and Head of Wholesale Banking Greece. She also held the position of Chief Strategy and Investor Relations Officer at Lamda Development.
She has significant experience in corporate transformations and the management of Non-Performing Exposures, as well as in the systematic development of ancillary business in investment and transaction banking and Development Programs.
Mrs Vrettou holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Andreas Taprantzis
CEO
AVIS Greece

Andreas Taprantzis is the CEO of Avis Greece, since November 2014. He led a massive turnaround of the company and concluded its successful divestment from the Piraeus Bank in 2017. Valued at €325 million, this was one the biggest transactions in the country. He continued in his role with the new shareholders. Today, Avis is the leading car rental company, with more than 500 people, a wide network of car rental stations, a fleet of 40,000 vehicles, a balance sheet of more than €500 million in assets, annual revenues in excess of €180 million and EBITDA at the range of €100 million.

Prior to his current position, he was the Executive Director of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF), since its inception in August 2011 until November 2014. He was responsible for all infrastructure and real estate assets, including airports, ports, marinas, hotels and numerous land plots and properties. During his term, the HRADF materialized contracts worth about €12.5 billion, such as the transactions of the old Athens Airport (Hellinikon), the Astir Palace in Vouliagmeni and the concession of 14 Regional Airports, attracting multiple derivative investments.

In 2009, he was the COO and Managing Director for Retail Banking of the Hellenic Postbank (TT) as well as BoD member and Chairman of the Audit Committee. In December 2010, he assumed the role of Deputy CEO of T Bank (an affiliate of the Hellenic Postbank).

From 2005 up to 2009, he was the CEO of the Hellenic Post Office (ELTA), while at the same time he was member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Postbank (TT). During his term, ELTA were profitable with revenues exceeding €600 million and profits of about €50 million annually, as a result of a wide reorganization and investments in new technologies. His work at ELTA received international distinction and acknowledgement. In August 2008, he was elected, by the 192 Postal Operators of the world, as Chairman of the Postal Operations Council (POC) of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a UN organization based in Bern, for the period 2008 to 2012.

Dr. Taprantzis holds a MSc Degree in Chemical Engineering and a PhD Degree in process control and artificial intelligence from the National Technical University of Athens, as well as an MBA and an Advanced Management Certificate (ALP) from INSEAD. He is 54 years old, married with 3 kids.

YANNIS STOURNARAS
Governor, Bank of Greece

Born in Athens, December 10th, 1956. He graduated from the Department of Economics, University of Athens in 1978. He obtained his post-graduate degrees (MPhil 1980, DPhil 1982) from Oxford University, specializing in Economic Theory and Policy. He was Research Fellow and Lecturer at St. Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, from 1982 to 1986. At the same time he worked at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, specializing in the petroleum market and the consequences of petroleum crises on the global economy. Following his return to Greece he worked as a Special Advisor to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (1986-1989) on Public Enterprises and Incomes Policy issues, and to the Bank of Greece (1989-1994) on Monetary Policy issues.

He is Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics, University of Athens, which he joined in 1989. He teaches Macroeconomics and Economic Policy. He has published articles in academic journals on Macroeconomics, Optimum Taxation Theory, Public Debt Dynamics, Economic and Monetary Union, Energy Economics, Monetary Policy, Distortions of Financial Systems. His academic and professional interests focus on the following fields: economic theory, economic policy, international economics, monetary economics, energy economics, public finance, banking, project evaluation and the effects of Economic and Monetary Union on the Greek economy.

From 1994 to July 2000 he was Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors at the Ministry of Economy and Finance and a member of the Monetary Committee (now Economic and Financial Committee) of the European Union.

From 1994 to 1997 he was Vice Chairman of the Public Gas Corporation and a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Debt Management Office (from 1998 until July 2000).

From 2000 to 2004 he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Emporiki Bank and Vice Chairman of the Association of Greek Banks.

From 2005 to August 2008 he was managing director of Kappa Securities, a private sector stockbroker and investment services provider.

From 2009 to 2012 he was Director General of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), a private sector think-tank.

In May 2012 he joined the then Interim Government as Minister of Development, Competitiveness and Shipping.

After the national elections in June 2012, he became Minister of Finance, until June 2014.

Since June 27th 2014 he is Governor of the Bank of Greece and Member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank. From February 2020 he is Chairman of the Audit Committee of the European Central Bank.

He is an honorary member of the board of directors of the Euterpe classical music group.

Mr. Nikos Stathopoulos
Chairman of Europe and Member of the Management Committee
BC Partners

Nikos is Chairman of Europe and Member of the Management Committee of BC Partners, the leading international investment firm with Assets Under Management over $40bn. He joined BC Partners in 2005 and has over 25 years experience in private equity. He also leads the firm’s investments in Telecom and Media.

Prior to joining BC Partners, Nikos was a Partner at Apax Partners in London where he spent seven years working on large private equity transactions in Europe. Prior to Apax he spent three years as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in London. Nikos is Chairman of the Board of United Group, Cigierre, DentalPro, Keesing, Pet City and Alphabet Education and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Springer Nature and Advanced. He is also a member of the Global Advisory Board and Board of Dean’s Advisors of Harvard Business School, member of the Board of Regents of Boston College, the Board of Trustees of the American School in London, the Board of The Hellenic Initiative, member of the Wall Street Journal CEO Council, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Chairman of the BC Partners Foundation. Nikos holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a degree in Business Administration from Athens University of Economics & Business (AUEB).

Financial News voted Nikos in the Hall of Fame of Private Equity in 2016 and named him in the 50 most influential investors in Europe in 2023.

Panayotis Bernitsas
Managing Partner
Bernitsas Law

Panayotis is the Managing Partner of the Firm and a leading legal practitioner, with an active, broad-based commercial practice incorporating more than 35 years of experience in transactional, advisory and litigation work.

Panayotis is an authority in EU, competition and antitrust law and has represented clients in prominent cartel cases before the Hellenic Competition Commission. He is a senior litigator, with vast experience in all types of dispute resolution, and represents clients in complex, high stake civil and administrative actions before the high courts and arbitration boards. He has also acted as arbitrator at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Panayotis is an expert in concession projects and privatisations, with an unsurpassed track record of playing a key role in many of the pioneering, ground breaking transactions to have taken place in Greece. He advises extensively on major renewable and conventional energy and infrastructure projects and investments in energy property development companies. His real estate practice is focused on large scale developments and real property asset portfolio investments.

Within the framework of his private practice, Panayotis has acted on a number of occasions as advisor to the Government on European Union, State Aids and Privatisation issues. He also advises companies and individuals on complex tax structuring and wealth planning matters and has acted extensively in high stakes tax controversies.

Panayotis has been widely published in legal journals, books and other publications in his areas of expertise and is a participant in the annual Forum on International Wealth Disputes. He held the position of Associate Professor in International Economic Law, Law of International Business Transactions, European Community Law at the University of Thrace from 1983-2007.

Panayotis holds a Degree in Law from the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, a DES in Public Law from the University of Paris and a PhD from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He is admitted to the Athens Bar (1974) and the Supreme Court of Greece (1984).

Elias Sakellis
Chief Executive Officer
Australis Maritime Limited

Elias Sakellis is the Chief Executive Officer of Australis Maritime Limited, and a Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Borealis Maritime Limited. Prior to joining Borealis Maritime, Elias was Partner at Pillarstone Europe, a private equity platform focused on European banks’ non-performing and underperforming assets. Before joining Pillarstone Europe, he was Managing Director of Quantum Pacific, a private holding group controlling assets in the maritime, energy, and natural resources sectors. Prior to that, Elias worked for Goldman Sachs in London, in its Investment Banking and Equities’ Divisions. He started his career at Lehman Brothers in London. Elias has also served on the boards of Pacific Drilling (NYSE:PACD), Kenon Holdings (NYSE:KEN), as well as a number of private company boards in the maritime and natural resources sectors. Elias holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from INSEAD, and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and in Finance from Imperial College, London.

Nicholas Logothetis is the Vice Chairman of Libra Group and is based in Washington, D.C. He is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Concordia, a non-profit organization that seeks to promote and develop public-private partnerships around pressing global issues.

An entrepreneur, Nicholas has a long-held interest in politics and international affairs. While attending the Salisbury School in Connecticut, he and Concordia Co-Founder Matthew Swift, conceived and launched an after-school snack business. With $5,000 in seed capital, the business achieved revenues of $350,000 within two years while the two young men were still in high school. This early success attracted media attention from ABC, NBC, and The New York Times. Nicholas later attended the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. During this time, he worked at the Fox News Channel, British Sky Broadcasting, Bryan Cave LLP, Husch Blackwell Sanders, and News Corporation.

Nicholas is a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs London, the National Press Club Washington D.C., and the Overseas Press Club. In September 2023, President Joseph Biden announced the appointment of Nicholas to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Board of Visitors.

Dimitris Koutsopoulos
CEO
Deloitte Greece

Dimitris Koutsopoulos is the CEO of Deloitte Greece and Member of the Deloitte Central Mediterranean Executive Committee.
Dimitris joined Deloitte in 1998 and as the CEO, since 2015, he has contributed significantly to the development of new services, both in terms of scope and number, in the expansion of the company throughout Greece, and in its technological transformation. Under his leadership, Deloitte Greece has reached a headcount of 2,860 people, having quadrupled its workforce in just 6 years.
He is a Chartered Accountant ICAEW, a Fellow Certified Chartered Accountant (FCCA) and holds a BSc in Economics and two post graduate degrees in International Finance and Business & Management. Dimitris is a member of the Supervisory Committee of the Greek Registered Auditors and a Founding Member of the Council of Competitiveness of Greece.

Christos Balaskas
Vice President and General Manager Greece
Eldorado Gold

Christos Balaskas joined Eldorado on October 9, 2017 as VP and General Manager, Greece. Prior to joining Eldorado, Christos was the General Manager of the Athens Natural Gas Supply & Distribution Company, a position he held since 2009. Christos has over 25 years of experience in the Downstream Oil & Gas sector mostly with the Royal Dutch Shell Group of companies and BG Group where he held various managerial positions in Greece and in the UK.
Christos is a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer by training from the National Technical University of Athens. He also holds an MSc in Computer Science from the University of Birmingham and an MBA in Engineering Management from Cass Business School, City, University of London.

Takis Solomos
Co Founder & Partner
Elikonos Capital Partners AIFM

Takis Solomos is a seasoned Private Equity/ Venture Capital professional with more than 20 years experience in PE/VC investments. Takis is a co founder and a partner of Elikonos Capital Partners, a Luxembourg based Private equity/ Venture Capital Manager, regulated by the CSSF (Capital Markets commission of Luxembourg). Takis has initiated, structured and developed numerous investments in Greece, the Balkans and the USA and serves in the board of several companies that operate in the areas of meat processing, fish processing, fresh produce, ready-made meals, breakfast items production, olive oil and condiments production and other.

Takis is a co founder of Mega Yeeros Group, one of the largest Mediterranean recipe meat and plant based meat analogues producer with sales in the European and the North American markets and production facilities in Athens, Greece and New Jersey, USA.

Takis is a member of the Advisory Board of Rutgers University’s Food Innovation Center. He has co operated with the Rutgers Food Innovation Centre for a number of years, introducing European food companies of his Private Equity portfolio, in the highly effective soft landing program of RFIC, that aims to assist international food producers in their entrance in the North American market.

Earlier in his career, Takis has held positions as GM and CFO in the Logistics and Media sectors while started his career in Accountancy with an international accountancy firm in the UK (London and Leeds offices).

Takis has a BSc on Management and Organizational behavior from the American College of Greece (Deree College) and an MBA in International Business and Finance from the Sheffield Business School in the UK.

He has also significant general management experience from his tenure as GM of a major logistics/distribution business and a media group while started his career in Accountancy with a big 4 accounting group in the UK. He is a graduate of the American College of Greece (Deree) and has an MBA in International Business & Finance from the Sheffield Business School (UK).

Marinos Giannopoulos
CEO
Enterprise Greece

Marinos Giannopoulos is an experienced finance and academic professional with a Doctorate in Strategic Management. For several years he lived and was active in the UK where he worked in the City of London as a banking executive and business consultant. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Management School, University of Liverpool, a master’s degree in international business economics from City University London, and a PhD from Brunel University London, with the thesis title: “Divesting assets and redeploying resources as predictors of the performance of acquisitions: The case of Greece.”

Prior to assuming his current duties as CEO of Enterprise Greece, he worked for more than a decade in the banking industry, both in Greece and abroad. He has extensive experience in managing credit risk in investment banking portfolios and participated in the management and consolidation of credit risk portfolios at financial institutions and companies in emerging Europe.

Upon returning to Greece, he led the team at one of Greece’s leading banks responsible for facilitating in the implementation of Greece’s National Recovery and Resilience Fund − Greece 2.0 − while also liaising with European development bodies and Greek government agencies.

He served as advisor to New Democracy’s Secretariat for International Relations & European Union from 2013 to 2019. He has been a member of various academic and professional committees and has been actively engaged in research and writing with numerous articles published in leading international journals, such as the Journal for Global Business Advancement and the International Journal of Business and Economic Sciences. At the same time, he also taught at Brunel University and the Hellenic Open University in the fields of Strategic Management and Business Economics.

Xenia Kazoli
Vice Chair of the Board and Member of the Committee
ESED (the Greek Corporate Governance Council

Xenia Kazoli is an experienced international lawyer, admitted to the bars of New York Paris and Athens. She has advised on large and complex transactions in multinational environments, including for the governments of Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal in privatisations and offerings, as well as advised clients on EU financial regulations and corporate governance.

For the last few years she has been advising on regulatory reform and corporate governance and served as a senior advisor with Nestor Advisors Ltd, a UK advisory firm specializing in corporate governance. Until 2015 Xenia was a counsel at Allen & Overy LLP, where she spent 15 years specializing in international debt and equity offerings and advising on privatisations and cross border transactions. Prior to this was, she was practicing with Skadden Arps LLP in their Paris and London offices in the international capital markets team.

Xenia has also worked with the World Bank, conducting legal assessment, policy and regulatory reform and advising on judicial capacity building in Peru, Argentina, El Salvador and Venezuela, and more recently as an expert with the European Union in Georgia providing technical assistance and training to government officials on negotiation and drafting of international contracts.

Xenia is currently a member of the Supervisory Board of the Hellenic Company of Assets and Participations (Greece’s holding company of the state owned enterprises), a member of the Board of the Athens Exchange and Chair of its Nominations and Remuneration Committee, Vice Chair of the Board and member of the Committee of ESED (the Greek Corporate Governance Council), a member of the Board of the company Autohellas S.A, as well as a member of the Advisory Board of the NGO DESMOS. She is also the co-founder of Corporate Governance Hub 2020, a non profit promoting corporate governance and diversity in boards.

Apostolos Tzitzikostas is the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism. His task is to make European transport more competitive, sustainable and resistant to future shocks, and to ensure that it is safe, accessible and affordable for all EU citizens.

He is responsible for:

working to ensure that the missing Trans-European Transport corridor parts are built by 2030, and strengthening the single market for transport services
promoting a resilient and competitive tourism sector, in line with the EU Agenda for Tourism 2030
putting forward a plan for an ambitious European high-speed rail network to help connect EU capitals
developing a Single Digital Booking and Ticketing Regulation to help passengers buy one single ticket on one single platform and protect passenger rights
putting in place a Sustainable Transport Investment Plan to scale up and prioritise investments to decarbonise the sector, including the electrification of road transport and the use of cutting-edge technologies
focusing on different transport sectors, for instance by developing a new industrial maritime strategy
coming up with a strategy for EU ports, focusing on security and competitiveness

Yannis Tsakiris is a Vice President in the European Investment Bank.

From 2019 to 2023 he was Deputy Minister for Development and Investments in Greece, responsible primarily for the public investment
programme, the European funds and the national development bank.

He was also Alternate Governor of the EBRD and the World Bank and in the Board of Directors of the Black Sea Trade and development Bank.

Until 2019, he held several senior positions in the European Investment Fund, involved in European venture capital markets that were under development phase, in particular in the South-eastern Europe and EU Neighbouring Countries, where he had also set-up and developed several investment and financing initiatives and platforms.

He holds a BSc and an MSc in Mining Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and an MBA degree from the
Management School of the Imperial College in London.

ENGISH VERSION
Kiara Konti is an Associate Partner at EY Greece, leading EY’ s Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) practice in Greece and the Central, South and Turkey clusters of the EY CESA (Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe & Central Asia) region.
She has subject-matter knowledge and 18 years of experience in sustainable development, across a series of ESG aspects, including decarbonization, the circular economy, and sustainable finance.
Kiara has led more than 200 engagements on sustainability strategy and target setting, sustainability governance and management systems, ESG risk and opportunities identification and impact analysis/double materiality, stakeholder engagement, community investment, measurement of non-financial KPIs, socioeconomic outcomes measurement, measurement of social return on investment (SROI), climate/green and sustainability linked bond/loan frameworks, ESG reporting, ESG training and non-financial assurance services, for more than 100 companies, across 25 sectors.
She is a subject matter expert on ESG standards and frameworks, including GRI, SASB, , TCFD, UNGC, UN SDGs, SROI, CDP, SBTi, ECOVADIS, SEDEX, ISO 26000, ISAE3000, AA1000AS & APS, AA1000SES, UNEPFI PRB, PRI etc.
She is a BoD Member of the UNGC Network in Greece, a committee member of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce’ s (AmCham) Sustainability Committee, as well as a committee member of AmCham’ s Circular Economy Committee, a GRI certified trainer, and an AccountAbility Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner.
Since 2006, Kiara has published a number of articles on ESG in Greek magazines and newspapers, has contributed to international book publications on sustainability, is a regular speaker in sustainability conferences and events (indicatively https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVOogYPivuo, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEfGJt0_Ai0), and has provided a series of open and in-house training courses on the subject.

Panos Papazoglou
Country Managing Partner of EY Greece

Panos is the Managing Partner of EY in Greece, since July 2010. Effective January 2011, he also became EY’s Central and Southeast Europe (CSE) South Cluster Leader.

He has served as Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe & Central Asia (CESA) Accounts Leader from July 2018 to December 2020. He has also served as Country Managing Partner and Head of Assurance in Bulgaria for three years, as well as Head of Assurance in Romania for two years.

Panos joined EY in 1988, whilst he is a Qualified Accountant in Greece. He has extensive exposure to the international business environment, having managed diverse, cross-cultural teams, in various sizeable assurance and consulting projects, in Greece and abroad. His technical experience is a combination of engagements across a wide range of services, including financial audits, privatizations, initial public offerings and transactions.

He holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree (Economic Theory and Policy) from the Athens University of Economics and Business, as well as an MBA from Aston University, in Birmingham, England.

Panos is member of the Supervisory Council of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Greece. Additionally, he is a member of the BoD of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, member of the BoD of the Institute of Economic and Industrial Research, and also member of the CEO Clubs and Endeavor.

He is married and father of a son. In his free time, he enjoys supporting start-ups, reading, excursions and spending time with his family.

How is Panos building a better working world?

At EY in Greece, we work together with businesses to help them overcome current and future challenges. Attracting investments, digitally transforming the economy, adopting proper corporate governance practices, and moving to a green business model, are some of the essential prerequisites for Greece to return to high and sustainable growth rates. With a vision of restarting the Greek economy on new, solid foundations for the future, we contribute to the Greek public discussion by striving to find the answers to the Transformative Age’s biggest questions, through specialized surveys that map the trends and challenges of an ever-changing environment.

Georgios Papadimitriou became the Managing Partner in EY Greece effective January 1st 2023. He was born in Athens on December 27, 1975 and is a Partner in EY and the Regional Accounts and Markets Leader of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe & Central Asia (CESA) since January 1st of 2021. In this role he is responsible for leading the EY’s integrated go to market approach for the region, leveraging the power of sectoral expertise, alliances and innovation in executing client service strategies. Before his appointment as CESA Regional Markets Leader, he has been the Financial Services Industry leader in the CESA region and Advisory Leader for EY in Greece and Southeast Europe.  
 
Experience:
George has a strong background in Financial Services having 21 years of respective professional experience, focusing for many years on Risk Management. He has worked extensively on advising clients at C suite level across all Dimensions of Risk and Business transformation.
He holds an MSc in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Athens University of Economics and Business. He also holds a number of professional certifications in the areas of Risk and Finance such as Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Professional Risk Manager (PRM), Certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and Certified Financial Services Auditor (CFSA).

Mrs. Lazaridou holds a BSc in Economics and Business from Athens
University and an M.Sc. in Finance from the University of Strathclyde –
UK.
Ms. Lazaridou has more than 25 years of experience in the banking sector,
holding the position of General Manager in Corporate & Investment
Banking in Piraeus Bank for more than 10 years. – Mrs. Lazaridou has also
served successfully as Chairman of BoDs to Bank’s several subsidiaries, as
well as an executive member in Bank’s Senior Committees. Through this
role, she commanded a deep knowledge of the country’s infrastructure
and energy sectors, contributing strongly to their rapid growth.
In 2017, Mrs. Lazaridou joined GEK TERNA Group, assuming the position
of General Financial Manager mandated to form the group’s financial
strategy and liability management.
Mrs. Lazaridou has also been appointed Executive BoD Director & BoD
Member of GEK TERNA (listed in ASE).
She actively participates in the international network initiative “Women
on Board” at Harvard Business School.

Angela Gerekou
President
Greek National Tourism Organization

Mrs. Gerekou since August 2019 has been appointed, President of the Greek National Tourism Organization, by decision of the Greek Government and the Ministry for Tourism.

Angela Gerekou was born in the island of Corfu. She holds a degree from the School of Architecture of the University Of Rome, Italy. She has worked as an Architect for the Hellenic Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works, on special programs for the renovation of underdeveloped areas of Athens and she has also worked out a great number of architectural projects for the island of Corfu.

She has served the Greek Government from the positions of Deputy Minister for Culture and Tourism (2009-2010) and Deputy Minister for Culture (2014-2015). She was elected Member of the Greek Parliament, for Corfu, in the 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2012 national elections.

Angela Gerekou, also has a significant career in acting. She studied in Derek Jakoby’s “London Academy of Performing Art” in London, UK and she was a member of Federico Fellini’s student group in Italy. She held the main role in the British-Greek production “The Girl of Mani”, which was presented in the International Film Festival of Cannes. She has acted in many plays for cinema, theater and television and she has worked with many distinguished Greek directors. During the years 1987-1988, she was amongst the founding members of the “Cultural Movement for the Ionian Islands” – a cultural group whose aim was the revival of the traditional genre of the Ionian Theater, through collaborating with many notable political and cultural personalities. Since 2011 she’s President of the Board of Directors of the Ionian Cultural Center which hosts since then the Corfu Festival of Arts.

She is a volunteer participant in various social initiatives for environmental protection, youth culture and sensitive social groups. During 2005-2006 she was appointed as the National Representative on Global Progressive Forum’s campaign against AIDS. At the same time period she served as Volunteerism Sector Manager while she was an MP for PASOK political party.

She is married and the mother of a daughter.

She speaks Italian, English and French.

Eleni Bathianaki
Managing Partner
Halcyon Equity Partners

– Managing Partner of Halcyon Equity Partners, a Greek Private Equity Fund with funds under management in excess of €180mn
– 23+ years of experience in investment banking, strategic advisory and private equity positions
– She had been a Partner and a member of the founding team of EOS Equity Partners, a Greek Private Equity Fund with €150mn assets under management
– Prior to this role, she was a Senior Manager at Piraeus Bank Group Strategy/Transformation unit, leading several strategic projects for the Group including a number of M&A and capital market transactions
– Eleni worked in the Investment Banking Group of Morgan Stanley being responsible for the origination, advisory and execution of M&A and capital market transactions for public and private sector corporates in Greece and CEE region
– She started her career at Citigroup Global Market Investment Banking Unit in 2002, being involved in multiple M&A, privatization and capital market transactions across a very diversified number of sectors and a regional focus on Greece, CEE and North Africa
– She holds a Banking and International Finance Degree from City University Business School London and a MSc in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics
– She holds Board positions in a number of Greek companies. She is a mentor in Endeavor Greece for more than a decade and a Member of the Board of Directors in the Greek NGO, Desmos

GEORGE ZAVVOS
Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer
Hellenic Development Bank

George Zavvos is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of the Hellenic Development Bank, that is focused on facilitating SMEs’ access to financing, while promoting innovation and SMEs’ green and digital transition.
From July 2019 to August 2021, he served as Deputy Minister of Finance responsible for the financial system. During this time he designed, negotiated with the EU institutions and implemented the Hercules Asset Protection Scheme (APS). As a result of the Hercules APS, the non-performing loans of the Greek systemic banks were reduced to 6.8% in the end of 2022 from 45% in July 2019 – “a magnitude of improvement unsurpassed by the banking industry anywhere” as Bloomberg recently noted. Furthermore, he introduced significant reforms in the functioning of the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund as well as in the Greek capital market (law on corporate governance) and microfinance.
Previously, George Zavvos served at the European institutions for over 30 years, including as a Member of the European Parliament (1990-1994), European Commission Ambassador to Slovakia (1994-1997) and Legal Adviser at the Legal Service of the European Commission (2002 -2017).
George Zavvos was Professor at the Solvay Business School (ULB) in Brussels (1991-1993) and Visiting Professor at Queen Mary, University of London (2004-2007). He holds a Bachelor of Laws from Athens University and a postgraduate Degree in EU Law from the College of Europe (Bruges). He has written and lectured extensively on EU banking and financial services law matters. He is Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Economics in Bratislava (2004) and has been awarded the Double Cross of the Slovak Republic.

Antigoni Lymperopoulou is a seasoned Investments professional. Having started her career working for the Hellenic Ministry of Finance from 1999 to 2001, she moved on to work for HDBI (previously TANEO). Since July 2020, she is appointed as Chief Executive Officer of HDBI. She has been actively involved with the development of the organization’s as well as the industry’s operations and has served as an Investment Manager since 2001. Parallel to her tasks with the HDBI, she has served as an advisor to the European Commission for subjects related to her field of knowledge for a number of years (Venture Capital, Private Equity, Access to Risk Finance etc.) and has actively participated in the formation of pan European collaborations, such as the Scale-Up Initiative.
She holds an i-MBA and MSc in Decision Sciences, as well as a BSc in Statistics and Economy, all awarded by the Athens University of Economy and Business. She is an Accredited Investment Manager by the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investments and also holds the equivalent accreditation (Level C) by the Hellenic Capital Markets Commission (HCMC).
Member of Advisory Boards and Investment Committees in a number of VC/PE Funds.
Chairman of EVFIN (European Venture Fund Investors Network) (2022-2023) and currently Vice Chairman (since 2023)
Vice Chairman of Athens branch CISI (Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment) (2008- to date).

Chris Aesopos is the Chairman of The Hellenic Fund & Asset Management Association.

He is the Chief Executive Officer of ALPHA TRUST since 2015. He is also Executive Director of ALPHA TRUST Luxembourg S.a’.r.l. since 2017. Prior to ALPHA TRUST he served as Head of Asset Management at EFG Eurobank Ergasias S.A..

Furthermore, he serves as Board Member of the Hellenic Corporate Governance Council (HCGC) and as Vice Chairman, Independent Non Executive, of Trade Estates REIC.

He holds an MSc in Shipping, Trade and Finance from Cass Business School (University of London), an MSc in Economics from Birkbeck College (University of London) and a BSc in Economics from London School of Economics (University of London).

Orestis Kavalakis
Governor of Recovery and Resilience Facility Coordination Agency (RRFA)
Ministry of National Economy and Finance

Orestis Kavalakis since August 2023 serves as Governor of the Recovery and Resilience Facility Coordination Agency (RRFA). The RRFA constitutes the lead national body tasked with the overall coordination and monitoring of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and serves as the responsible body for the efficient use of the EU recovery funds deriving from the Next Generation EU and its key instrument, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
Prior to this position he was appointed as the Secretary General for Private Investments and PPPs (Ministry of Development and Investments), since September 2020. The portfolio of the General Secretariat of Private Investments & PPPs included private and strategic investments as well as PPPs. Since his appointment as Secretary General in September 2020, 31 PPP projects of approximately EUR 5 bn. development cost have been approved by the inter-Ministerial Committee for PPPs. Moreover 31 strategic investments in numerous sectors have been approved by the inter-Ministerial Committee for Strategic Investments amounting up to approximately EUR 7.5 bn. At the same time, during his tenure, significant legislative measures were voted in the strategic and private investments legal framework (l. 4864/2021 for the strategic investments and l. 4887/2022 new development law), while the administrative procedure for the implementation of investments has been accelerated and simplified.
Orestis is a lawyer, holds degrees from both National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and from Queen Mary & Westfield College, University of London and has gained extensive experience in commercial law, corporate restructurings and insolvency procedures, while he has also held the position of Chief Compliance Officer for a large advisory firm.

Vice President of Nea Demokratia
Minister of Development and Investments
MP of 2nd District of Athens

Adonis Georgiadis was born on November 6th, 1972, in Athens.

He graduated from the Faculty of History & Archaeology of the School of Philosophy of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens.

In 1993, he took over the management of publications ‘GEORGIADIS-LIBRARY OF GREEK’. In 1994, he founded the Liberal Studies Center “GREEK EDUCATION”.

Elected MP in Athens B region in the elections of 2007 and 2009 with the LAOS political party.

In February 2012, he joined the Nea Demokratia political party, having resigned from the parliamentary office. Elected with Nea Demokratia in Athens B in the national elections of 2012 and 2015.

In 2011, he was Vice Minister of Shipping in the Government of Lucas Papademos and in 2013 he was appointed Minister of Health in the Government of Antonis Samaras.

On January 18th, 2016, he was appointed one of the two Vice-Presidents of the Nea Demokratia by decision of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the President of Nea Demokratia.

On July 8th, Adonis Georgiadis was appointed as Minister of Develpopment and Investments after the 2019 greek elections.

He is married to Eugenia Manolidou and they have two children, Perseus and Alcaeus.

Alex Patelis
Chief Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister of Greece
Hellenic Republic

Alex Patelis is chief economic adviser to Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He has over three decades of experience as an economist, analyst and strategist, working in a variety of positions in New York, London and Athens.

Alex started his career with the US economics research team at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York, where he worked under Bill Dudley, Chief US economist as well as a proprietary FICC trader in the same firm. In London, he joined Citigroup Asset Management as a quantitative economist. At Merrill Lynch, he held a variety of positions, including Global head of FX & Debt strategy, as well as Managing Director of Global Research, Head of International Economics. In this capacity, Alex managed the research teams responsible for the firm’s outlook on all economies outside North America, including developed and emerging countries in EMEA, the Pacific Rim region and Latin America, as well as foreign exchange, local currency and external debt bonds. For their research, Alex and his team won a variety of awards, including from Extel and Institutional Investor. He was also Chief Economist at PSQR, a global discretionary macro hedge fund.

More recently, Alex was President of Patelis Macro, an independent research boutique he launched in 2010, which focused on global macroeconomic analysis to select clients around the world.

Alex earned a Ph.D. in Economics in 1997 from Princeton University, USA, where his thesis advisor was Professor Ben Bernanke. Titled “Asset returns and monetary policy”, part of his thesis was published in the Journal of Finance. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Mathematics from Sussex University, UK.

H.E. Konstantinos Skrekas
Minister of Environment & Energy
Greece

Konstantinos Skrekas comes from Megarhi, Trikala. He is married to Eirini Karagouni and has two daughters, Alexandra and Sophia.

He holds a Degree in Civil Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Technology), and an M.Sc. in Construction Management from the University of Birmingham, UK.
After completing his studies, he worked in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector in managerial positions. He is the co-founder of a company operating in the FMCG sector and held the position of CEO for 15 years.

In the general election of May 6, 2012 he was elected Member of the Greek Parliament (MP) for the Constituency of Trikala with the New Democracy Party. He was re-elected on June 17 of the same year.
On the 25th of January 2015 he was elected Member of the Greek Parliament (MP), receiving the largest number of electoral votes among candidates from all political parties in the Constituency of Trikala. He was re-elected in the elections on 20th September of the same year.

In the general election on July 7, 2019 he was elected Member of the Greek Parliament for the Constituency of Trikala.
He was appointed Minister of Development and Competitiveness from October 2014 until February 2015.

On the July 9, 2019 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food, being specifically responsible for the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).

On the 5th of January 2021 he was appointed Minister of Environment and Energy.
He speaks English and French.

Vassilis Kontozamanis
Former Alternate Minister of Health
Hellenic Republic

Vassilis KONTOZAMANIS MSc, MBA
Former Alternate Health Minister of Greece

Vassilis Kontozamanis, former Alternate Minister of Health in Greece, embraces a profound record in the fields of international healthcare environment, policy and management, human resources, economics, strategic planning, financing and outcomes measurement.
From July 2019 to September 2021, as Deputy and Alternate Minister overseeing the healthcare system, he played a catalytic role in successfully managing the pandemic crisis in Greece.
Vassilis led the design and implementation of key structural reforms, addressing the complex challenges of building a modern, resilient healthcare system.
His career also includes leadership roles in the pharmaceutical sector, as Executive Vice President and President of the National Medicines Organization (EOF), and as a member of the Management Board of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Additionally, he has served as Chief Executive Officer of the 1st Regional Health Authority (Attica), Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, and Advisor for Health Affairs to the Prime Minister of Greece. Currently, Vassilis represents Greece on the Management Board of the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and is a Member of the Management Board of Delsona Therapeutics. (delsona.com).

Nikos Papathanasis, Alternate Minister of National Economy and Finance

Nikos Papathanasis presently holds the office of the Alternate Minister at the Ministry of National Economy and Finance and he was also elected, at the 2023 elections, as a member of the Parliament in the district of Athens North.

From August 2020 until May 2023 he held the office of Alternate Minister at the Ministry of Development and Investment with the responsibility of the portfolio of private and strategic investments, PPP’s and the Just Transition Fund. Also from July 2019 until August 2020 he held the office of the Deputy Minister at the same ministry with the responsibility of the portfolio of Industry, Commerce and Consumer’s Protection.

During his thirty five year career, he served as a C-level executive for large corporations with a successful track record in developing business plans, reorganizing and streamlining operations that led to significant positive economic outcome.

He received his B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and his M.A.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Toronto, followed by a Masters in Management Science at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

He commenced his career at the DeHavilland Aircraft Company (Bombardier Aerospace) in Toronto while later he served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) and executive Vice President of Olympic Aviation, a regional airline company. During his professional years, he worked mainly in the private sector while he reached high executive and C level managerial positions in companies in Greece and abroad.

He managed companies in the fields of construction, real estate development to public transportation as he served as CEO in the Athens Line 1 metro rail system and subsequently Chairman and CEO in the Athens Metro and Light rail system for a total of eight years. From 2008 to 2010 he served as a President-elect of the Greek branch of the European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public Services (CEEP) which is a General Cross Industry social partner recognized by the EU Commission. From 2017 holds the Chair of the President of the Institute of Democracy “Konstantinos Karamanlis”, a scientific non-profit organization. He served from 2016 until the national elections of 2019 as Director General of the presently governing political Party of “Nea Democratia”.

Theodore Skylakakis
Minister of Environment & Energy
Hellenic Republic

He was born in 1959 in Athens. He is an economist. Member of Parliament for New Democracy (2022-2023). Minister of Environment and Energy from June 2023. Alternate Minister of Finance, responsible for Fiscal Policy and responsible for preparing and coordinating the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0” (2020-2023). Deputy Minister of Fiscal Policy (2019-2020), Member of the European Parliament (2009-2014), Secretary General for International Economic Relations and Development Cooperation (2006-2009), Municipal Councilor, Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Athens (2003-2006), responsible for preparing for the 2004 Olympic Games. From 1990 to 1993 he served as Advisor to Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis and Head of the Prime Minister’s Planning and Communication Office.

He also served as President and Director General of the E21 Research Centre (1994-2001). He was the last President of Drasi (2014-2019), which suspended its activity to support New Democracy.

He has worked in advertising and communication since 1985 and he has founded four companies in the fields of communication (1994-1999), crisis management (2000-2006) and agricultural production & processing (2014-2019).

He studied economics in Greece (University of Athens) and business administration (MBA) in England (City University, London) and received a master’s degree from the British Market Research Society in Market Research. He has received a PhD from the Department of History and Philosophy of Science of the University of Athens, entitled: “Social tolerance to corruption”.

He is married to Eleni Papapanou, has two daughters, Marianna and Irene and four granddaughters.

Kostas Karamanlis
Minister of Infrastructure & Transport

Kostas Karamanlis was born in Athens in 1974.
He has studied History and Economics at Hamilton College and earned an MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Tufts University.
In January 2015 Kostas Karamanalis was elected to parliament with the party of New Democracy, and was re-elected in September 2015 and in July 2019.
From January 2016 since June 2019 he was the shadow minister of the New Democracy Party for Infrastructure and Transport.
After the 2019 election, Mr Karamanlis was appointed Minister for Infrastructure and Transport in the Cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Before getting into politics, he worked from 2002 until 2004 in London for the UBS Warburg Bank. In 2004 he returned to Greece and started working as a chief executive at Mantinia Shipping Company.
He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the “Konstantinos G. Karamanlis” Foundation and of the Board of Overseers of the Fletcher School.

Kyriakos Pierrakakis is the Minister of State and Digital Governance in the Cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He is a Greek computer and political scientist and politician.
In 2007 he earned a Master in Public Policy from John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and in 2009 he earned a Master of Science in Technology and Policy from MIT. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Athens University of Economics and Business.
He served as Director of Research at Dianeosis, an independent non-profit think tank. He produced an array of research papers with a strong focus on economic growth and understanding the prevailing perceptions and beliefs among Greeks.
He has also worked on technology policy for various research institutes in Greece and abroad and headed Youth Foundation as president.
He was born on 1983 in Athens. He is married with three children.
He speaks English and French.

Alexandra Sdoukou is a lawyer and has served as a legal consultant in both the private sector and public administration. In 2007, she was formally employed by the Management Organisation Unit of Development Programmes (MOU S.A.).

She holds a Law degree from Democritus University of Thrace, complemented by postgraduate degrees in European Commercial Law from the University of Bristol and in International and European Economic Studies from the Athens University of Economics and Business.

From 2004 to 2012, she held significant advisory roles within various ministries, including the Ministries of Economy and Finance, Development and Environment, and Energy. From 2012 to 2015, she served as the Director of the Minister’s Office of Environment, Energy, and Climate Change.

Her extensive expertise lies in the formulation, execution, and supervision of energy policies. Notably, from 2017 to 2019, she served as a special advisor on energy and mineral resources matters to Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the President of New Democracy Party. From July 2019 until June 2023, she held the position of Secretary General for Energy and Mineral Resources (GSEMR) at the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy.

On June 27, 2023, she was appointed as Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer at HELLENiQ ENERGY Group, Executive Member of its Board of Directors and General Manager Strategic Planning and New Activities.

He is responsible for strategic planning, new business development, the Group’s gas & power, renewables, upstream and engineering businesses, and its representation in international organizations. He has represented the Group on the Board of the European Fuel Manufacturers Association as a Principal or Alternate Director since 2012. He joined HELLENiQ ENERGY Group in 2007.

George Alexopoulos was Director of Business Planning & Development at an international, diversified business group (SETE S.A.), based in Geneva, Switzerland, from 1998 to 2006, while at the same time being responsible for the Group’s energy portfolio.

He had previously worked in various technical and business development positions at Stone & Webster, Molten Metal Technology, Merck, Dow Corning, and Dow Chemical in the United States between 1993 and 1997.

In July 2024 he was elected President of the SEV Business Council for Sustainable Development (SEV VIAN).

He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School (1998) and M. Sc. (1993) and B. Sc. (1992) degrees in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

He is married to Elizabeth Spada and they have 3 children.

Dika Agapitidou
MSc (Econ) MRICS

Dika Agapitidou is the Founder and Director of Athens Economics Ltd – JLL Alliance Partner, set up in 1993. She is a Member of the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), a founding member of the Greek branch of the ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centres) and a member of ELIE (Hellenic Valuation Institute).

Her background is in Economics, Planning & Econometrics and she has been professionally involved in commercial real estate since 1988, when she was appointed Head of Forecasting at Jones Lang Wootton in London.

Prior to that, she worked as a consultant for the Greek government (Home Office), international organisations (EU & OECD), and academic establishments (LSE) in Athens, Brussels, Paris, and London.

In her present role as director of Athens Economics Ltd – JLL Alliance Partner, and together with trusted colleagues from a multidisciplinary background, she provides commercial real estate and economic research/advice as well as valuation and agency services to domestic corporates and multinationals.

She is the co-author of one book (IOVE, 1995), has written numerous articles, which have appeared in Greek and English newspapers and specialist periodicals and is a frequent panelist in real estate conferences and seminars in Greece and abroad.

Dika speaks Greek (native), English, French & Spanish, is married and a mother of three.

George Logothetis
Executive Chairman
Libra Group

George Logothetis is the Executive Chairman of Libra Group, a privately owned, global business group with assets and operations in nearly 60 countries. He is based in New York City. At 19, George became CEO of his family’s company, Lomar Shipping, which had three vessels at that time. The shipping business was grown into a more modern and diversified 55-vessel fleet over the next 10 years. In 2003, George founded Libra Group at the age of 28.

Today, Libra Group encompasses 20 businesses predominately focused on aerospace, renewable energy, maritime, real estate, hospitality, and diversified investments. George is also the Chairman of the Group’s sister organization Libra Philanthropies, an independent 501(c)(3) that includes 10 philanthropic initiatives. Previously known as Libra Social Responsibility, Libra Philanthropies’ initiatives include social impact programs, strategic giving, and independent non-profits supporting over 25 million people around the world.

George is Co-Chairman of the Leadership Council of Concordia, a member of the Board of Directors of President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Alliance, a Global Advisory Council Member of the Wilson Center, a member of the American Democracy Month Council’s Board of Directors, and an Advisory Board Member of the Genius 100 Foundation. In 2013, George and Nitzia Logothetis founded the Seleni Institute, an independently run clinic and nonprofit supporting individuals and their families’ mental and emotional health during the family-building years.

Petros Machas
Founder and Chairman
Machas & Partners Law Firm

Petros has studied Law in Athens (Greece) (LL.B.), Criminal Law and Philosophy of Law in Würzburg Germany (LL.M. – hons). He has also attended the Program on Negotiations (PON) at Harvard Law School and a series of seminars and coaching sessions on leadership and financial training.
Petros began his career as a junior associate in one of the most prestigious law firms of Athens (Greece) within which he became a partner.
Subsequently, he founded two law offices: Machas & Partners Law Firm, henceforth one of the best- performing law firms of Athens and Max Partners Law Firm in London.
Pleading attorney, counsel of «white-collar offenders», recognized as one of the most competent of his generation in Greece, having represented defendants of high importance in trials that have been thundered through the press, Petros has evolved.
Progressively, he has focused his practice on the effective resolution of business litigations by capitalizing on his solid legal foundations, his negotiation skills, his education and his field experience in financial matters.
At the same time, Petros has founded two fully authorized and regulated financial institutions in Monaco: Moneikos Global Asset Management Sam and Max Fiduciaire Multi Family Office SAM.
Currently, Petros has resigned from his executive role within his service companies, and he mainly focuses on his cross-border financial investments and investments in real economy, through his Family Office and his investment company, both situated in Monaco.
Petros has served as Adviser of the Prime Minister of Greece, A. Samaras, from 2011 to 2015. At present, Honorary General Consul of Greece in Monaco, President of the Association of Villa Kérylos’ Friends and member of the Executive Committee of «Young Presidents’ Organization» (YPO) of Monaco – Côte d’Azur, he is also Member of the Athens Bar Association and the European Criminal Bar Association.

Entrepreneur, innovator and philanthropist, Nikos Mouyiaris is the Founder and CEO of Mana Products,
Inc., one of the world’s most prestigious cosmetics manufacturers and developers. Established in 1975
with a mere $6,000.00 that Nikos borrowed from his brother, today Mana employs over 1000 people
and is a partner to many of the world’s largest and most successful beauty brands.
A visionary business and community leader, Nikos believes the true measure of success lies in the ability
to help others, so he is passionate in his support of many philanthropic and other endeavors. He is the
Founder of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, a professional organization dedicated to the
empowerment of the Greek community in the United States and eventually in every country where there
is a Greek Diaspora. An organization committed to civic leadership and human rights, members of HALC
are involved in the Greek Lobby in the United States.
Nikos is a Benefactor of the Malaika Foundation, helping to educate young girls in the Congo. And a
Benefactor of Paradise4Kids, helping to feed, educate and clothe hundreds of Ebola orphans in Sierra
Leone. Nikos is also involved with many other organizations that make a difference in the world and has
received many honors including the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

George D. Tsopelas
Chairman,& Managing Director
McKinsey & Company, Greece & Cyprus

Mr. Tsopelas joined McKinsey in London in 1994 and led the opening of the Athens Office
in 2000. He has worked extensively in Banking, Insurance, Energy, Basic Materials and Economic Development in Europe, Middle East & Africa.
Mr. Tsopelas holds an M.B.A from Harvard Business School. His undergraduate studies include a BSc in Economics & Econometrics and a BSc in Business Administration.

Vivian Bouzali was born in Kastoria, Greece. She holds a BSc in Psychology from the Loyola University of Chicago, an MSc in Counseling Psychology from Harvard University and an MSc in Business Administration from the University of Louisville.

Over the course of four years, between 1989-1993, she practiced clinical psychology at Loyola and Harvard University, focusing on teenagers and groups inclined to criminal behavior.

Upon returning to Greece, in 1994 she assumed the position of Administrative and Business Development Director at New York College of Athens, which she held until 1998. Under her lead, the school saw a significant expansion of international activity to several European countries.

In 2000-2004, she served as CEO of Human Capital Improvement, a strategic communications consulting firm working with high caliber Greek and international corporate clients.

During the same period, she actively participated in preparations ahead of the Athens 2004 Olympics, recruiting and educating an unprecedented pool of volunteers that was vital to the success of the Games.

In 2004, she was appointed Executive Director for Retail, Marketing and Corporate Communication at ELTA Group (Hellenic Post Office).

During that time, she also worked as an ad hoc communication consultant to top-notch companies in Greece and abroad.

In 2007 she was elected to serve as a member of the Greek Parliament with the party of New Democracy, where up until 2009 she focused her parliamentary activation issues of growth, promotion of investment and the fight against distortions in the Greek economy and administration.

She joined METLEN Energy & Metals (previously known as MYTILINEOS), a leading international industrial and energy company with a dynamic presence on all 5 continents, in 2009 and since January 2023 after the new corporate transformation, she is the Chief Corporate Affairs & Communication Officer of the company.

In December 2024, V. Bouzali was awarded the title of “Corporate Affairs and Communication Manager of the Year”.

Ms. Bouzali is married and has a daughter.

C. Dean Metropoulos is Chairman and CEO of Metropoulos & Company, a boutique acquisition and management firm with offices in New York, Los Angeles and Greenwich, Connecticut. Mr. Metropoulos has spent the past 25 years building, restructuring and growing numerous businesses in the U.S. and Europe. Many of these were subsequently taken public or sold to strategic corporations. He is very well known in the private equity, investment banking, and financial community.

The returns generated by Metropoulos & Company are among the highest and most consistent among private equity investors having generated an average of 44% returns, with the lowest being 23%. Dean has been married to Marianne Metropoulos for 35 years and they have two sons, Evan and Daren who reside in California.

Apostolos Gkoutzinis
Partner
Milbank

Apostolos Gkoutzinis is an international capital markets and runs the firm’s corporate finance and capital markets group in Europe.

Ranked as a top tier practitioner by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 UK, he is one of the most widely respected advisers in his field globally. Focusing on US securities laws and international debt and equity offerings, he covers an exceptionally broad practice across international corporate, capital markets and finance transactions. His experience includes advising on IPOs, international rights offerings and other equity offerings, high-yield and investment-grade bond offerings and private placements, large acquisition financings, tender offers and other liability management exercises, M&A transactions, NPL portfolio sales, restructurings, recapitalizations and privatizations.

He is also one of the most prominent international lawyers in relation to Greece. His track record on Greek matters is unsurpassed, providing strategic legal advice to most of the major financial and strategic investors in Greece and most of the major banks and listed companies of the country. As well as advising private companies and foreign investors on matters involving private and public capital, restructurings and refinancing since 2005, Apostolos has represented issuers or underwriters in most of the international and cross-border equity and debt offerings by Greek issuers.

H Μαριάννα Πολιτοπούλου είναι Πρόεδρος & Διευθύνουσα Σύμβουλος της NN Hellas από τον Μάϊο 2016.
Είναι κάτοχος MBA in Finance από το The Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania και MSc από το
Τμήμα Πολιτικών Μηχανικών του Εθνικού Μετσόβιου Πολυτεχνείου.
Κατά τη διάρκεια της μακρόχρονης επαγγελματικής της σταδιοδρομίας στην Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό,
ιδιαίτερα από το 1994, έχει αναλάβει ανώτατες διευθυντικές θέσεις και θέσεις Διευθύνουσας Συμβούλου,
μεταξύ άλλων, στις Honeywell Europe, EFG Eurobank, Inchcape Hellas Group, Credit Agricole Indosuez
Luxembourg και στην Εθνική Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος.
Η εκτενής και πολυσχιδής θητεία της στην ανώτατη διοίκηση και η βαθιά γνώση του χρηματοοικονομικού
κλάδου, συνετέλεσαν στο να εισαγάγει στην NN Hellas
βέλτιστες πρακτικές στην εσωτερική και εταιρική διακυβέρνηση. Σχεδίασε και υλοποιεί με άμεσα θετικά
αποτελέσματα, τη νέα στρατηγική του οργανισμού, εστιάζοντας στην ανθρωποκεντρικότητα, την
ομαδικότητα, την καινοτομία και την ψηφιοποίηση.
Επίσης, είναι μέλος των Δ.Σ του Ελληνο – Ολλανδικού Εμπορικού & Βιομηχανικού Συνδέσμου, της Ένωσης
Ασφαλιστικών Εταιριών Ελλάδος και του Σωματείου
Επιχειρηματικότητας Νέων. Ταυτόχρονα, συμμετέχει στην Επιτροπή Ηγεσίας του
Ελληνο – Αμερικανικού Επιμελητηρίου και στο Δ.Σ. του The Wharton Business School Club of Greece.

Panagiotis Kapetanakos
CEO
Noval Property

Panagiotis Kapetanakos is the Chief Executive Officer of Noval Property, the 2nd largest Real Estate Investment Company in Greece, listed on the Athens Stock Exchange (ATHEX), with total assets of c. €670m. Noval Property is a subsidiary of Viohalco. Prior to his current position he was co-CEO and CFO of the GBP 1.2 bn and 75,000 m2 GBA acquisition and redevelopment of the Old War Office grade 2* listed building in London from office into mixed use, comprising the first Raffles hotel in London (with a 125-rooms capacity, F&B, spa and other amenities) and 85 Raffles branded residential apartments. Previously he was Chief Investment Officer & Head of Asset Management of NBG Pangaea (now Prodea Investments) in Athens; Manager at Piraeus Real Estate / Piraeus Bank Group in Athens; Director at Mizuho Corporate Advisory in Athens and Vice President, Business Development in the Hinduja Group in London. Panagiotis Kapetanakos holds an MBA from the Management School of Imperial College in London and a Diploma in Chemical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens.

Michael Tsamaz
Chairman & CEO
OTE Group Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE)

Michael Tsamaz heads OTE Group, the largest technology company in Greece and subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG, since November 2010.
Under his leadership, with sustainability as a key driver, OTE Group managed to streamline its financials, create new revenue streams and transform into a modern, customer centric, tech enterprise, with COSMOTE as the unified brand for its fixed, mobile, internet and pay TV products and services.
Michael Tsamaz is a strong advocate of technology as the means to sustainable growth. Back in 2016, he set a new vision for OTE Group to become a digital transformation paradigm in Greece, as well as in Europe. From his position as head of the Digital Economy Committee of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) and member of the Athens Digital Council, he focuses on policy making proposals in order to bridge the digital gap nationwide, while creating awareness for the merits of the new digital era through education.
Mr Tsamaz holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick, Canada.

Ο Χρήστος Χαρπαντίδης είναι Πρόεδρος και Διευθύνων Σύμβουλος της Παπαστράτος, θυγατρικής  εταιρείας της Philip Morris International, από τον Αύγουστο του 2015.
Ξεκίνησε την καριέρα του στην Coca-Cola Hellenic, τo 1997, ως Marketing & Sales Trainee, ενώ  μετακινήθηκε στην Παπαστράτος το 2003, ως Export Manager. Τα επόμενα χρόνια, ανέλαβε σειρά θέσεων ευθύνης στα εμπορικά τμήματα της εταιρείας στην Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό ― Country Manager  Papastratos για τις αγορές της Κύπρου και της Μάλτας (2004 – 2005), Group Brand Manager Papastratos (2006 – 2007), National Sales Manager (2008-2009) και Sales & Distribution Director Papastratos (2010 – 2011).

Την τελευταία τριετία κατείχε θέσεις υψηλής ευθύνης στο επιχειρησιακό κέντρο της Philip Morris International στη Λωζάνη της Ελβετίας, διαδοχικά στα τμήματα Στρατηγικής Πωλήσεων (Global Sales
Strategy Director, 2012 – 2013) και Καινοτόμων Προϊόντων (RRPs Commercialization Director, 2014 – 2015).
Ο Χρήστος Χαρπαντίδης σπούδασε Φυσική στο Αριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκης, από όπου και
κατάγεται. Είναι κάτοχος MBA in Economics, όπως και Μ.Α. in Economics, από το Πανεπιστήμιο του Kent
(Αγγλία).

Stathis has a broadly based transactional practice. He has worked on legislative and regulatory issues of the capital and derivatives market, financing and banking issues, international arbitration and corporate transactions and restructurings, including the transfer of loan portfolios. As member of the Hellenic Corporate Governance Council he contributed to the Hellenic Corporate Governance Code and the drafting of best practices for unlisted and family enterprises. In 2014 he contributed to the drafting of the Dendias Law, introducing expedited proceedings to assist financial institutions in dealing with non performing exposures, including the special administration proceeding. He is currently engaged in the drafting of a new Bankruptcy Code.
Stathis is an INSOL International Fellow, a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and a member of the International Insolvency Institute. He was also a member of a group of experts formed by the European Commission for the preparation of the recently passed Preventive Restructuring and Second Chance Directive. He is admitted to practice in Greece and in the State of New York.

Konstantinos Mavros
CEO
Public Power Corporation Renewables (PPC – DEI)

Konstantinos Mavros has significant and diversified experience in the broader energy sector and the fields of corporate finance and technology. He has worked in the past in the Renewable Energy Sector, and has been leading companies in the technological field. He has also co-founded a Venture Capital fund supported by the European Investment Fund. He is an active member and holds key positions in several international professional and academic associations and has been a visiting lecturer at the Athens University International MBA program. Mr Mavros holds a Masters’ degree in Finance from Imperial College London and has completed high level executive education programs at Harvard Business School.

Theresa Messari
Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operations Officer
PRODEA Investments

Theresa Messari is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer of PRODEA Investments and an executive member of its Board of Directors. She has more than 25 years of experience in real estate, having previously held senior positions in the real estate market in the National Bank of Greece and Eurobank groups, playing an active role in the establishment and listing on Athens Exchange of Grivalia Properies REIC, where she served as Head of Finance, Control and Operations. In 2010, she was a founding member of the team that established NBG Pangaea REIC, which was the forerunner of PRODEA as it stands today. She is a graduate of the Athens School of Economics (Bsc in Informatics, specializing in analytics, design and management of information systems) with supplementary studies in International Financial Reporting Standards.

Aristotelis Karytinos
Chief Executive Officer
Prodea Investments

Aristotelis Karytinos is the Chief Executive Officer of Prodea Investments, the leading real estate investment company in the region with assets of 2.9 bn. He possesses long standing experience in investment and banking through key positions both in the public and private sectors. Prior to his current position, from 2008 -2013 he was the General Manager – Real Estate of the National Bank of Greece Group. F r o m 1996 – 2 0 0 8 he held senior positions within Eurobank EFG Group, including Head of Group Real Estate, Head of Mortgage Lending and CEO of Eurobank Properties REIC ( later known as Grivalia REIC) , a company which he led into a successful IPO in 2006 and a subsequent rights issue in 2007, raising in total approximately €450 m. Aristotelis Karytinos holds a Doctorate (PhD) in Finance from the University of Warwick, UK and is a Fellow of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors ( FRICS) and Recognised European Valuer ( REV).

John Catsimatidis is the Chairman and CEO of the Red Apple Group. The Red Apple Group has holdings in oil refining, retail petroleum products, convenience stores, supermarkets, real estate and aviation.

Catsimatdis grew up in New York City after coming to the United States as an infant with his parents from the island of Nissiros, Greece.

Opening his first supermarket while still in college it evolved into Manhattan’s largest supermarket chain, Gristede’s Supermarkets.

In the mid-1980’s Catsimatidis acquired United Refining Company of Warren Pennsylvania. This refinery provides the energy needs of Western Pennsylvania, New York and Eastern Ohio.

Mr. Catsimatidis real estate company, Red Apple Real Estate is a major developer in the New York area and is currently developing a $500 million-dollar project in Brooklyn, New York.

A certified jet pilot, Catsimatidis has been involved in the airline industry since the early 1970’s. Currently Mr. Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Aviation operates personalized, large corporate aircraft.

All tolled, Mr. Catsimatidis’ companies post annual sales of approximately $3 billion. Over 10,000 employees, John Catsimatidis is a major employer in the New York metropolitan area and upstate New York.

John Catsimatidis’ charitable interests are as varied as his business interests. Although centered in his Hellenic roots, such as his Hellenic Scholarship Foundation and the Greek Orthodox Church in America where he served as President of the Church Council in North America, his chartable interests cover a broad range.

A legendary fundraiser in New York and national politics, Catsimatidis is deeply committed to his community and country.

Mrs. Catsimatidis, Margo, is a leading businesswoman in the advertising industry. President of MCV advertising, Mrs. Catsimatidis is also co-publisher of the couple’s Greek American newspaper, the “Hellenic Times,” which is the largest, Greek newspaper printed in the United States. Mrs. Catsimatidis shares duties with her husband in all of their charitable activities.

John and Margo Catsimatidis have two children, daughter Andrea John (AJ), and son Yianni,

The family resides on Fifth Avenue, New York City and enjoys traveling extensively.

Evangelos I. Lakatzis
Partner
Saplegal A.S. Papadimitriou & Partners Law Firm

Evangelos Lakatzis joined Saplegal – A.S. Papadimitriou & Partners Law Firm in 2004 and is specialized in venture capital and private equity, having been selected as an advisor in several notable projects in the field. In addition, Evangelos has advised in numerous M&A deals and other cross-border transactions, representing mainly venture capital firms, private equity funds and strategic or private investors. He also advises corporations and other entities in the field of corporate, civil and commercial law.
Evangelos is a Supreme Court Advocate and a certified mediator. He holds an LL.B from the University of Athens and an LL.M. from King’s College London.

Peter Poulos has worked as a fundraiser for decades. Early in his career, he joined Manatos & Manatos a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. After that he served as a fundraiser for the Bob Kerrey for United States Senator from Nebraska campaign and the Paul Simon for United States Senator from Illinois campaign.

A native New Yorker, he moved to San Francisco in 1989 to work as a political fundraiser for Kevin F. Shelley, former supervisor and secretary of state, and the late lieutenant governor, Leo T. McCarthy.

In 1993, Mr. Poulos opened Poulos Brothers, a fundraising and event-planning firm. In the span of 14 years, Poulos Brothers worked with over 100 nonprofit organizations and political candidates. In 1997, he began working with amfAR and continued to do so until he left San Francisco in 2006. He has raised millions of dollars for the fight against HIV/AIDS as well as breast cancer research, civil rights, homelessness, and the environment.

He is the former Executive Director of The Hellenic Initiative.

Mr. Poulos is a third generation American and an active member of the Greek American community.

Από το 1995 εργάζεται στον Όμιλο Τσιμέντων ΤΙΤΑΝ όπου είναι Εκτελεστικό μέλος του Διοικητικού
Συμβουλίου. Είναι επίσης μέλος του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου της ΚΑΝΕΛΛΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ-ΑΔΑΜΑΝΤΙΑΔΗΣ

Ασφαλιστικές Επιχειρήσεις, της Ένωσης Εισηγμένων Εταιριών στο ΧΑ και της εταιρίας GRIVALIA AE.
Είναι κάτοχος Β.Α. στα Οικονομικά από το Brown University και Μ.Β.Α. από το New York University
(Stern) των Η.Π.Α.

Μιλάει άπταισα την αγγλική και την γαλλική γλώσσα. Ασχολείται με τα σπόρ (μπάσκετ, βόλλευ,
ποδόσφαιρο) και ήταν μέλος της επίλεκτης ομάδας All-Ivy League (βολλευ) στις Η.Π.Α.
Είναι παντρεμένος και έχει δύο κόρες.

Geoffrey Pyatt
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources
U.S. Department of State

Geoffrey R. Pyatt, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Career Minister, was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources on September 19, 2022. Ambassador Pyatt served as U.S. Ambassador to Greece from 2016 to 2022 and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 2013 to 2016. Among other recognitions, he received the State Department’s Robert Frasure Memorial Award in recognition of his leadership of the U.S. response to Russia’s invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014. Previously, Ambassador Pyatt was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs from 2010-2013. He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna, Austria from 2007 to 2010. He also served three times at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, as Deputy Chief of Mission from 2006 to 2007, Political Counselor from 2002 to 2006, and Political Officer from 1992 to 1994. Ambassador Pyatt was Economic Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong from 1999 to 2002 and Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Lahore, Pakistan from 1997 to 1999. Since joining the Foreign Service in 1989, he has also served on the National Security Council staff, on the staff of Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott and at the U.S. Embassy in Honduras. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he worked with The Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank that brings together leading citizens of the Americas. Ambassador Pyatt grew up in La Jolla, California and holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Yale and B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.