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See you next year
20 May 2025
20 May 2025
Speakers
Prof. Cameron Hepburn
Battcock Professor of Environmental Economics Cameron Hepburn is the Battcock Professor of Environmental Economics at Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. He is also the Director of the Economics of Sustainability Programme, based at the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School. Cameron has published widely on energy, resources and environmental challenges in the world’s leading journals (such as Nature and Science) across several disciplines, drawing on degrees in law and engineering and masters and doctorate in economics (as a Rhodes Scholar). He has co-founded three successful businesses and provides advice on energy and environmental policy to governments. |
Dr. George Pechlivanoglou
Director General of Eunice Energy Group George Pechlivanoglou studied mechanical engineering (BSc) and completed the MSc in renewable energy technology at the University of Oldenburg, Germany. He completed his doctoral dissertation (Ph.D.) in the field of wind turbine aeroservoelasticity at TU Berlin, Germany, and did post-doctoral work at the same institute. Has published more than 90 scientific papers and holds more than 13 national and international patents. George Pechlivanoglou has 18 years of industrial experience in the wind energy market and 10 years of experience as a wind energy expert designer and wind turbine technical inspector with international collaborations and a global project portfolio. He held the position of the technical director of SMART BLADE GmbH for 8 years and has established several global collaborations with corporations like 3M, Vestas, Nordex, etc. He is the former Wind Energy Committee Chair at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and a member of the German Chamber of Engineers (VDI) as well as the former representative of the Technical University of Berlin at the European Academy of Wind Energy (EAWE). Dr. G. Pechlivanoglou currently holds the position of Director General of Eunice Energy Group. |
Stella Kyriakides
European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety On 1 December 2019, Ms. Kyriakides became the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. In the area of health, she is leading the Commission’s work on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, to help improve cancer prevention and care and is in charge of developing a new Pharmaceutical Strategy to ensure that Europe has enough affordable medicines to meet its needs. Her responsibilities also include supporting Member States in improving the quality and sustainability of health systems, creating a European Health Data Space to promote health-data exchange and support research. She is also in charge of ensuring full implementation of the European One Health Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance and working towards a global agreement on antimicrobials. On food safety, Commissioner Kyriakides is leading the new ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy for sustainable food, covering every step in the food chain from production to consumption. Her responsibilities also include ensuring enforcement of animal welfare laws and promoting European standards globally as well as ensuring enforcement of EU laws on food safety and animal and plant health and leading the work to protect plant health, reduce dependency on pesticides and support low-risk and non-chemical alternatives. During the COVID-19 crisis, she has been leading the Commissions work to coordinate the EU’s health response and support Member States to tackle the outbreak. This includes working to ensure that essential goods and services can flow freely across borders, essential medicines and medical devices are available at affordable prices, and leading the EU’s efforts to secure access to safe and effective therapeutics and vaccines. Previously, Ms. Stella Kyriakides worked as a clinical psychologist in the Mental Health Services of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus in the area of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, from 1979-2006. In 2006, she was elected to the Cyprus Parliament and was re-elected in 2011 and 2016 for the Democratic Rally party, of which she was the Vice-President. In 2012, she was appointed Head of the Cyprus Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). In 2017 she was elected President of the PACE, thus becoming the 30th President of the Assembly. She founded the First Breast Cancer advocacy organisation in Cyprus, Europa Donna - Cyprus where she served as President from 2000-2015. She was also President of the European Breast Cancer Coalition Europa Donna. She received many awards in recognition of her relentless efforts and work in support of women’s rights, children and patients’ rights and had numerous publications, research contributions/articles on children related matters and cancer in Cyprus and other European countries. |
Prof. Dimitris K. Melissas
Lawyer and Professor of Public Law at the School of Civil Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens Dimitris K. Melissas is a Lawyer and Professor of Public Law at the School of Civil Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens, specializing in Urban Planning Law, Spatial Planning Law and Environmental Law. He teaches at the Faculties of Civil Engineering, Architecture - Engineering and Surveying at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Director of an interdisciplinary Laboratory entitled "Digital Technology Laboratory for Technical Projects" at the School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens. Vice-President of the Scientific Council of the Institute for European Constitutional Sciences (Hagen - O.D. Germany). He has authored and edited 32 studies and 74 articles in Greek, German and English. He practices law before the Council of State and the Administrative Courts of Appeal in matters of urban planning, spatial planning and environment. |
Wopke Hoekstra
European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra is the European Commissioner for Climate Action since 9 October 2023. He was born on 30 September 1975 in the Netherlands. Before assuming office in Brussels, he held various political positions in the Netherlands and worked in the private sector prior to that. After graduating in law from Leiden University, and having studied at LUISS in Rome, he worked at Shell for two years. Thereafter, he completed an MBA at INSEAD in France and Singapore and worked for consultancy firm McKinsey & Company from 2006 to 2017, becoming partner in 2013. In 2011, Hoekstra became the youngest member of the Dutch Senate – for the party Christen-Democratisch Appèl (EPP), a party that he led between 2020 and 2023. From 2017 to 2022, Hoekstra served as Minister of Finance, and from early 2022 until August 2023, he was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. He was nominated as European Commissioner for Climate Action by the Dutch government. |
Pantelis Pavlou
Director with Sustainability & Corporate Reporting Services of EY Pantelis is a Director with Sustainability & Corporate Reporting Services of EY since 2021. In his role he participates in international expert groups of EY’s Corporate Reporting Services helping EY’s clients to address challenges in financial and sustainability topics. Pantelis had a successful career in contributing to policy and standard setting both at the European and International level as well as leading professional teams in finance and risk functions for international financial conglomerates. He holds a BSc in Public and Business Administration at the University of Cyprus and he is an external auditor by training. He also holds the Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) and Business Finance Professional (BFP) titles and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC). |
Irene Piki
Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki is the Deputy Minister to the President since 1st March 2023. She studied Economics in the UK, (BSc Regional Science – Economics and Human Geography) at the University of Reading, followed by an MSc on Environmental and Natural Resources Economics at University College London (UCL). She was employed in the public service of the Republic of Cyprus as a career technocrat from 1997 to 2023, at various posts with a wide range portfolio, which includes issues relating to the economy, environment, regional policy, reforms and investments, as well as European issues. In September 2019 she took over as Head of the Strategy, Coordination and Communication Directorate at the Ministry of Finance. In March 2021 she was promoted to Director of Finance and in October 2022 she became the Director of Economic Policy and European Affairs. She has served as member of the Board of Directors of Invest Cyprus (CIPA), the Research and Innovation Foundation, the Cyprus Organization for Standardization, as well as the Cyprus Economy and Competitiveness Council. She has also represented Cyprus in various EU Committees relating to economic and cohesion policy issues. |
Yiannis Olympios
Founder V+O Group Yiannis began his career in the field of communication with the Greek Foreign Ministry. He is a leading consultant in the fields of privatization, acquisitions and crisis management. He has consulted major Greek companies and managed key foreign investments in the country. Yiannis is active member of important think tanks in Greece and abroad. |
George D. Tsopelas
Chairman, 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. |
Chris Angelides
Energy Transition, Decarbonization, Sustainability and ESG expert - Honorary Consul of The Republic of Cyprus to Texas Three decades of international, technical and commercial experience in the Energy industry across the value chain. Senior leadership roles in Strategic Planning, Operations, Non-technical Risk Integration, ESG/CSR and Stakeholder Management. Experience includes Performance Unit management with P&L responsibility, developing and implementing Sustainability Strategies, and establishing Strategic Alliance Partnerships to support the Energy industry transition to Net Zero Emissions. Proven as an effective leader with the ability to motivate and inspire people to think and work out of their comfort zone. Successfully managed business operations across sectors, and developed extensive knowledge and understanding of business cultures and regulatory policies across the globe. |
Andreas Neocleous
CEO at CYTA Andreas Neocleous is the first CEO of Cyta, Cyprus’ largest telecommunications organisation, to have been appointed from the private sector. On assuming his duties in January 2019, he redefined the organisation’s vision and set it on a course of growth and dynamic evolution, which has since resulted in a significant increase in revenue and profitability. Under his leadership, Cyta dealt effectively with COVID-19, simultaneously supporting households, businesses and all state services. During the same period, he negotiated and signed a landmark agreement allowing the broadcasting of all Cypriot football matches by all the island’s TV platforms. Before taking up his duties at Cyta, he was, among others, Director of Business and Customer Experience at MTN Cyprus, Commercial Manager at Ericsson and a Senior Technology Analyst at Goldman Sachs in London and New York. Through the course of his career, he has gained deep knowledge and experience of issues relating to leadership, reform, modernisation and corporate culture transformation. He has a PhD in Telecommunications & Digital Signal Processing and a Master of Engineering in Electrical and ElectronicEngineering, both from Imperial College, University of London. Proven as an effective leader with the ability to motivate and inspire people to think and work out of their comfort zone. Successfully managed business operations across sectors, and developed extensive knowledge and understanding of business cultures and regulatory policies across the globe. |
Alexandros Charalambides
Associate Professor at the Cyprus University of Technology Alexandros Charalambides is an Associate Professor at the Cyprus University of Technology, working primarily on (a) predicting energy production from solar systems and (b) how innovation and entrepreneurship can assist in our efforts for decarbonization. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London and in 2022 was the recipient of a Fulbright Visiting Scholarship to work at the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University in the said field. He served on the Board of the International Solar Energy Society, and as from 2024, will serve on the Board of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus. He is also the founder of Chrysalis LEAP, the first cleantech accelerator in Cyprus, and has trained more than 200 entrepreneurs on how to go from a research idea to a viable business. During his employment at the Cyprus University of Technology, he has successfully completed/currently run thirty (30) research projects (from EU, national and private funding sources), focusing on various aspects of sustainable development and entrepreneurship. His research activities resulted in three (3) PhD being awarded and more than ten (10) research associates being employed, and more than twenty (20) journal papers, and a plethora of conferences and other presentations. |
Eliza Livadiotou
Executive Director Finance of BoC Eliza is the Executive Director Finance since October 2019 and since October 2021 she has been an Executive Member of the Bank of Cyprus Board of Directors. She is responsible for Finance, Treasury, Strategy and Corporate Finance, Investor Relations, ESG, Real Estate Management, Restructuring & Recoveries, Regulatory Affairs, Procurement and Economic Research. She began her career in 1995 with the audit firm Arthur Andersen in Cambridge, UK, where she qualified as a Chartered Accountant. In 1999 she joined Bank of Cyprus, as Assistant to the Group Chief General Manager. In 2005 she moved to the Finance Division. In December 2013, Eliza was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and from 2016 to late 2021 she was responsible for the Finance and Treasury Divisions. In October 2021, she was appointed Executive Member of the Board of Directors. Eliza studied Economics at the University of Cambridge (MA Hons). She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre, a Non- Independent and Non-Executive member of the Board of Directors of CISCO, and a member of the banking committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. |
Antonis Rouvas
Chief Executive Officer of Hellenic Bank Born in 1969. He has graduated from Wake Forest University, North Carolina, USA with a BSc (High Honours) in Business and Mathematics and holds the professional titles FCA (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) and AMCT (Association of Corporate Treasurers, UK). He held senior positions at leading institutions in Cyprus and abroad, including Credit Suisse (Singapore, Cyprus, London) and KPMG Cyprus (Partner – Head Financial Risk Management / Head Asset Management) and he has a deep knowledge and broad experience of the financial services industry. He served as Hellenic Bank Group’s Chief Financial Officer from 2008 to beginning of 2017. He was appointed Executive Member of the Board of Directors / Chief Financial Officer of Hellenic Bank on 20 September 2021. On 1st August 2023, he was appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer of Hellenic Bank. His duties as Chief Financial Officer have been temporarily undertaken by the Bank’s Chief Accountant. |
Andreas Petsas
Senior General Manager of Eurobank Cyprus Mr. Petsas started his career in Laiki Bank in 1997 where he served in various positions in Corporate and Investment Banking while in 2006 he was appointed as Deputy General Manager of Laiki Bank AD Serbia. He joined Eurobank Cyprus in 2007 in the position of General Manager Corporate and Investment Banking and in 2014 he was appointed Senior General Manager responsible for the Corporate and Investment Banking and Wealth Management Banking Divisions. Mr. Petsas holds a BSc in Business, Finance and Economics from the University of East Anglia and an MSc in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences. He is also registered in the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission’s Public Register of Registered Persons as holder of the Advanced Certification. |
Miltos Michaelas
Managing Director of Alpha Bank Cyprus He graduated from American Academy, Larnaca in 1985. He pursued a comprehensive education, combining studies in Management and Computer Science at Aston University with an MBA in Financial Studies from the University of Nottingham. He is a Chartered Director as awarded by the Institute of Directors (UK), and was also an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. He served in a number of executive positions and boards of directors with Banks in different countries. He started his career in 1992 at Laiki Bank (Cyprus), where he held several roles for 7 years leading to the position of the Manager of Corporate and Institutional Banking, Nicosia. He then moved to Petrolina Group (1999 to 2001) where he held the position of the Group Financial Manager. In 2001, he moved to Laiki Bank (Australia) Ltd, since renamed to Bank of Sydney, as General Manager, a post he held for 5 years. From 2006 until 2013 he worked at Laiki Bank (Cyprus) as the General Manager of International and Financial Services. From 2013 to 2016 he served as the Director of International Operations and Real Estate Management Unit (REMU) at Bank of Cyprus. In 2016 he returned to Bank of Sydney and held the position of CEO until 2023. In June 2023, he was appointed Managing Director of Alpha Bank Cyprus Ltd and an Executive Member of the Bank’s Board of Directors. |
Aristidis Vourakis
CEO of Astrobank Aristidis Vourakis is Astrobank CEO since November 2020. He is an international banker with a career spanning over 20 years including 18 with JP Morgan in London and 3 as Deputy CEO of Lebanon’s Bank Audi Group. As Managing Director of JP Morgan’s Financial Institutions Investment Banking, he helped banks implement growth initiatives and strengthen their capital structure. He also supported Greek issuers, including the Hellenic Republic, access equity and debt capital markets following the debt restructuring of 2012. He holds an MSc. in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and a BSc. in Banking and Financial Management from the University of Piraeus. |
George Perdikis
President of the Cyprus Green Party George Perdikes was born in Nicosia on the 23rd of March 1962. He is married to Electra Panaretou and has two sons, Alexander and Stephanos. As a student at Acropolis High School he participated in the student movement for the creation of Acropolis Park. He is a civil engineer (Faculty of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki). During his studies in Thessalloniki in Greece, he participated in the student movement through the socialist “Democratic Movement of Cypriot Students “AGONAS” and he was elected president of the National Student Union of Cypriots (E.F.E.K.) during the period 1984-1986. He participated in the founding of several ecological organisations: Friends of Akamas, Ecological Movement, Friends of the Sun, and others. He is one of the founding members of other NGO’s: EL.A-ZO (an association of cancer patients and friends), the Technical Committee for disabled people (TEDEA) and others. He is an honorary member of the Pancyprian Organisation for the Blind. He has received many awards for his social and environmental contributions throughout the years from many citizens’ organizations. He is a founding member of the Cyprus Green Party (1996) and was the first elected Green MP in Cyprus. In November 2002 he was elected Secretary General of the Cyprus Green Party and served as such for two more consecutive terms. In April 2009 he was elected as Press Officer of the Party from 2009-2011. He remained an ex officio member of the Political Committee of the Party until March 2013, when he was temporarily elected as Secretary General again, since Mrs Ioanna Panayiotou, who was the Secretary General then, was appointed at the position of the Commissioner of the Environment. At the 10th Pancyprian Conference of the Cyprus Green Party in October 2014 he was elected as President of the Cyprus Green Party and since 2016 President of the Cyprus Greens – Citizens’ Cooperation. In June 2020 he handed over the Cyprus Greens presidency to its MP Mr. Ch. Theopemptou. He took over the Presidency of the Cyprus Greens - Citizens' Cooperation again, after the resignation of Mr. Theopemptou in Autumn 2023. He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives with the Cyprus Green Party in the elections of May 27th, 2001 and was re-elected in the elections of the 21st of May 2006, the 22nd of May 2011 and the 22nd of May 2016 with the Cyprus Greens – Citizens’ Cooperation. After that, he did not reclaim the parliamentary seat in the 2021 elections. He was a representative in the National Council from 2001 until 2020. |
Evgenios Evgeniou
Chairman of Invest Cyprus Chairman of Invest Cyprus, member of the National Board for Research and Innovation and of the Corporate Governance Committee of the ICAEW, was a member of the Council of the University of Cyprus. Currently a non-executive director. Had a 31-year career with PwC serving as member of the PwC Europe Middle East and Africa Leadership Team (2014 - 2021), representing fifteen European territories, and as Chairman and Senior Partner of PwC Cyprus (2012-2021). Beyond commercial success key achievements included: setting the net zero action plan; technological transformation; digital upskilling of personnel; developing the data analytics, Cyber security, and AI capabilities; launching the PwC Experience Centre. An Imperial College London Engineering graduate and a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA). He holds the INSEAD Corporate Governance Certificate and has completed the Harvard Direct Leadership programme. |
Maria Panayiotou
Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Dr Maria Panayiotou was born on June 5, 1982 in Larnaka. She studied History and Archeology at the University of Cyprus from where she graduated in 2004 with honors. In 2006 she completed her postgraduate studies at the University of Birmingham where she earned an MPhil (B) in Modern East Mediterranean History. In 2017 she was awarded a PhD in Modern and Contemporary History from the University of Cyprus. In January 2024, she had the honor of being appointed by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, as Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, handing over the post of Environmental Commissioner of Cyprus which she held since March 2023. She served as the Head of the Press Office and Spokesperson for the EDEK socialist political party, from March 2016 to February 2023. From 2004 to 2022 she has worked on more than seven excellence research projects, co-financed by the European Development Funds, the University of Cyprus, the Research and Innovation Foundation, and the Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation. Her employment as a member of the Scientific Team of the University of Cyprus for the “Cyprus File” project for the period 2007 - 2010, stands out. In the period 2017 - 2022 she has worked as a Specialist Scientist, teaching economic history at the Department of History and Archeology of the University of Cyprus. Dr Panayiotou's involvement in historical research formed a fundamental pillar in her career, gaining significant experience in archival research and skills in managing European research programs of excellence. In particular, her research into the economic history of Cyprus, the study of Cyprus' agricultural export trade and the analysis of British fiscal policy, strengthened her skills in analyzing quantitative and qualitative data. Her significant bibliographic contributions to research on Cyprus's ports, port infrastructure, and economic development are significant as they cover an important bibliographic gap. She has published dozens of scientific articles in mixed volumes and international scientific journals (such as the European History Quarterly) on these subjects, and has participated in numerous international scientific conferences, with the most recent being the International Conference of the Modern Greek Studies Association in Toronto, Canada. |
George Papanastasiou
Minister of Energy, Commerse and Industry George Papanastasiou was appointed Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry on March 1st 2023. He is a mechanical engineer by profession, with an HND in Mechanical Engineering from the Higher Technical Institute of Cyprus, a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from City University London and an MSc in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning from Kings College London. He worked for 26 years at BP in Cyprus, the United Kingdom and other European countries, having held various managerial positions within the company, including Cyprus’ Head of Country. From 1st of October 2011 and until his appointment as Energy Minister, he was Managing Director and General Manager of VTT Vasiliko Ltd (VTTV), a subsidiary of Netherlands based VTTI B.V. Inter alia, during his tenure at VTTV he led a versatile team of professionals tasked with constructing and operating the oil storage terminal of the company at Vasilikos area. Over the course of his career, he has accumulated extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, specifically in the fields of Supply and Logistics, Health, Safety and Environment, Operations and Engineering, Sales and Marketing, Company Governance and Compliance. He has served as President of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Organisation for Standardisation (CYS) and the Cyprus Certification Company, President of the Cyprus – Netherlands Business Association operating under the auspices of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation. Mr. Papanastasiou was born in Nicosia on September 10th 1961. He is married to Glykeria Michailidou, they have a son, Ignatius, and reside in Nicosia. |