Meet our 2020 Speakers
Ken Hughes is now acknowledged as being one of the world’s leading authorities on consumer, shopper and cyber shopper behaviour. He is internationally renowned for helping his largely blue-chip client base to understand the physical, digital and future consumer.
With 20 years’ experience as CEO of a consumer insight agency, he blends his understanding of consumer & cyber psychology, digital anthropology, behavioural economics and retail futurology to explore the needs of the new consumer and predict the changes to come. Ken advises some of the biggest brands in the world on customer experience, omnichannel strategy, artificial intelligence, shopper marketing, retail trends, the millennial / Gen Z shopper and the peer-to-peer economy. As an accomplished author, TED speaker, part-time university lecturer and actor, his performances are insightful and thought-provoking. His presentations are infamous for their sheer energy, entertainment and passion, not to mention his generous Irish wit. As a behaviouralist and life strategist, he is also passionate about change, disruption, success, innovation, personal development and motivation. He brings this to life in his work with high performance athletes and executives all over the world. Every year, Ken shares his thought-disrupting insight with tens of thousands of delegates globally. He is one of the most popular keynote speakers booked on the international conference and webinar circuit relating to the future of consumerism. Regularly voted best speaker at events where he is invited to speak, he believes in engaging and delighting event attendees at every opportunity. |
Jacqueline Kassteen has 20 years of marketing experience in international education, student travel, publishing, lead generation, retail, and financial services.
Kassteen is known as a “top industry analyst” with extensive breadth and depth of knowledge in international education and marketing. She is a proactive, lateral thinker - able to create synergies across an organisation and craft innovative, multi-channel strategic approaches in marketing (inbound and outbound), communications, and product development. She has worked as an intrapreneur across a variety of organisational sizes and structures, enabling others to capitalise on changes in the market, and creating opportunities for brand development and revenue generation. Now an entrepreneur, she launched 2 companies in 14 months. Kassteen is the Owner and Managing Director of Jackfruit Marketing, a consultancy, project management, and training company, and FruitFame.com, an award-winning platform dedicated to showcasing success stories in marketing, recruitment, enrolment and retention. Kassteen works with clients as a consultant and project manager, offering marketing expertise in the international education industry. She advises on recruitment and retention strategies through the use of online and offline marketing techniques, agencies, social media, alumni, product development, as well as competitive analysis and research. |
Asif is Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion at adidas, prior to which he was the Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging for The Telegraph Media Group. He was previously the Head of Diversity and Inclusiveness for EY Financial Services and the Head of the Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Unit for the City of London Police. He is a Multi-Award Winning Diversity and Inclusion expert with over 15 years experience and a proven track record in achieving operational and strategic targets, managing quality, performance, risk and change.
He is a passionate and inspirational Global Leader, co author and a renowned keynote speaker with the ability to empower individuals and create a truly inclusive environment for all. Asif has been key in implementing D&I activities and programmes as well as connecting with stakeholders at all levels of organisations to build strong and influential relationships with influencers. Asif acts as a role model, providing governance across businesses on D&I and is committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all. Asif has received a number of accolades for his work that include the Mosaic (Prince’s Trust) Award for mentoring, Police Officer of the Year Award, the Civil Servant of the Year Award, the prestigious Asian Professional Award and the highly commended Head of Diversity Award at the European Diversity Awards. Asif was honoured in 2017 in the Queen’s birthday honours list with an MBE for his services to Policing and the Communities and is a member of the HR Guild, The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals and is a Freeman of the City. He is currently a leadership fellow at St George's House at Windsor Castle, a Judge for numerous Awards including the CIPD Awards, BIMA Awards, Personnel Today Awards and the Lord Mayor's Dragon Awards, an Ambassador for Remembering Srebrenica, Member of the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) on Hate Crime, Special Advisory to the charity Penny Appeal, a trainer for the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and a Special Sergeant with the City of London Police. |
Lady Kinvara Balfour advises companies big and small (Jimmy Choo, Richemont, Smythson, UBS, Evian, Coutts to name a few) on what is cool out there in the zeitgeist. She understands the worlds of tech, fashion and popular culture and the psychology that drives them.
Having won the Lloyd’s Fashion Challenge, a national competition in fashion design as judged by Vivienne Westwood, at the age of 16, Balfour started her career working for Westwood, and Tomasz Starzewski. Roles at Condé Nast and Telegraph Magazine, where she was Style Editor, followed. In 2004, Kinvara was appointed London Editor at DailyCandy.com; she launched the brand to mass acclaim (the US web phenomenon was acquired by Comcast in 2008). In 2012 she launched a digital blog platform for Time Out; its first foray into digital form. In 2014, she was appointed founding partner of tech startup StyleCard. In 2016 Balfour was Digital Consultant for Vanity Fair UK, directing the publication’s digital content. In 2016, she acted as Senior Advisor to Silicon Valley start-up SWNG, joining a team headed up by co-founders Tommy Stadlen and Fred Blackford, and chairman, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. SWNG was acquired by Microsoft in 2017. As of 2014, Balfour hosts Fashion in Conversation for Apple Inc., a series of interviews with global icons at the Apple store which is available to an audience of over 900 million on iTunes. In 2014, she was one of the few women invited to speak at President Obama’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit. Balfour is the creator of THE VISIONARIES, a series of mini-films shot on iPhone, filmed and directed by herself, which feature the thought leaders of the world. In addition, she was recently Executive Producer on the twice BAFTAnominated ‘McQueen’, the feature documentary about the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen. She resides and works between California and London. |
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. |
Kyriacos Kokkinos is the Deputy Minister to the President for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, since March 1st 2020.
He previously served as the Chief Scientist for Research & Innovation of the Republic of Cyprus, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Research & Innovation Foundation and Member of the National Board of Research & Innovation. He is a distinguished professional with 30 years of experience in Executive Management, Technology and Business Consulting, served at senior Executive roles in global corporations such as IBM Europe (Executive Director & Partner) and PwC. He also served at the Board of Directors of many Organisations, including Invest Cyprus (Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency - CIPA), the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO), the Cyprus Port Authority (CPA), and the Board of Trustees of the Cyprus Institute. He is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for professional excellence, including the ‘Business Leader of the Year Award’ 2016, by Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and the ‘Quality Leader Award 2015’ by Cyprus Quality Association. His Academic qualifications include Executive MBA in Strategic Management from Henley Management College (UK) and MSc & BSc in Electrical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology (USA). |
Mr. Polemitis has two decades of experience in higher education, private equity, and software development. He has a deep understanding of global higher education, having served as a CEO, investor, board member, instructor and technology developer in the field. He has been a principal or advisor for a broad range of corporate financings in the United States, Europe, Latin America and India, ranging from multi-billion dollar industrial buyouts to early stage venture capital. He has also led the development of high-scale cloud-based technology platforms in multiple industries.
Mr. Polemitis currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the University of Nicosia and EDEX, as a Board member of EDEX and UNICAF, and as a member of the Council of the University of Nicosia. The University of Nicosia (UNIC) serves over 13,000 students, along with over 15,000 additional students in its affiliated academic institutions. UNIC is the largest university in Cyprus, by number of students, and is the largest English language university in southern Europe. As CEO, he is responsible for the administrative and economic activities of the University. He previously led the strategic initiatives at EDEX that led to the financing and development of UNIC’s Medical School and online learning unit. Mr. Polemitis helped found the world-leading Digital Currency / Blockchain Initiative at the University of Nicosia, co-taught the first university cryptocurrency course in the world, and is regularly quoted in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Wired and other publications as an expert on cryptocurrency issues. He was a member of the national committee that designed the blockchain strategy for Cyprus. He was also the founding CEO of Global Semesters, a study abroad organization affiliated with the University of Nicosia that has served students from over 700 universities in the United States and Canada. Mr. Polemitis is the managing partner of Ledra Capital, where he led early-stage investments in, or software development of, Software-as-a-Service platforms in the areas of higher education, cryptocurrency, online video publishing and legal research. Mr. Polemitis was previously a principal at ACG Capital, a privately held multi-billion dollar investment firm focused on buying and building businesses in financial services, business services, education and oil and gas. At ACG, Mr. Polemitis led the investment efforts in the fields of higher education and business process outsourcing (BPO). Prior to joining ACG Capital, Mr. Polemitis was a partner based in New York and London in the private equity practice of Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman), one of the world's leading strategy consultancies. At Mercer, Mr. Polemitis helped top-tier private equity firms and merchant banks improve their performance across the whole investment cycle from investment selection to portfolio optimization to exit strategy. His research at Mercer on optimal financing strategy in private equity has been published in Buyouts and cited in the Financial Times. At Mercer, he also consulted on growth strategy and customer relationship management to, among others, a top three information technology firm, a top three oil and gas major and two of the five largest investment banks. Mr. Polemitis holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with highest distinction as a Baker Scholar (top 5%), and a B.S. in International Studies, Accounting and Computer Information Systems from Indiana University, where he graduated with highest distinction as a Wells and Chancellor's Scholar (top 21 students). Mr. Polemitis also studied at the University of Paris IV (Sorbonne) in Paris as an undergraduate. Mr. Polemitis is an Eagle Scout and Friend of The Explorers Club, the world’s premier scientific exploration society. |
Prof Leonidas A. Phylactou received his Bachelor’s degree in Medical Biochemistry with honours from the University of Birmingham, UK in 1992 and his PhD in Molecular Genetics/Gene Therapy from the same University in 1995 in collaboration with the University of Connecticut Health Center, USA. Upon completion of his studies, he moved to Oxford University as a post-doctoral scientist where he led a research team on the use of catalytic RNAs as tools for gene therapy in the brain and muscle. Upon returning to Cyprus in 1998 he was employed at The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics (CING) where he established a research team to investigate and develop novel ways to study gene function and exploit gene therapy approaches. In 2005, he was appointed as the Head of the Department of Molecular Genetics, Function and Therapy, which he still directs.
From 2012 until 2015, Prof. Phylactou served as the first Dean of the newly established post-graduate school of the CING, the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine (CSMM). From March 2014 to July 2015, Prof. Phylactou served as the Acting Chief Executive Medical Director of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics and Acting Provost of the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine. In November 2015, he was appointed as the Chief Executive Medical Director of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics and the Provost of the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine. During his scientific career Prof. Phylactou has secured research funding from several local and international funding organisations and published extensively in the areas of molecular genetics, gene function and gene therapy. He also serves on the Editorial Boards of international peer-reviewed journals. |
Before assuming office as the CEO of Cyta in January 2019, Mr Neocleous main work experience comes from three large multi-national companies (Goldman Sachs, Ericsson and MTN). His time as a Senior Technology Analyst at Goldman Sachs (London and New York), introduced him to the corporate financial world at the highest level. His time in Ericsson Cyprus allowed him to make a smooth transition from technology to business while at the same time adjusting to the Cyprus business environment. Very importantly, his assignment in several Senior Management positions in ΜΤΝ Cyprus offered him priceless experience in leadership and organizational culture change in a demanding and multi-cultural global environment.
His academic qualifications include a Masters of Engineering in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and a PhD in Telecommunications & Digital Signal Processing, all from Imperial College, University of London. Michalis Persianis has been Corporate Affairs Director at Bank of Cyprus since 2015.
Michalis worked as a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones from 2011 to 2014, and as Chief Editor for Finance at Kathimerini newspaper (Cyprus edition) from 2009 to 2014. From 2005 to 2009 he was Head of Research (Presidential campaign) and Parliamentary staffer (European Parliament) for Mr Ioannis Kasoulides. Michalis also worked as an analyst for the Institute of World Politics (2005), and provided political support to George Vassiliou, the Chief Negotiator for Cyprus' accession to the European Union. Michalis sits on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre and on the Board of Directors of the BoC Cultural Foundation. He earned his BA in Political Science from Rutgers University, New Jersey, in 2002, and went on to earn an MA in International Economics and European Studies from John Hopkins University in 2005. |
Marina Economidou was born in Nicosia in 1985. She is the editor in chief of Kathimerini newspaper and since 2014 is the political editor and columnist of Kathimerini. She holds a master degree in political communication from the University of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Cyprus, a diploma of French literature and language from the University of Paris 4 Sorbonne. She speaks English and French.
After her studies in Marketing in London, she started her career in the family petroleum company Petrolina Hellas in Greece. In 1985 she retuned to Cyprus and founded DELEMA, one of the largest and most creative communication agencies in Cyprus, affiliated with MCCANN Worldgroup, the largest and most effective communication network in the world. She is the president of FED (Self-Regulation association) and SDEK (communication agencies association). She also served as vice-president of the European Association of Young Entrepreneurs YES for Europe.
DELEMA is a full service agency, offering services such as Strategy development, Creative, Media, Online and Digital, PR, Events and Promotions. DELEMA’s work has been recognised in international competitions (London International Advertising Awards, Ermis Awards και European Digital Communication Awards) and has been awarded in Cyprus (Carob Awards, Cyprus Digital Awards και Cyprus Responsibility Awards). |
Demetris Demetriou was born in Nicosia in 1981. He studied Electrical and Computer Engineering (Faculty of Engineering) at the University of Patras in Greece. He holds an MBA in Business Administration from the University of Cyprus.
He served as a Vice-President of the Youth Organisation (NEDISY) of the Democratic Rally in Cyprus (DISY) from 2009 to 2011. He has also been the President of the Organisation of Young Scientists (ONE) of DISY from 2013 to 2017. Since July of 2018 he is the spokesperson of DISY. In 2016 he has been elected as Member of the Parliament in Cyprus with DISY for the area of Nicosia. As MP he is the Deputy Chairman of the House Standing Committee on Legal Affairs, member of the House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources and of the House Standing Committee on Transport, Communications and Works and he serves as a leader of the delegation of the House to the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol. |
Christoforos Charalambous has been working for more than two decades in universities where he has held researcher and faculty positions. Relatively recently he has undertaken a top management position at Frederick University, one of the largest universities in Cyprus.
Dr Charalambous holds a BSc in Computer Science from the Department of Computation at the University of Manchester where he ranked as the top graduate, and a Master’s degree with specialization in artificial intelligence from the same university. He obtained his Doctorate from Brunel University in London where his research, funded by Unilever Research Laboratories, concentrated in the field of optimization of complex systems. Academically, he concentrated in solving complex optimization problems and the improvement of operations in the process industry through the introduction of novel digital solutions. He has successfully completed a significant number of externally funded research projects as project and scientific coordinator and his work has been published in esteemed international scientific journals and conferences. At the same time, he has acted as a consultant in fields of his expertise for various Cypriot organisations as well as multinationals operating in Europe. For the past five years, Dr Charalambous is serving Frederick University from the position of Director of Administration and Finance while he also holds the position of Vice-President of the University Council. From this position, he oversaw the administrative restructuring and modernization of the university services while at the same time he led the development of distance learning education at the university. Additionally, in collaboration with a team of academics and external consultants, he oversees the strategic action of integrating and adopting state-of-the-art technologies in the educational process as well as the development of novel solutions for the provision of a more efficient and effective educational framework that addresses the challenges of the new decade. |
Professor Dr. Kostas Gouliamos, Rector of the European University Cyprus, elected
Ordinary Member of European Academy of Sciences and Arts (2018). He pursued an academic career in Canada and Greece. He is Honorary Professor at Lanzhou City University, Nanyang Normal University and Wuhan Business University in China. He was Member of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the European Social Survey (ESS): an innovative research project that won Europe’s top science award, the Descartes Prize. He served as Senior Editor and serves as member of Editorial Boards of eminent academic journals. His published work has been translated in various languages of the world. He appointed (2017-2019) by European University Association (EUA), Council Member of Experts for ‘Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialization’ RIS3’.
Ordinary Member of European Academy of Sciences and Arts (2018). He pursued an academic career in Canada and Greece. He is Honorary Professor at Lanzhou City University, Nanyang Normal University and Wuhan Business University in China. He was Member of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the European Social Survey (ESS): an innovative research project that won Europe’s top science award, the Descartes Prize. He served as Senior Editor and serves as member of Editorial Boards of eminent academic journals. His published work has been translated in various languages of the world. He appointed (2017-2019) by European University Association (EUA), Council Member of Experts for ‘Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialization’ RIS3’.
Meet our 2019 Speakers
Andreas Ekström
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Ken Hughes
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Daniel Bobroff
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Andreas Neocleous
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Anastasia Sideri
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Margaritis Schinas
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Harris Georgiades
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George Nounesis
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Dr. Marina - Lida Coutarelli
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Daniel Domscheit-Berg
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David Clarke
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Georgios Lakkotrypis
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Thalia Karafilidou
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Kyriacos Kokkinos
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Yiannis Olympios
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Despo Lefkariti
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Nikolaos Mavridis
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Athanasios Ellis
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Michalis Sophocleous
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Jean Abou Assi
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Cleopatra Kitti
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Tonia Sotiropoulou
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Professor Elizabeth O. Johnson
Dean, School of Medicine, European University Cyprus
Dean Elizabeth O. Johnson is a Professor of Anatomy at the School of Medicine, European University Cyprus, and she currently serves on the Federative International Programme for Anatomical Education (FIPAE) of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA). Dean Johnson was trained in Functional Neuroanatomy and Psychoneuroendocrinology at Cornell and the University of Maryland, and did her post-doctoral training in Molecular Neuroendocrinology & Chemical Neuroanatomy at the National Institutes Health. Her research focuses on neurosciences, particularly on stress and stress-related disorders. Johnson’s scientific record lists over 150 invited lectures, 300 contributions to the international scientific literature where here published original work as amassed over 10,000 citations. She is on the Editorial Board of core journals, anatomical textbooks and atlases, such as Grey’s Anatomy for Students, and has written her own textbook on Neuroanatomy
Meet our 2018 Speakers
MARGARITIS SCHINAS
Chief Spokesperson of the European Commission
Margaritis Schinas is the current Chief Spokesperson of the European Commission, and a Deputy Director General at the Commission's DG Communication. He has in his life been a politician and a European Union civil servant. He served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2007-2009. He has worked at the European Commission since 1990 and held since a number of senior posts mainly in the private offices of Commissioners.
ALEXIS PAPACHELAS
Greece's Kathimerini Executive Editor
In 2014 he was presented with the John Dewey Award for Distinguished Public Service from Bard College, awarded annually to alumni of the college for extraordinary contributions to the public interest. The magazine Politico included Papachelas as one of 27 most influential Europeans in the European Union. Papachelas has won a number of journalism awards, including journalist of the year, for his personal work and reports on his television programs. He has contributed columns for the New York Times and the Guardian and has been a guest at meetings of the Bilderberg Club. He is general secretary of the Greek Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).
YIORGOS LAKKOTRYPIS
Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism
Before assuming office as Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism in March 2013, Yiorgos Lakkotrypis was Managing Director for Microsoft Cyprus and Malta, and subsequently Public Sector Director at Microsoft Central & Eastern Europe. A Fulbright scholar, Lakkotrypis also holds a Mathematics and Computer Science (BSc) degree from the University of Keele and completed his MBA at the University of Colorado.
SEBASTIAN WALDBAUER
Senior Product & Price Manager Digital Services & E-Mobility at BMW Group CSEU
Sebastian WALDBAUER (1989, born in Austria) holds a BA in Export-oriented Management from University of Applied Sciences Krems (Austria) and a MSc in Advanced Management Practice from the University of Bath (United Kingdom). Mr. Waldbauer has worked for PwC in the area of Strategy & Operations consulting with focus on projects in the area of sustainability as well as project management. Additionally, he gained valuable experiences in the diplomatic area working for the Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria, (based in Geneva, Switzerland), focusing on human rights, public health and humanitarian affairs. Since 2014 Mr. Waldbauer is working for BMW Group Central and Southeastern Europe with his current position as Senior Product Manager for Digital Services & E-Mobility products.
Dr. STELIOS HIMONAS
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism - Cyprus Digital Champion
Stelios D. Himonas was born in Athens, Greece, on May 2, 1962. He received the BE, MS and PhD degrees from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, USA in 1985, 1986 and 1989, respectively, all in electrical engineering. From 1989 until 1997 he was an Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering at the New York Institute of Technology, USA. From 1994 until 1997, he collaborated with the Multimedia Communications Research Group of Bellcore’s Applied Research Division in Morristown, New Jersey, USA. Since 2012 he was appointed as Digital Champion of Cyprus. Digital Champions are ambassadors for the Digital Single Market, appointed by their Members States to help every European become digital.
JIVKA PETKOVA
Multimedia Chief Editor of European Commission
Jivka Petkova is currently the European Commission Multimedia chief-editor and Head of Unit in the Spokesperson's service. She contributes to the Commission's communication strategy and coordinates preparation of corporate communication material, she is responsible for the speeches of President Juncker and ensures liaison on media-related issues with the Commission Representations in the EU Member States. As Political Adviser to the Managing Director in the European External Action Service and as Adviser t the Director on Human Rights and Democracy she followed different human rights, global and multilateral issues.
GEORGE MAKKOULIS
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PANOS PAPAGEORGIOU
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After graduating Imperial College, George and Panos, along with Conno Christou and Giorgos Eracleous, founded Avocarrot. Based in San Francisco and Athens, Avocarrot (now Glispa - Connect) is a high-growth native advertising supply-side platform (SSP), which combines programmatic advertising and real-time bidding technologies so that it can generate the right ads at the right time for the right users in order to maximize the effectiveness of a mobile ad. In 2016 Avocarrot was acquired by the ad tech giant Glispa for more that €20m. Both George and Panos are considered among those world class engineers that are leading the innovations in programmatic advertising.
TANIA GIAKOUMAKI
Digital Marketing Consultant
Tania has a long-standing experience as an innovative thinker with highly strategic mindset and broad-based experience in marketing, communication and business development. She started her career in the Public Relations Sector and quickly moved to one of the biggest global communications groups (Lowe and Partners) handling key accounts in the FMCG, Banking and Tobacco Industry. After almost nine years she followed a marketing career path in expertise pioneering the Greek market followed by dedicated General Manager positions on leading Digital Communication Agencies (XPLAIN, BAKERS DIGITAL).