Invited Speakers
Angelopoulos Evangelos
Evangelos Simeon Angelopoulos is an Electrical Engineer who obtained his diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2000. In 2006, he successfully defended his doctoral thesis at the National Technical University of Athens, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His doctoral research focused on the study and implementation of multiband printed antennas for telecommunications applications.
Since June 2017, through a scholarship from the Niarchos Foundation, he has been conducting industrial research at the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of the National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos" in low-cost exponential sensors for NB-IoT technology, specifically for the quantitative and qualitative characterization of petroleum.
He is the founder of Fuelics, a high-tech company based in Greece that specializes in the production of sensors for fuel tank management and sensors for Smart Cities.
Please note that the provided translation is an approximation, and some details may be subject to interpretation.
Vicky Anagnostopoulou
Vicky Anagnostopoulou studied History, Archaeology, and Social Anthropology at the University of Thessaly, focusing on History and Social Anthropology. She then pursued a postgraduate degree in Historical Paleontology at the Kapodistrian University. She worked for 10 years in the magazine industry.
During that time, she served as an editor and later as the chief editor of the scientific publications of National Geographic Greece, alongside the late director of the magazine, Professor and Rector of the University of the Aegean, Nikos Margaris. She also wrote articles for magazines and online platforms focusing on culture.
The continuous search and the changing landscape of content creation with the advent of the digital world led her to pursue a postgraduate degree in digital marketing and content creation in the digital sphere. It was around that time that she started collaborating with the European Parliament, working in their press office, providing advice, and taking care of their online presence at all levels for Greek Members of the European Parliament.
The combination of her academic studies with her newfound digital skills allowed her to establish a company called B2Square. B2Square specializes in digital and analog content production for business fields related to human beings and the surrounding culture.
B2Square collaborates with the European Parliament, the Bodossaki Foundation for campaigns such as the Fight against Gender-Based Violence, and the Mental Health Organization EPAPSY, as well as with major artistic production companies. In addition, the company conducts ongoing anthropological research through a cultural website that it has created. The research focuses on the preservation of oral tradition, which can be passed down as a legacy for future generations through the use of new digital tools.
Grigorakakis Grigoris
Grigorios Grigorakakis is an archaeologist of the Ministry of Culture with an AD grade. Excellent graduate of the Department of History and Archeology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, holder of a Master's Degree in Classical Archeology from the same department, excellent graduate of the National School of Public Administration specializes in the application of geological methods. He has carried out rescue excavations in the region of Arcadia, directs the Archaeological Program of South Kynouria and was in charge of the project "Re-exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Tegea" and the innovative sub-project for the creation and implementation of its digital applications. (EMEA 2016). For his writing and excavation work see https://culture.academia.edu/undefinedundefined and https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Grigoris_Grigorakakis.
He has served in various positions in the Central Service of the Ministry of Culture, in the Central Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, in the Ephorate of Antiquities of Arcadia (LTHI EPKA) and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Kefallinia as Head of the Department of Prehistoric and Classical Archeology and Archaeological Research as Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Kefallinia.
Kakavas Georgios
Dr. George Kakavas studied History and Archeology at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens, from where he graduated with honors. He also holds a degree with "excellent" from the Theological School of the same University. As a scholarship holder of S. Saripolou's legacy of excellence, he obtained a Master of Art in Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London. He was awarded a doctorate from the same university with a supervising professor, the eminent Byzantine scholar Prof. Robin Cormack and on the subject of the life and work of Dionysios of Fournas, author of the nickname "Interpretation of the art of painting".
He was first admitted to the Archaeological Service of the Ministry of Culture and has worked as a curator in the 11th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, the 2nd Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, the 1st Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities in and responsibility of the prefectures of Fthiotida, Evritania and Fokida and as Deputy Director of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. He was a researcher of the Christian and Archaeological Society under the supervision of the Byzantine Academician Manolis Hatzidakis, as well as a specialist postgraduate fellow at the Department of Byzantine Archeology of the University of Athens under the supervision of the Byzantine scholar Panagios A. Since 2012 he holds the position of Director at the Numismatic Museum of Athens.
He has participated in the organization and execution of many exhibitions in Greece and abroad. He is a regular guest speaker at conferences, lectures, lectures in Greek and foreign institutions and bodies. He is also responsible for the organization and coordination of educational programs of the Ministry of Education.
Panos Pantelis
Mr. Pantelis Panos is the General Director of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens (ASKSA). ASKSA was founded in 1881 and is today considered one of the leading centers of scientific research and teaching in the world, dedicated to the study of every aspect of Greek culture of antiquity and modern times. Its mission is to promote the study of Greek literature, history and archeology, as well as to carry out excavations and research, including the preservation and restoration of monuments in Greece.
Mr. Pantelis Panos has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of BIEM AUSTRIA OIL of the Lainopoulos group. The companies represented by VIEM include: OMV lubricants, EURO DAEWOO construction machinery, LISTA A.G. storage systems, SIDES S.A. fire trucks, URYU SEISAKI LTD. air tools, MAHLE air compressors and FILIPPINI generators.
He has also been the General Manager of the company Eurocopter- Mercedes-BenzUnimog, Managing Director & General Manager of the company PROMOT E.I. LAINOPOULOS SA, Project Planning and Costing Engineer of the company IOANNOU & PARASKEVAIDIS LTD (Athens office), head of the Project Planning and Monitoring Department of the company IOANNOU & PARASKEVAROIG of the company PETROLA - RABIGH OF SAUDI ARABIA.
The studies of Mr. Pantelis Panos include Preliminary Polytechnic Diploma and H.N.D. Mechanical Engineer from Sunderland University of England, graduation from an annual program in Industrial Research and Development, BSc Honors level of the Cranfield Institute of Technology, as well as Master of Science (M.Sc.) "Environment and Energy Saving" in the Department of Mechanical Engineering Cranfield Institute of Technology.
Boura Maria
Ms. Maria Boura is the Head of Government & Industry Relations, Innovation, and Sales for Strategic and Marketing Departments at Ericsson in Greece and Cyprus. She began her career in Research & Development and has since held leadership positions in various functions in the ICT industry, serving multiple clients and countries. She speaks four languages and has lived and worked in four countries outside of Greece. She is a distinguished speaker and represents Ericsson frequently at conferences and events both domestically and internationally. In the past, she has worked at Intracom and the National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos." She holds a Bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Patras and a Master's degree in Telecommunications from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Ms. Boura is actively engaged in promoting more women in leadership positions and in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. Since May 2016, she is a co-founder of the international nonprofit organization Women Leadership Hub Association - WLH. She has also served as an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Women Managers & Entrepreneurs Sector of the Hellenic Management Association (EEDE).
Additionally, Maria Boura is passionate about startups. She is one of the experts at Metavallon VC, a judge at MITEF, and represents Ericsson in the hi-tech startup incubator at the National Technical University of Athens, Invent ICT. She enjoys music, dance, reading, and nature. Maria Boura was born in Athens and is a proud mother of two boys.
Skliros Vasilis
Mr. Vasilis Skliros is a graduate of the Department of Aeronautical Sciences at the School of Icarus. He is a pilot of manned and unmanned aircraft, as well as an air traffic controller. He is the Training Manager at Hellenic Drones.
Skrekas Konstantinos
Kostas Skrekas hails from Megarchi Trikalon.
He graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. From 1997 to 1999, he served his military service as a Reserve Officer in the Corps of Engineers with distinction. In 2000, he completed his postgraduate studies in Construction Management (MSc in Construction Management) at the University of Birmingham in England.
From 2000 onwards, he worked in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry in managerial positions. He was also a co-founder and CEO of a company in the same field for 12 years.
In 2012, he ran for office for the first time in the elections on May 6th and was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Trikala constituency with New Democracy party. He was re-elected in the elections on June 17th.
In the Hellenic Parliament, he has participated in the Committee on Economic Affairs, the Standing Committee on Production and Trade, the Special Permanent Committee on Research and Technology, and the Special Permanent Committee on Environmental Protection.
He served as the Minister of Development and Competitiveness from October 2014 to February 2015.
On July 7th, 2019, he was elected as the top vote-getter in the Trikala Regional Unit and was appointed Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food.
He heads the working group for the National Plan for the Reconstruction of Agro-environmental Infrastructure (ESAAI).
Since January 5th, 2021, he has been serving as the Minister of Environment and Energy.
Michalis Vaidakis
Michalis Vaidakis was born in Athens on February 6th, 1976. He graduated as a Mechanical Engineer and Aeronautical Engineer from the University of Patras in 2000. After completing his studies, he started his doctoral thesis on "Hydrostatic Bearings for High-Speed Turbomachinery" at the Laboratory of Thermal Turbomachinery at the National Technical University of Athens, under the supervision of Professor K. Papaioannou.
During the same period, he worked at Thales Hellas from 2004 to 2016 as a Mechanical Engineer in the R&D department. In 2010, he founded his own company, "SNV Engineering," where he serves as the manager, production supervisor, and head of R&D. Since 2017, he has been involved in the fuelics company as the R&D manager through a corporate collaboration.
Perakis Panagiotis
Panagiotis Perakis is a lawyer based in Athens, Greece (par. Areios Pagos).
He studied law at the Law School of the University of Athens and pursued postgraduate studies in France, specializing in Information Law and Legal Informatics.
In addition to his legal practice, he served as a Legal Advisor to the European Commission for approximately a decade on legal issues related to information and communication technologies. He has also been involved in the legal committees of the IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing) and CEPIS (Council of European Professional Informatics Societies).
In Greece, he has been a member of Independent Authorities and has served as President or member of legislative committees and working groups on various topics, including capital market operations, modernization of sports legislation, and privacy protection in telecommunications. He was the primary drafter of the first legislative proposal for personal data protection in Greece.
He has contributed to the authorship of two collective works: "Information Systems Security" and "The New Sports Law." He is a member of the Scientific Council of the Tsatsos Foundation.
Furthermore, he is a member of the Hellenic Association of Commercialists, the Greek Association for Human Rights, and the Greek Section of Amnesty International.
He served on the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) for a decade, from 2011 to 2020 when he resigned.
Since 2020, he has been elected Vice-President of the official European body of lawyers (Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe - CCBE). From 2015 to 2019, he served as President of the CCBE's Standing Committee on Access to Justice.
Vasilis Karkatzounis
Vasilis Karkatzounis is a lawyer specializing in issues related to New Technologies.
He holds an LL.M. degree from Queen Mary University of London and is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Information and Communication Systems Engineering at the University of the Aegean.
His research activities focus on data protection, privacy, and consumer issues in the use of Artificial Intelligence systems for profiling and monitoring in the context of online advertising.
He is certified in personal data protection law (CIPP/E) and has served as co-chair of the Greek chapter of the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
He is a regular member of the Permanent Scientific Committee of the Ministry of Justice, studying the implications of Artificial Intelligence on the judicial system.
He is actively involved in Legal Technology (Legal Tech) and is a co-founder of the legal information platform Lawspot.gr.
Aphroditi Kousouni
Aphroditi Kousouni is a lawyer at the Supreme Court of Greece. She graduated from the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA) and holds a postgraduate degree in Public Law and a doctorate in Media Law from the University of Tübingen in Germany.
She has worked as a lawyer for several years, and since 2009, she has been a lawyer at the Hellenic Authority for the Assurance of Communications Confidentiality (ADAE). Her main areas of expertise include Information Technology Law, Electronic Communications Law, and Privacy Law.
She is a member of the Association for the Protection of Personal Data and Privacy and has published numerous studies on topics related to modern technologies and constitutional law in general.
Mina Zoulovits
Mina Zoulovits is an LL.M. lawyer and a partner at Zoulovits-Kontogeorgou Law Firm. She has extensive experience and specialized legal training in the digital transformation of businesses, with a focus on e-commerce and personal data protection issues. A significant part of her professional activity involves providing legal support to a demanding clientele consisting of businesses engaged in retail and/or wholesale trade, import or manufacturing of products, and provision of services in Greece and abroad. This includes industries such as fashion, beauty and aesthetics products, transportation, tobacco industry, electrical goods equipment, as well as modern entrepreneurs in the field of innovation involved in managing physical and digital archives, operating online intermediary platforms across the entire spectrum of e-commerce and electronic marketplaces.
She is a member of the Legislative Reform Committee of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce, a member of the E-Regulation Committee of E-Commerce Europe, and an elected member of the Advisory Board and external legal counsel of GRECA (Greek e-Commerce Association) since its establishment and to the present day. Furthermore, she has served as a legal advisor to the government on various occasions, including providing advisory assistance on e-governance, digital signatures, and system security.
In addition, she has participated in recent legislative committees related to the amendment of Law 2251/1994 (Consumer Protection Law), including the modifications arising from the incorporation of Directives 2011/83/EU and 2013/11/EU, as well as Law 4512/2018. She has also contributed to the drafting of the Code of Conduct for E-commerce. Recently, she acted as a legal advisor to GRECA in the legislative committee for the incorporation of Regulation 2019/1150/EU (P2B Regulation) into Greek legislation, which focuses on transparency and equal treatment on the internet. She has taught in undergraduate and other educational programs at Greek and foreign universities, as well as various educational institutions such as IST College (under the auspices of the University of Hertfordshire), AIT (under the auspices of Carnegie Mellon), Eltrun (under the auspices of the University of Athens), Excelixis, and others for several years.
Galateia Kapellakou
Galateia Kapellakou is a lawyer specializing in Intellectual Property Law. She has worked as a consultant at UNESCO in the Cultural Diversity Division, participated as an expert in EU programs on Intellectual Property Law, and is a collaborator of KE.ME.A in research programs under HORIZON Europe, focusing on research ethics. She holds a Ph.D. in Law from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the University of Nantes (co-tutelle, Intellectual Property), a Master's degree in Intellectual Property Law (DEA, Law School of Nantes), and International Studies (LL.M., Law School of Athens). During her dissertation, she received a scholarship from the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition. She teaches at the University of Patras in the Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics the course "Social and Legal Aspects of Technology," and at the Aristotle University in the MSc program in Advanced Computer Systems and Communication the course "Intellectual Property Law." She publishes articles and research in legal journals and collective volumes.
Krystallenia Kolotourou
Krystallenia Kolotourou is a graduate of the Law Department at the School of Law, Economics, and Political Sciences of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA) and holds a Master's degree from the University of Nantes, France, in Intellectual Property Law ("Propriété Intellectuelle"). She is a Ph.D. in Law from EKPA, and her doctoral thesis is titled "The neighboring right of sound recordings producers." Throughout her professional career, she has systematically dealt with intellectual property issues and has participated as an expert in EU programs related to Intellectual Property Law. Additionally, she writes articles and participates in conferences.
Rodrigue Imad
Dr. Rodrigue Imad was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983. He received the BE degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Telecommunications and Computers Track from the Lebanese University, Faculty of Engineering, Roumieh, Lebanon. He received the Master of Science degree in Signal, Telecommunications and Images from Telecom Bretagne, France, in 2006. In 2009, Dr. Imad received the Ph.D. degree in Signal Processing and Telecommunications from Telecom Bretagne in France.
Dr. Imad completed two Postdocs in France, one in ETIS Lab and the second at Alcatel Lucent Bell-Labs (now Nokia Bell-Labs). He was also an academic visitor at University of Leeds, School of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, UK.
Dr. Imad joined the University of Balamand, Issam Fares Faculty of Technology in October 2011. From February 2012 till January 2022, he was the Chairperson of the Mechatronics Department. He actively contributed to the establishment and development of the Mechatronics Department in three campuses of the University of Balamand. In February 2022, Dr. Imad joined the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Balamand as Associate Professor in the Computer Engineering Department.
Dr. Imad taught a variety of courses that involve different fields, including Programming, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Telecommunications, Electrical and Electronic Circuits, etc.
The research interests of Dr. Imad include signal processing for digital communications systems, synchronization techniques, robotics, and artificial intelligence. He conducted fundamental and applied research and his papers were published in internationally renowned journals and flagship conferences. Dr. Imad participates regularly in the peer reviews of international journals and served as a member of several Technical Program committees of international conferences.
Efthymios Bakogiannis
Dr. Efthymios Bakogiannis is an Assistant Professor at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) - School of Rural and Surveying Engineering. Currently, he serves as the General Secretary of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment at the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
His area of expertise is "Urban Planning with an emphasis on Sustainable Mobility Policies," and he has 15 years of experience in coordinating and implementing urban and transportation studies, overseeing construction projects, and managing funding processes from the European Union and other financing organizations.
He has participated in numerous studies and research programs funded by the EU or national resources (Ministries-Municipalities) involving more than 50 stakeholders. As an experienced researcher, he has contributed to the field since 2001 by authoring dozens of articles and chapters in books in Greece and abroad. He has also participated as a speaker in over 100 conferences on related topics and has written over 50 scientific papers. Leveraging his international experience, he has contributed to the promotion of Urban Planning and Sustainable Mobility in Greece from various positions.
He has served as a Board Member of the Athens Urban Transport Organization and as the President of its Technical Council. Additionally, he has been the President of the Metropolitan Regeneration and Management Agency of Attica and a Director at the Ministry of Productive Reconstruction. He has also been involved in local government bodies.
For more information about his curriculum vitae, you can visit www.bakogiannis.eu.
Baldwin Mathew
Matthew Baldwin was appointed Deputy Director-General at DG ENER, the energy department of the European Commission, on June 1, 2022. There, he is responsible for the Task Force Energy Platform, which aims to end the EU's dependence on Russian gas as soon as possible. He has served in the European Commission for over 20 years. Previously, he was Deputy Director-General at DG MOVE for 6 years, where he led the Horizon Europe Mission of the Commission for 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030, and also served as the coordinator for EU road safety and sustainable urban mobility. Prior to that, he was Director for Aviation at DG MOVE and Director for Market Access at DG Trade. He is also an Associate Professor at LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome, Italy. He served in the Ministerial Council of President Barroso from 2007-9 as an advisor on energy, climate change, trade, and development. He was Deputy Chief of Cabinet to Commissioner Lamy from 1999-2004 and Chief of Cabinet to Commissioner Hill from 2014-16. His main professional interests are energy, transportation, trade negotiations, and climate change. He holds Italian and British citizenship and has two adult sons. He is passionate about cities and their potential to lead in climate change, and he is an adept but increasingly slow cyclist.
Vergados Dimitris
Today he is the Director of the Media and Information Department at SEV (Hellenic Federation of Enterprises). He is a Chemical Engineer, holding a diploma from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).
He pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Piraeus, in the Department of Business Organization and Management, focusing on the subject of "Business Process Reengineering & Total Quality Management" for his doctoral thesis.
He is a Certified Quality Technician by the American Society for Quality Control. He has worked for about 15 years as the Director of Special Editions and Studies in a specialized business-to-business organization, covering topics such as industrial development and investment, total quality management, logistics-supply chain organization, automation systems, packaging, and more.
He served as a collaborator at the Press Office of the Presidency of the Republic (1997-1998).
He has been honored with the journalism award "Leon Melas 1994-1995" by the Federation of Greek Industries.
He is a member of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), the Panhellenic Association of Chemical Engineers (PSXM), the American Society for Quality (ASC), the Greek Section of the Association of European Journalists (AEJ-GREEK SECTION), the NED CLUB (Hellenic Club of Non-Executive Board Members), and an alternate member of the Plenary Session of the Economic and Social Committee of Greece (O.K.E.).
Mizalis George
Since he can remember himself, he has been involved in music: as a listener, musician, musicologist, journalist, music critic, songwriter, and radio producer. He considers his role as a listener to be the most important of all. He is a musicologist-researcher and a doctor of ethnomusicology, and he recently published his first book titled "Political Song in Greece 1974-2002" (Fagottobooks publications). He served for several years as the director of the Archive of Greek Music of A.E.P.I. (Anonymous Company for the Protection of Intellectual Property) and later as the director of the members' department of E.U.E.D. (Special Service for Emergency Rights Management). Today, he is the Head of Memberships at Orfium Music Rights Greece. Additionally, for the past twenty years, he has been writing articles (album reviews, critiques, and interviews) about music and songs.
Gabriel Mavrellis
Gabriel Mavrellis is an experienced executive manager and entrepreneur with extensive experience in the field of Geoinformatics. He strongly supports the establishment of open standards, actions of the free software community, and the idea of sharing data and knowledge.
He has significant expertise in strategic planning and implementation of business plans, as well as redesigning operational workflows to improve profitability. He possesses skills in strategy development and implementation, profit targeting and achievement, management, leadership of teams, and international entrepreneurship. He also has significant technical knowledge in Geoinformatics, Open Data, Business Intelligence, Environment, Remote Sensing, and data collection for Digital Twins.
He is an engineer (National Technical University of Athens) specialized in Business Administration (Henley Business School).
