Αρχεία: Speakers

Apostolos Tzitzikostas was born on September 2, 1978.

He is a graduate of Athens College.

He obtained a BA in Political Science and International Politics from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a Master’s degree in European Public Policy from the University College of London.

In 2002, he established his own company in Thessaloniki in the production and processing of dairy products based on organic standards.

In the national elections of September 2007, he was elected Member of the Greek Parliament with the Nea Demokratia party in the 1st Electoral District of Thessaloniki.

As MP, he served as Secretary of the Hellenic Parliament, member of the Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs, and member of the Standing Committee on Financial Affairs.

Additionally, he was a member of the Special Standing Committee on European Community Affairs and the Special Committee for the Reform Treaty of the European Union.

He represented the Hellenic Parliament in the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly from 2007 to 2009.

In the regional elections of November 2010, he was elected Deputy Governor of Central Macedonia and Head of the Thessaloniki Regional Unit.

In the regional elections of May 2014, he was elected Governor of Central Macedonia with 71% of the vote.

He was re-elected as Governor of Central Macedonia in the regional elections of May 2019 and October 2023, receiving over 60% of the vote in both elections.

In November 2019, he was elected President of the Association of Greek Regions and was unanimously re-elected President in February 2024, for the first time in the institution’s history.

Since 2015, he has been a member of the European Committee of the Regions, and in July 2017, he was elected Head of the Greek Delegation.

In February 2020, he was unanimously elected by all political groups President of the European Committee of the Regions.

In July 2022, he was also unanimously elected First Vice-President of the European Committee of the Regions.

He has been the EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism since December 2024.

He speaks English and French, and his articles are frequently published in newspapers and magazines in Greece and abroad.

He is married to Eleana Vlachou and has two children, George and Natalia.

Mr. Athanasios Kakoudis was born in 1969 in Trikala, Greece. He graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki’s Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1994.
Since 1999, he has been an integral member of KEPA-ANEM, a private nonprofit organization established to provide specialized expertise, aimed at optimizing production processes and streamlining the administrative structures of SMEs in Northern Greece.
The organization, from 1993 until today, has functioned as an intermediary body, managing projects funded by the European Union. These projects primarily encompass the sectors of manufacturing, energy, building and civil engineering, environmental sciences, digital technology, human resources, and tourism. Within the framework of the NSRF, KEPA-ANEM collaborates as a partner with EFEPAE (Intermediate Body of Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Programs) and has jurisdiction over Central and Western Macedonia.
Mr. Kakoudis serves as the Director of Program Management department at KEPA-ANEM, where his main responsibility is the comprehensive coordination of all programs administered by the organization. He has been a keynote speaker at numerous conferences and workshops, focusing on updating investors regarding funded initiatives and program developments.

George Moraitis joined National Bank of Greece (NBG) in 2020 as the Head of Payments and Cash Management Solutions Sector, within Corporate Transaction Banking. Recently, he was appointed as the Head of Corporate Transaction Banking unit. The unit is responsibility for the sales development across the Corporate Client portfolio, of a broad range of products & services including Trade & Working Capital Solutions, Supply Chain, Financial products, Payments and Cash Management solutions, all underpinned by on Digital technology and channels.
Before joining NBG, George Moraitis served as the Country Head of Global Liquidity and Cash Management (GLCM) at HSBC in Greece from 2011 to 2020. Prior to that, he was the Head of Business Development in Corporate Transaction Banking at Eurobank from 2006 to 2011, where he held roles in both business and product development within Payments, Cash Management, and Trade Services. His career also includes significant roles at Tiresias SA, Heineken SA, and IBM Hellas.
George Moraitis holds an MBA from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) and an MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from National Technical University of Athens.

Loukia Saranti is the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the wood-processing industry AKRITAS, based in Alexandroupolis and listed in the Athens Stock Exchange since 2000.
Mrs. Saranti is member of the Boards of the Trustees of Anatolia College in Thessaloniki, member of the Executive Committee of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce of Northern Greece, member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation of Economic & Industrial Research (IOBE), as well as member of the Executive Committee of the Cultural Society of Entrepreneurs of Northern Greece. She is also an independent member of the Board of Directors of Alumil.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Marketing.

Founding member of Andromeda SA, Mr. Apostolos Touralias has an aquaculture experience spanning more than thirty years. He has served as an Administrative Manager, Operations Manager, HR Manager, Sales & Production Manager and Commercial Manager. Currently he is Planning and Harvesting Director for Avramar Group and Vice President on the Group’s Board of Directors.
Additionally, through his constant presence in the sector’s institutional affairs, he is the elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Aquaculture Producers Organization (HAPO), the Managing Director of the “Echinades and West Coast of Aetoloakarnania Development SA” and member of POAY Echinadon SA (Allocated zones for aquaculture development in Echinades Islands)

He was born in Kilkis in 1956.
He studied at the Law Schools of Thrace and Thessaloniki.
He was elected first president of the Students’ Association of the Law School of Thrace in 1974 and then president of the Students’ Association of Kilkis Prefecture.
He worked as a lawyer in Kilkis and Thessaloniki.
In October 1994, he was elected Prefect of Kilkis and, a year later, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Prefectural Governments (ENAE).
From 1996 to 2011 he was a Member of Parliament for Kilkis, elected in five consecutive elections.
He has served as Deputy Minister of Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation, Deputy Minister of Culture (Responsible for Sports), Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance and Minister of Public Order.
During his parliamentary term, he was a member of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, the Special Standing Committee on Institutions and Transparency, the Special Standing Committee on the Audit of the State’s Balance Sheet and Accounts, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
In June 2011, he resigned from the Parliament and returned to the practice of law.
In June 2023, he was appointed as the Minister of Justice by the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic.

Stelios Angeloudis was born and raised in the Ano Poli district of Thessaloniki, where he still resides. He graduated from the Law School of the Hellenic Military Academy of Combat Support Officers. He reached the rank of Captain before resigning to practice law. During his service in the Armed Forces, he established the Public Information Office of the Hellenic Republic Ministry of National Defence in Thessaloniki, serving as its first director.
In 1985, he obtained his second degree in Law with a specialization in Public Law, from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
He served as a legal advisor for the public television channel ERT3.
He was the Special Secretary for Sports of Macedonia-Thrace at the Ministry of Culture and the General Secretary of Commerce at the Ministry of Development. From these positions, he contributed to the following projects:
• Creation of dozens of sports facilities, such as the National Swimming Pool of Posidonio, and KAPPA, a unique in Europe Sports and Cultural Center for People with Disabilities.
• Development of the legislative framework for e-commerce.
• Relocation of the old Meat Market from the center of Thessaloniki to the premises of the Central Market of Thessaloniki.
He served as president of the Hellenic Handball Federation, establishing the sport’s recognition.
Since 2001, he has been a member of the Hellenic Olympic Committee. Currently, he serves as the First Executive Vice President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.
He founded the National Olympic Academy, of which he served as the first president.
He participated, as a Special Advisor, in the organization of the Athens Olympic Games and was a member of the Organizing Committee of the 2004 Olympic Games.
He founded Greece’s first Olympic Museum, which is part of the International Olympic Committee, thereby integrating Thessaloniki into the larger international Olympic family.
In 2010, he took over as the President and Managing Director of the Thessaloniki Port Authority. His tenure at the Port was linked with the redevelopment of the first pier and the ‘opening’ of the port to the city, as well as with the inclusion of Thessaloniki in the cruise tourism destinations.
After his tenure at the port, he returned to his legal practice and duties at the Hellenic Olympic Committee.
In October 2023, he was elected Mayor of Thessaloniki. His mandate started on 1 January 2024.
He is married and is the father of two children.