New York – Eastern Mediterranean Business Summit

Joan is the director for The Economist's flagship annual Democracy Index, recognised by governments, international organisations, corporates and academia as a leading measure of global democracy. She is an expert on European political economy, with a special interest in democracy, governance, political risk and east European post-communist transition, and a writer on international affairs.

Joan is a former regional director for Europe at the Economist Intelligence Unit, leading a team of analysts covering 50 countries in Europe and central Asia, and now works as a consultant for the Economist Group. Joan joined EIU in 1995, working as a senior analyst for Eastern Europe before becoming regional manager and then director for Europe.

She began her career as a journalist covering UK and Irish affairs, before developing her interest and expertise in Eastern Europe over several decades from the late 1980s. She covered the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the wars in the former Yugoslavia, before pursuing her career in country analysis and forecasting. Joan studied British, American and European History at Sussex University. She pursued postgraduate studies in Industrial Relations, and having grown up in a mill town in Lancashire, focused her research on the first major immigrant strike in Britain, by Asian and West Indian workers at Courtaulds’ Red Scar Mills factory in Preston in 1965.

Joan is often invited to share her perspectives on Europe with senior corporate executives, academics and diplomatic officials. She is an accomplished chairperson. She has chaired more than 50 Economist events, including prime ministers, presidents and senior government ministers and business leaders. She is an experienced public speaker, and has spoken at many international forums, and is a frequent commentator on European affairs.

Nikos Christodoulides was born on December 6th 1973 in Paphos.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Economics, Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies from the City University of New York, Queens College, and a Master’s degree in Political Science from New York University. He holds a doctorate from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration of the University of Athens.

He was a career diplomat between 1999 and 2018. During this time, he served, inter alia, as consul general at the High Commission of the Republic of Cyprus in the United Kingdom, as deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Cyprus in Greece and as spokesperson of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU at the Permanent Mission of Cyprus in Brussels.

He also served as director of the Diplomatic Office of the president of the Republic of Cyprus (2013-18) and as government spokesman (2014-18). On March 1st 2018 he was appointed minister of foreign affairs, a position which he held until his resignation on January 11th 2022.

Between 2007 and 2010 he was a lecturer and research associate at the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Cyprus in the subject of History of the Postwar World. He is the author of the books Plans for Solution of the Cyprus Problem 1948-1978 (2009), Relations between Athens and Nicosia and the Cyprus Problem, 1977-1988 (2013), and Geopolitical Realities in the Plans for Solution of the Cyprus Problem 1948-1978 (2021).

He is married to Philippa Karsera and has four daughters, Ioanna, Ekaterini, Despina-Maria, and Phoebe.

Ted Deutch, a lifelong Jewish and pro-Israel activist, assumed the role of CEO of American Jewish Committee (AJC) in October 2022, following more than 12 years of distinguished service in the United States House of Representatives. In Congress, Ted was a leading voice in the fight against antisemitism and efforts to advance the U.S.-Israel relationship and the Hellenic-Israel relationship.

He was a founding member of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism and the Congressional Hellenic-Israel Alliance, and he served as chair of the House Ethics Committee and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he chaired the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee. Ted began his career in public service in the Florida State Senate, where he gained national recognition for passing the nation’s first law mandating that public pension funds not be used to advance Iran’s illicit activities. Prior to holding public office, he enjoyed a successful career as a commercial real estate attorney in Cleveland and Boca Raton.

Ted and his wife, Jill, have lived in Boca Raton, Florida, since 1998 and have three adult children, Gabby, Serena, and Cole.

Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (ret.), is the Dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy. He is a 1981 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. ADM Foggo is also an Olmsted Scholar and Moreau Scholar, earning a Master of Public Administration at Harvard University and a Diplome d’Etudes Approfondies in Defense and Strategic Studies from the University of Strasbourg, France.

He commanded the attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) in 1998, which was awarded the Submarine Squadron 8 Battle Efficiency “E” award and the Admiral Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy. Following command of USS Oklahoma City, he would go on to command eight more times to include: Submarine Squadron 6 in Norfolk, Virginia; Submarine Group 8; Allied Submarines South; the U.S. 6th Fleet; Allied Striking and Support Forces NATO; Naval Forces Europe; Naval Forces Africa; and Allied Joint Forces Command (NATO), all headquartered in Naples, Italy.

During these command tours, he participated in combat operations as the Operations Officer for Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn (Libya) in 2011 and Commander Naval Forces Europe for strike operations against Syrian chemical weapons sites in April 2018.

Throughout his career, Foggo has been a champion of the Navy as an extended arm of diplomacy. He maintained close relationships with the U.S. ambassadors in his area of responsibility from Europe to Africa and into the Middle East. He sponsored numerous regional ambassadors conferences at his headquarters in Naples to address security challenges in the Balkans, Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions.

Konstantinos (Costas) Fragkogiannis was born in 1959, in Northern Greece (Kavala), where he completed his basic education. Following his graduation from the British Institute of Marketing (HND), he continued his studies in the U.S., earning a BS in Business Administration and an MBA in International Management & Computer Systems from the University of San Francisco.

In June 2023, his term was renewed as deputy minister of foreign affairs of the Hellenic Republic, with the portfolio of Economic Diplomacy and Openness, an office he has held since July 2019.  Fragkogiannis has greatly contributed to reforms and legislation pertaining to the Ministry’s restructuring on issues of economic diplomacy and the complete revamping of Enterprise Greece (Greece’s Trade and Investment Agency) and Export Credit Greece. Dozens of FDIs have been supported under his leadership, while fast-track procedures, one-stop-shop services and lucrative incentives have been introduced, resulting in record-breaking foreign investments and a complete turn-around in Greece’s branding. Fragkogiannis has worked towards enhancing Greece’s bilateral relations with Eastern Europe, the USA, Germany, all MENA countries and Libya, among others; while he also leads the ‘positive agenda’ initiative with Turkey. The innovative “Astypalea-smart and sustainable island” project is one of his most-known achievements at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Fragkogiannis brings experience of over 30 years in the private sector, where he has held senior executive positions in major companies and groups, such as Emporiki Bank, Interbank, Delta, the Vasilakis Group, Ant1, the Viohalco Group, Vivartia, and the Chipita Group. Having successfully handled development projects worth hundreds of millions of Euro throughout the world, he has gained invaluable experience in negotiating with organizations in countries where he has overseen investments. He has led a total of 18 greenfield projects in 16 countries, 9 investment consortiums, 5 buyouts and, finally, the founding of multiple commercial enterprises in dozens of countries.

Through his many years of international experience, he has gained a wide-ranging and up-to-date perspective on what is required to effectively attract foreign investments and to promote exports and growth in the globalized economy.

John Georgoulas is a Certified Board Director in Banking from INSEAD and a Certified Professional Banker from the Chartered Banker Institute. He has founded several companies in the fields of corporate communications and technology and he is specialized in corporate governance, regulation in the financial services and new technologies. He has served on the board of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission appointed by the Council of Ministers.

Now, he is a Non-Executive Director of ECOMMBX, an electronic money institution regulated by the Central Bank of Cyprus, a Non-Executive Director of TFI Markets, regulated by both the Central Bank of Cyprus and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission and a Non-Executive Director of FXCM, an investment firm regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission and a non-executive director at Swissquote Capital Markets ltd that belongs to Swissquote, a listed financial services firm in the Swiss stock exchange. He is the President of the Cyprus Association of Electronic Money & Payment Institutions, the President of the Cyprus – Serbian Business Association and a member of the board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cyprus. He has served on several boards in the private sector and at NGOs and he is an alumnus of IVLP from the Department of State of USA.

He has an MBA, a BSc in Business Information Systems and a Diploma of Higher Education in Computer Sciences.

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

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

Upon returning to Greece, he led the team at one of Greece’s leading banks responsible for facilitating in the implementation of Greece’s National Recovery and Resilience Fund − Greece 2.0 − while also liaising with European development bodies and Greek government agencies.
He served as advisor to New Democracy’s Secretariat for International Relations & European Union from 2013 to 2019. He has been a member of various academic and professional committees and has been actively engaged in research and writing with numerous articles published in leading international journals, such as the Journal for Global Business Advancement and the International Journal of Business and Economic Sciences. At the same time, he also taught at Brunel University and the Hellenic Open University in the fields of Strategic Management and Business Economics.

Based in New York, Anat Katz serves as the Government of Israel Economic Minister for North America. In this capacity Anat is responsible for promoting Israel-U.S. and Israel-Canada economic and trade ties, with a strong focus on the promotion of Israeli exports, U.S. investments in Israel and bilateral research and development collaborations.
Anat held various positions in the Israeli public sector since she first joined the Ministry of Economy and Industry in 2002, including Israel’s Economic and Trade attaché in Singapore, Director for North and Latin America in the Ministry of Economy, and as Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs at the Embassy of Israel in Washington DC.

More recently Anat headed the International Affairs Division of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and later returned to the Ministry of Economy and Industry to establish and head the Ministry’s Export Control Agency.

Anat holds an MBA and a Bachelor degree in laws (Honors Program) from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Anat is a certified lawyer in Israel.
She is married to Tal and is a mother of two boys.

As the vice-president & head of the International Collaborations Division Shlomi is responsible to promote the Innovation Authority’s collaborations with international entities including, research facilities, hospitals, and universities, as well as multinational corporations interested in conducting joint R&D ventures and pilots with Israeli companies, while promoting and assisting the international reach of the Israeli tech industry.

Furthermore, Shlomi will also head the European Research and Innovation Directorate (ISERD), which operates the Horizon Europe program out of the Innovation Authority in partnership with the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, the Council for Higher Education, and the Israel Innovation Authority.

Shlomi is 52, married with two children, and has enjoyed a successful career in diplomacy spanning 25 years.

He has worked in various positions in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including as the Deputy Chief of Mission at Israel’s Consulate General in Shanghai, China, as Chief of Staff to Israel’s Ambassador to the US in Washington DC, as Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of Israel in New York, and Consul General to the Pacific Northwest in San Francisco. Prior to that, Shlomi was also the Director of International Affairs in the Ministry of National Infrastructure and Foreign Affairs and advisor to the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament. Previously, he has also worked for a number of Israeli high-tech companies such as ECI and Orbot.

Shlomi holds a BA in International Relations and Asian Studies from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and an MBA in Management from Webster University.

Dr Constantinos Kombos was born in 1976 in Lemesos. He has studied Law and holds a postgraduate degree in EU Law (LLM University of Cambridge) as well as a PhD in European Constitutional Law (PhD University of Hull).

He was elected at the Department of Law of the University of Cyprus in 2006, of which he is a founding member. He has served as chairman of the Law Department and as member of the Senate. He has published 6 books and numerous articles and chapters in scientific magazines and collective volumes. Part of his work has been translated and published in 6 languages. He has also participated and delivered speeches in numerous international conferences. He was appointed member of the Board of Judges by the Supreme Court.

On behalf of the Republic of Cyprus he appeared before the Court of Justice of the European Union and has made recommendations to the House of Representatives on issues of EU Law and the Cyprus Constitution. He was appointed member of the Cyprus Problem negotiating team in 2014 and has participated in all stages and levels of the negotiation process, Geneva I, Crans- Montana, Geneva II.

Nicholas Logothetis is vice chairman of the board at Libra Group and co-founder and chairman of the board of Concordia. Nicholas is an entrepreneur who has a lifelong passion for politics and international affairs. He founded Concordia, along with business partner Matthew Swift, on the notion that facilitating cross-sector collaboration can more adequately address global challenges to create a more prosperous and sustainable future. This notion, along with his commitment to solving pressing international challenges through the lens of partnerships, developed Concordia into the preeminent global hub for partnerships in record time.

As chairman of the board at Concordia, he leads a distinguished board comprised of top leaders from academia and the private sector. His leadership in driving forward Concordia’s mission to enable public-private partnerships has established Concordia as reputable thought leader in the partnership building space.

Since Concordia’s founding in 2011, he has overseen the organization of five global summits and a myriad of practioner level convenings with prominent speakers from the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Nicholas is a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs London, the National Press Club Washington DC, and the Overseas Press Club. Prior to establishing Concordia and joining the Libra Group, he spent several years gaining invaluable experience in the media industry at the Fox News Channel, British Sky Broadcasting, Bryan Cave LLP, Husch Blackwell Sanders and News Corporation. Nicholas attended the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

Roger Martella is GE Vernova's chief sustainability officer, head of Engagement, Government Affairs, and Policy, and Group vice-president. In these roles, Roger engages the world’s top public and private sector leaders to align GE Vernova’s innovation to solve the planet’s most pressing challenges of access to sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy, addressing climate change, and improving impacts to GE Vernova’s people, communities, and planet.

In recent years, Roger has been at the leading edge in successfully partnering the power of the private sector with the pursuits of the public sector to solve tough problems together. Roger previously served as GE’s chief sustainability officer responsible for leading a comprehensive and cohesive approach to sustainability for the company. Prior to GE, Roger served as General Counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, and the Principal Counsel for Complex Litigation for the Department of Justice’s Natural Resources Section. Roger also co-led Sidley Austin LLP's global environmental and climate change practices and was recognized among the top lawyers in the field globally. Roger teaches a first of its kind course on International Environmental Law and Justice at Howard University Law School and serves on the Advisory Board to Harvard University’s Environmental and Energy Law Program.

In 2022, the Racial Justice Institute recognized Roger with a Racial Justice Champion Award. Roger is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the board of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), the ClearPath Foundation, the Environmental Law Institute, and several environmental and energy NGOs. Roger has co-authored and edited four books on the intersection of ESG, climate change law, international environmental law, and human rights, including Corporate Social Responsibility—Sustainable Business: Environmental, Social and Governance Frameworks for the 21st Century (Wolters Kluwer 2020). Roger is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School.

Senator Bob Menendez’s story is a quintessential American story. He grew up the son of Cuban immigrants in a tenement building in Union City and has risen to become one of 100 United States Senators. He currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the 117th Congress. The Committee is one of the oldest and most revered Committees in the Senate, at a time when world affairs have a dramatic impact on our economy at home. He has earned a
national reputation for his international leadership in the Senate, which pairs with his long-time reputation as a fighter for New Jersey families who puts their economic security ahead of powerful special interests.
A product of New Jersey's public schools and a graduate of the state's universities, Bob learned early on the importance of standing up for what's right, no matter how powerful the opposition. He first entered public service as a 19-year-old college student when his high school would not provide books to students who could not afford them. Bob launched a successful petition drive to reform the local school local school board and a year later won a seat on that very board. He stood
up to corruption in Union City and went on to become its mayor, a state legislator and was elected to Congress in 1992. He quickly rose to leadership positions and has given New Jerseyans a seat at the table during critical negotiations on every issue since then: war and peace, jobs and the economy, education, health care, veterans issues, world affairs, transportation and housing. Senator Menendez’s career has been a tribute to his desire to protect the powerless from the powerful and ensure fairness for every American. He led the fight in Congress to make sure New Jersey received its fair share of recovery funds to help communities rebuild after Superstorm Sandy, chaired Senate Banking Committee hearings to hold the administration accountable for getting relief resources out of Washington, and passed landmark bipartisan legislation providing relief to homeowners hit with unreasonably high flood insurance premiums. The son of immigrants, Bob understands the importance of New Jersey’s Liberty State Park, in the shadow of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, at the gateway for millions of immigrants who came to this nation seeking the American Dream and a better life for them and their children. That’s why he was one of eight Senators who wrote and fought for comprehensive immigration reform legislation that passed the Senate in 2013 with an overwhelming bipartisan show of support. As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has established himself as a new foreign policy leader for a new century, seeking to do globally what he has done in New Jersey – supporting the most vulnerable in our society and lending a voice
to those least able to speak for themselves. As Chairman, he has focused the Committee’s work on key foreign policy issues of the day including strategic competition with China, confronting the global pandemic, and restoring the United States’ place as a leader around the globe. He has and stood by democracy activists struggling to reform governments from Cuba to China to Russia, and advocated for women and children struggling against oppressive poverty in Central America and sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, he has evoked a strong national security posture in the face of tyrannical leaders of Russia, Iran, Syria, and Venezuela. In April 2021, Chairman Menendez successfully concluded a decade’s long effort for the U.S. government to officially recognize the Ottoman Empire’s genocide against the Armenian people. Bob believes that beyond military power, the United States must strategically utilize diplomacy and economic statecraft to realize the nexus between economic issues and foreign policy to allow America – and New Jerseyans – to prosper in our intertwined global economy. Bob has been widely recognized for his leadership on promoting safe and healthy families. He has championed legislation to support mothers suffering from postpartum depression, help families meet the challenges of autism, and keep young athletes safe from harm on the playing field. He serves on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and has championed
increased consumer protection and corporate accountability, fairness in lending, affordable housing, and comprehensive approaches to community revitalization. He served as Chairman of the Banking Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development where he fought for smart growth, jobs for the 21st Century and updating our aging transportation system. As a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, he has sponsored legislation increasing access to health care, advocated for fairness in the tax code to help middle class families get college educations and be able to retire, and Bob has pushed for trade
initiatives to ensure America’s global competitiveness.
Bob received his B.A. from St. Peter's College in Jersey City and his law degree from Rutgers University. He currently lives in Bergen County with his wife Nadine. He’s the father of two children, Alicia and Robert Jr., and the proud grandfather of Evangelina, Ofelia and Olivia.

For Congressman Chris Pappas, public service has always been about finding ways to give back to the community that has given him so much. A lifelong resident of Manchester, New Hampshire, Chris was born into a proud Greek-American family. After graduating from Harvard, Chris returned home where he began a career in public service while helping run the 105 year-old family restaurant where he started scooping ice cream and bussing tables at age 14.

In Congress, Chris focuses on the issues that matter most to Granite Staters, including improving access to health care, lowering the high cost of prescription drugs, combating the addiction epidemic, and protecting our environment and drinking water.

As the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs for the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Chris is committed to holding VA leadership accountable and serving our veterans who have sacrificed so much. He is working to protect whistleblowers who come forward to report waste, fraud, and abuse, safeguard veterans' benefits, and ensure that more veterans can access quality care in their communities. Chris also serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Small Business Committee, where he is fighting to modernize our nation’s infrastructure, address the challenges that small businesses face, and work on legislation that will create jobs and improve quality of life in New Hampshire.

Before entering the U.S. House of Representatives, Chris served as a member of the state’s Executive Council. In this role he worked with governors of both parties to implement Medicaid expansion, expand treatment and recovery services, approve funding for family planning providers, and support renewable energy and infrastructure projects.

Geoffrey R. Pyatt, a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Career Minister, was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources on September 19, 2022.

Ambassador Pyatt served as U.S. Ambassador to Greece from 2016 to 2022 and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 2013 to 2016.  Among other recognitions, he received the State Department’s Robert Frasure Memorial Award in recognition of his leadership of the U.S. response to Russia’s invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Previously, Ambassador Pyatt was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs from 2010-2013. He was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna, Austria from 2007 to 2010. He also served three times at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, as Deputy Chief of Mission from 2006 to 2007, Political Counselor from 2002 to 2006, and Political Officer from 1992 to 1994.  Ambassador Pyatt was Economic Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong from 1999 to 2002 and Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Lahore, Pakistan from 1997 to 1999.  Since joining the Foreign Service in 1989, he has also served on the National Security Council staff, on the staff of Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott and at the U.S. Embassy in Honduras.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he worked with The Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank that brings together leading citizens of the Americas.

Ambassador Pyatt grew up in La Jolla, California and holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Yale and B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.

Dr Angeliki Diane Rigos is a scientist, educator, and consultant interested in working across disciplines to promote sustainable solutions to global problems. She is the Associate Director for Graduate Programs at MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) where she runs the MITEI Energy Fellows Program. She also teaches a leadership course in the MIT LEAdership and Professional Skills and Strategies (LEAPS) Program and organizes an IAP course on leading the energy transition.

Dr Rigos began her career as a Principal Scientist at Physical Sciences Inc. where she worked on defense and energy contracts. She transitioned to an academic position as Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Merrimack College where she taught courses in chemistry, women in science and sustainable energy and science and energy policy. For twelve years, she also worked as an energy consultant at Levitan & Associates, Inc. with a focus on power price forecasting, LNG, fuel cells, and renewable technologies including onshore / offshore wind and solar photovoltaics. In 2017, she became the Executive Director of the MIT Tata Center for Technology and Design. In 2021, she founded the nonprofit Epistimi, Inc to expand the leadership training of women in STEMM globally.

Dr. Rigos holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Cornell University, a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University.

Steven Schoenfeld has been the CEO of MarketVector IndexesTM  since August 2020, following its acquisition of BlueStar Indexes. MarketVector is a global index and data provider, with more than $30 billion in licensed assets tracking its family of global equity and hard asset benchmarks, thematic indexes, fixed income benchmarks and digital asset indexes.

Prior to his current role, Mr Schoenfeld was the founder and chief investment officer of BlueStar Indexes, which maintained a family of indexes for Global Technology Stocks, Emerging Markets, and Israeli Equities and Bonds. Steven is a 37-year veteran of the investment management industry, having served in senior fiduciary positions at Northern Trust, where he oversaw more than $300 billion in quantitatively managed global equity and fixed income portfolios, and at Barclays Global Investors (now Blackrock), where he managed more than $70 billion in developed and emerging market stock index fund and ETFs. Previously, he led the team at the IFC/World Bank which developed the first investable Emerging Market indexes and traded Japanese stock index futures on the floor of the Singapore Exchange.

Steven is the author of Active Index Investing (Wiley Finance, 2004), co-author of The Pacific-Rim Futures and Options Markets (McGraw-Hill, 1992), and co-founder of IndexUniverse.com (now ETF.com).  He has a BA in History and Government from Clark University, was a Fulbright Scholar in Economics at the National University of Singapore, and has an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Mr Grigorios Siokas has over 21 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He is currently the CEO of Cosmos Health Inc., an international healthcare group listed on Nasdaq in 2022 and based in Chicago, Illinois, with operations in the nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare distribution sectors.

Mr Siokas is a highly accomplished businessman, investor, and executive with a proven track record of success from the exportation of pharmaceutical products across the EU as early as 2000 to the more recent launch of proprietary lines of nutraceuticals in the UK, Germany and beyond. Over the years, he has demonstrated his ability to navigate complex challenges and overcome numerous obstacles, all while successfully scaling up businesses through efficient operations, innovative strategies, and disciplined execution.

He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. While also holding a Master’s Degree in Management and Finance from the University of Stuttgart, Germany and the University of Tuebigen, Germany.

Philippos Soseilos is the CEO & chairman of PwC Cyprus. He started his career with PwC in 1989 and was admitted to partnership on 1 July 2000. Prior to becoming CEO in January 2022, he was a member of the Management Board for 13 years and head of people for 8 years.

Philippos has more than 30 years of experience as a business consultant in a broad range of business fields with a focus on strategy issues and the successful implementation of business and digital transformation, both in Cyprus and abroad. In the implementation support, he draws from extensive experience in leadership alignment, people consulting, as well as change and culture management.

He has worked with a large number of family businesses supporting them on the full spectrum of succession issues towards successfully transitioning to the next generation. Beyond his private sector experience, Philippos has led numerous projects relating to the reform of the public sector in Cyprus. He also has extensive experience as an accredited executive coach and facilitator, as well as a conference chairman and speaker.

Philippos has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC) and a member of the Cyprus Human Resource Management Association (CyHRMA).

Apostolos Tzitzikostas was born on September 2, 1978. He studied Government and International Relations at Georgetown University, in Washington DC. After graduating in 2000, he had his first working experience at the office of the president of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the United States Congress. In 2002 he obtained a Masters Degree on European Public Policy and Economics from the University College of London.

Following his studies, he created his own company on the field of production, processing and standardization of dairy products, based on organic standards. In 2007, he was elected member of the Greek Parliament, in the First District of Thessaloniki. In the Regional Elections of November 2010 he was elected vice-governor of the Region of Central Macedonia and head of the Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki. On the Regional Elections of May 2014 he was elected governor of the Region of Central Macedonia and on the Regional Elections of May 2019 he was re-elected governor of the Region of Central Macedonia. On November 2019 he was elected president of the Association of Greek Regions

Since 2015 he has been a member of the European Committee of the Regions. In July 2017, he was elected head of the Greek Delegation and vice-president of the European Committee of the Regions. On February 2020 he was elected president of the European Committee of the Regions.
He fluently speaks English and French and his articles are regularly being published in Greek and foreign newspapers and magazines.

Spyros Vassiliou is the vice-chairman of Invest Cyprus (the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency) and the vice-chairman of CIFA (Cyprus Investments Funds Association).

He is a law graduate from the City University of London and a member of the Cyprus Bar Association. He is the founder of the Law Firm Spyros Vassiliou & Associates LLC, with headquarters in Cyprus. With more than 15 years of experience in both the legal and financial sectors, Spyros is a business-intelligent lawyer with investment-appetite decision making and priority on striving for excellence and high achievement. He provides advice to private and corporate clients, focusing on corporate & commercial law, trusts, real estate and IP rights. His law firm is also well established in cross-border commercial litigation.

Spyros is passionate about Fin-Tech, mainly niche products and structures, and has a long-established business presence in technology and innovation-oriented markets. In addition, he is also an international speaker promoting Cyprus worldwide.

The Honorable Deborah L. Wince- Smith is the president & CEO of the Council on Competitiveness, a non-partisan leadership coalition of CEO’s, University Presidents, Labor Union Leaders and National Laboratory Directors, all committed to developing policy solutions and national initiatives to drive future productivity growth, prosperity for all Americans and the global success of American business.
She has more than 20 years of experience as a senior U.S. government official, as the first Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy in the U.S. Department of Commerce in the administration of President George H.W. Bush, and as the Assistant Director for International Affairs in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Reagan Administration. She served as a Senate-confirmed member of the Oversight Board of the Internal Revenue Service in the administrations of President George W. Bush and President Barack H. Obama.
Ms. Wince-Smith is also the President and Founder of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC). She previously served on the Smithsonian National Board, the Secretary of State’s Committee on International Economic Policy, the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, and the Board of Governors of Argonne National Laboratory. She served as Chairman of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Competitiveness and as a Public Director of NASDAQ-OMX.
Ms. Wince-Smith currently serves as a Commissioner on the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property and as a member of the Council of Japan’s Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum. As an expert in technology commercialization, Ms. Wince-Smith serves on the Board of Directors of Aerolase, Inc., and Q-Net Security, Inc.
Ms. Wince-Smith graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College and earned a Master’s Degree in Classical Archaeology from King’s College, Cambridge University. She has received Honorary Doctorates from Michigan State University, the University of Toledo, the Queens University Belfast, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the University of South Carolina.

Cathie registered ARK Investment Management LLC (“ARK”) as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in January 2014. With over 40 years of experience identifying and investing in innovation, Cathie founded ARK to focus solely on disruptive innovation while adding new dimensions to research. Through an open approach that cuts across sectors, market capitalizations, and geographies, Cathie believes that ARK can identify large-scale investment opportunities resulting from technological innovations centered around multi-omic sequencing, robotics, artificial intelligence, energy storage, and blockchain technology. As Chief Investment Officer (“CIO”) and Portfolio Manager, Cathie led the development of ARK’s philosophy and investment approach and has ultimate responsibility for investment decisions.

Panos T. Xenokostas is a visionary entrepreneur and investor in the industries of Shipbuilding, Maritime, ICT, Aviation, Defense & Security and Energy. He graduated the Hellenic Air Force Academy as an Aeronautical Engineer in 1996 and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University Institute Kurt Bösch in Switzerland.

His vision is to create a global brand recognized for being second to none in ship repairing by developing a leading shipyard-port technology and logistics hub in East Med. ONEX group is numbering 2,500+ employees, and the group has invested over €80 million in Greece over the last four years and is currently implementing a €500+ million investment in the country. With completed projects worth of €1 billion in its track record, ONEX Group has grown 400% since 2018, demonstrating a total of €250+ millions in assets and a path to doubling it by the end of 2024. ONEX Elefsis Shipyards secured a financing line of $125 million from the US Development Finance Corporation (“DFC”) for the Shipyards rehabilitation and upgrade plan. Following the shipyards of Syros, ONEX Group has recently extended its assets portfolio by acquiring the Elefsina shipyards.

Panos T. Xenokostas has been awarded internationally for his business achievements and environmental contribution. He has also a long and fruitful tradition of philanthropic activities, in addition to financially supporting local sports clubs.

Andreas Yiasemides is a partner at PwC and clients and markets leader of the organisation.

On his graduation from the University of Manchester with a first class degree in Economics, he joined PwC in 1999 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant (FCA). He continued his career with the Bank of Cyprus, holding various positions including heading the Custody and Trusts Unit. He then moved on to an organisation of professional services where he set up and led the Fund Services Unit.

He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Cyprus and of the Central Bank of Cyprus and is the President of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Investment Fund Association (CIFA). He is also the President and a member of the Cyprus National Advisory Council of the Charter Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI).

Uzy Zwebner is the co-founder and former project manager of the Advanced Technologies Park (ATP) and today serves as a director at the ATP board. Furthermore, Mr Zwebner's fully owned company, BaseCamp, (Negevinn Innovation Center LTD), is involved in creating new high-tech ecosystems around the world. BaseCamp’s global activities include countries like Greece (Thessaloniki), Panama and Brazil.

In the past Mr Zwebner served in several executive positions at the City of Eilat, starting as an assistant treasurer, continuing the treasurer and CEO of the Eilat Development Company LTD, and ending as the first general director of the city. During that time, the city became more attractive to investors due to a special "Free Trade Zone" law that was established especially for the City of Eilat.

Uzy Zwebner also served as a research assistant to the director of the School of Business Administration at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and as an assistant economist at the National Bank of Israel. He also offered management and consulting services to government authorities for the economic recovery and development of cities in high tech industry, tourism and economic projects.

Mr Zwebner was born in the city of Jerusalem and lives in Tel Aviv. During his military career, he served as a tank commander in the Israeli Defense Forces, and took part in the 1973 "Yom Kippur" war. He holds a BA in International Relations and an MBA from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.