Michalis Zinieris | Director, Technology Strategy and Transformation
Michalis leads Technology Consulting Services for Deloitte in Cyprus. He has over 10 years of technology advisory and transformation experience across leading businesses in UKI and Europe, working with CIOs and IT Executives to plan and execute IT transformation programmes for global IT functions. He is specialised in: Technology Strategy Advisory, Digital and Technology Transformation programme leadership, Cloud & Infrastructure Architecture and Transformation, Digital Workplace Enablement, Systems Design and Integration, Enterprise Architecture. He has worked extensively with global client businesses and has strong experience in leading multi-disciplined teams of 150+ resources, often located across distributed global locations. Michalis is focused on delivering a high-quality service, building meaningful relationships and identifying opportunities on how to add business value through technology strategy and transformation initiatives.
Maria Yianni | Director, Restructuring Services
Maria Yianni is a Director at Deloitte’s Restructuring Department. She has attended MIT’s Entrepreneurship Development Programme in Boston, USA, and she has previously founded two award-winning start-ups. Maria is a qualified chartered accountant and she has completed the assessment for Insolvency Practitioners in Cyprus. She holds a BA (Econ) (Honours) in Accounting & Finance from the University of Manchester, UK.
Yiannis Ioannides | Director at Deloitte, Cyber and Strategic Risk
Yiannis is leading Deloitte’s Hacking Services. He is a business professional providing hacking services including infrastructure, web application, physical and social engineering assessments to clients locally and overseas. Yiannis is an Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Network+, Certified Offensive Security Wireless Professional (OSWP) and Certified Internal Controls Auditor (CICA). Yiannis is active in the information security community with presentations at Blackhat USA, Blackhat Europe, bSides Athens, SECURE Poland and multiple ISACA conferences. Yiannis is also the developer of the WarBerryPi which was presented at Blackhat USA / EU and voted at #4 best tool of 2016 by ToolsWatch.
Christina Orfanidou | Director at Deloitte, Regulatory and Legal Support
Christina is a Director within Deloitte’s Risk Advisory team working on Data & AI-related services across sector. She is an Artificial Intelligence expert with expertise in consulting organisations towards embedding analytics and AI-driven solutions into their operations. She is additionally a Digital Health expert with extensive expertise in the development and operationalisation of Health Technologies and products. She has acted as a key expert in multiple European Commission projects on the adoption of Artificial Intelligence within the public and private sector. Outside her Deloitte role, Christina was the Proctor of the Parallel Parliament in Research, Innovation and Digital Policy (2019-2021), co-founded the Cyprus chapter of the global organisation Women in Machine Learning and Data Science (WiMLDS) and has contributed in an Advisory role in multiple European Commission-funded development projects. She is very interested in R&D&I and has acted in a mentorship role multiple related activities in Cyprus and overseas. Christina holds a DPhil in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Oxford, UK.
Demetris Tsiakkis | Director, Financial Advisory Analytics Services
Demetris joined Deloitte Cyprus in 2021.
He started his career in Deloitte UK’s Banking and Capital Markets audit group in 2014, auditing FTSE 100 and tier-1 investment banks. He then joined Deloitte UK’s Transaction Services in 2017, performing financial due diligence on some of Europe’s largest M&A and IPO transactions. During his time there, he helped set up Transaction Services Analytics, a team specialising in embedding analytics to increase the depth and quality of due diligence.
Demetris set up Cyprus’s Financial Advisory Analytics practice using his extensive experience in advanced data transformation and visualisation tools. His current portfolio includes analytics services to support large transactions across Europe and the Middle East; and business intelligence and performance optimisation projects for clients based in Cyprus. He is industry agnostic and has helped several clients set up automated financial and operational reporting dashboards.
He holds a MEng Civil and Structural Engineering from the University of Sheffield and is a qualified chartered accountant with the ICAEW; having completed his ACA qualification in 2017.
Stella Constantinou | Senior Manager at Deloitte, Cyber and Strategic Risk
Stella Constantinou is a Manager at Deloitte Ltd with the Risk Advisory practice. She is a business professional providing hacking services including infrastructure, web application and mobile application security assessments to clients in Cyprus and Middle East.
Stella holds a BSc (Hons) Degree in Computer Science from the University of Cyprus. She is an Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA) and Business Finance Professional (BFP) from the Institute of Chartered Accountants and Wales (ICAEW).
Marianna Moran | Manager, Tax & Legal, Business Tax Services
Marianna is a Manager at Deloitte’s Tax & Legal Department, mainly working for the Business Tax service line, and is part of the department’s Quality, Risk and Reputation team. During her degree in Law, she majored in social policy research-related topics, participated in Entrepreneurship and Financial Markets bootcamps and had an internship with a social enterprises and well-being consultancy in London. She further pursued the ACA qualification for her to gain a well-rounded foundation in business. Marianna is involved in innovation project-related work at Deloitte’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre and advisory to ARIS resident start-ups, including tax & IP.
Antonis Neocleous | Co-founder of GAIN Venture Studios
Antonis Neocleous is a seasoned entrepreneur and co-founder of GAIN Venture Studios, a venture studio that nurtures and accelerates early-stage startups. Antonis’s ability to see the bigger picture and provide guidance for solving problems at their core is one of his greatest strengths. He has a knack for identifying the root cause of issues and developing creative solutions that address the core of the problem. This skill has been invaluable to the startups he has mentored, helping them navigate complex challenges and achieve sustainable growth. A true champion of entrepreneurship, Antonis is a sought-after mentor, sharing his insights and experiences with aspiring entrepreneurs and industry leaders. His dedication to fostering innovation and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs makes him an invaluable asset to any entrepreneurial endeavours.
Martin Zarian | Co-founder of Factory 39, Brand Architect, Strategist & Designer
Martin is a recovering perfectionist and a forever immigrant. He helps companies from all over the world engineer unforgettable and very lovable brands. He works from Limassol, where he co-founded the award-winning brand and software consultancy, Factory 39. Throughout his 15-year career, he worked for brands like FIFA, Coca-Cola, and BBC but also your next-door startup. He is among the very first certified brand architects in the world, a badge that he earned for his work with brand guru Marty Neumeier for the international food giant Dr Oetker. He geeks out about brand strategy, design, content, technology, cycling and beers.
Persia Georgiadou | Investor at Flashpoint Venture Capital
Persia is a venture capitalist at Flashpoint VC, a London headquartered fund with ~$500m in AUM and offices across Europe, Israel and US, focusing on early stage B2B SaaS companies. She started her career in consulting and held various investment roles in Equity and Credit funds predominantly in London. Persia has extensive experience analysing early stage startups and mature pre-IPO companies, assisting founders and management teams with their growth strategy. She is an active member of the Venture Capital Ecosystem in Europe, mentoring and supporting early stage startups on operational, financial and fundraising matters. She is a CFA holder and an active member of the CFA community in Cyprus and a member of the CFA DEI subcommittee. She holds a bachelor in Mathematics from The University of Manchester and a master in Risk Management and Financial engineering from Imperial College.
Andreas Tziarras | Managing Director at OneJar Ltd
Andreas Tziarras holds the position of Managing Director at OneJar. Previously, he held various senior leadership roles in HR and organizational development within the maritime industry, where he implemented various HR initiatives across the globe and achieved exceptional business results. His experience stems from scaling up and down offices and dealing with mergers and acquisitions using various HR and management tools and practices in a variety of countries in Asia and Europe. Furthermore, he enjoys collaborating with people, as well as introducing and managing organizational transformation initiatives. Andreas has a genuine interest in commercial business models, leadership development, team dynamics, and building up HR departments.
His background and experience are listed below:
- – Certified executive coach (Henley Business School)
- – Certified psychometrics practitioner in Predictive Index and Hogan Assessments.
- – MSc in Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior
- – BSc Sociology and Political Sciences
- – Eight years of international experience in senior leadership roles in Asia and Europe
Dr. Marianna Prokopi-Demetriades | Biotech Innovator | Entrepreneur
Dr. Marianna Prokopi-Demetriades is a Clinical Associate Professor in Research Oncology at the Medical School of the European University of Cyprus and co-founder of three certified innovative companies. Although the companies are based in Cyprus, they have an impact on the global biotechnological market. RSL Revolutionary Labs Ltd was founded in 2018 and focuses on the development of innovative dermaceuticals for the relief and healing of skin side effects in oncological patients; Promed Bioscience Ltd was founded in 2017 where it develops medical biomaterials based on 3D-atelocollagen for research and medical applications such as the synthesis of 3D-artificial organs and tissues; and finally Theramir Ltd was founded in 2016 where it develops new generation personalized therapies and diagnostic platforms for cancer based on stem cell nanotechnology and microRNAs.
At the same time, Dr. Prokopi is a Senior Scientist in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at the Cyprus University of Technology and was Director of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the German Oncology Centre in Limassol until December 2020.
Dr. Prokopi has been awarded on 12/10/2020 with the “Madame Figaro Woman of the Year 2019” award in the category Innovation of the Year. She also participated in the establishment of the Cancer Research & Innovation Centre at CUT and the German Oncology Centre, where she serves as a Member to the Board of Directors and was also elected Vice Chair of the Development Committee for the Parallel Parliament of Entrepreneurship in the House of Representatives/Parliament of Cyprus from November 2020.
Marianna holds a BSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology and an MRes in Biochemistry from the University of Kent, an MSc in Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine/University of London and a PhD in Cardiovascular Research from British Heart Foundation/King’s College London.
Kobi Kalderon | Founder and CEO at Gold Ventures Investment
Kobi is the founder and CEO of Gold Ventures Investment (GVI), a global investment banking company with 16 operational offices around the world cooperating with accelerators in Europe, USA, Asia and Africa, representing one of the Israeli VC in Europe. He is a former officer in the Israeli Intelligences and ICT forces of the IDF (Retired from the IDF Lieutenant Colonel). Kobi holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Vermont University and he is a serial entrepreneur in the high-tech industry with over 15 years of experience in Entrepreneurship, Business Development and Sales, mentoring and supporting early-stage start-ups, fundraising, venture capital and total management (turnkey solutions) to early stage and mature tech companies in Israel and abroad. He is also the Head of the Start-up and Entrepreneurship Department of The Israeli Chamber of Information Technology.
Dr. Georgios Georgiadis | Angel Investor in Impact Tech
George is an angel investor with a focus on impact tech and offers guidance in innovation strategy. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the National Technical University of Athens. Following his graduation, he gained extensive experience in the automotive industry, spending more than 8 years at the Volkswagen AG headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. During his tenure within the Group, he spearheaded strategic and organizational initiatives and served as a Project Manager on the development of vehicles such as the T-Roc and Golf 8. In addition to his leadership responsibilities, George was committed to implementing innovative technological concepts, transforming them into marketable products and services. His focus was squarely on tackling the multifaceted challenges posed by the advent of electromobility, digital innovation and technological disruption. Alongside his professional journey, George has been a lecturer at TU Dortmund University since 2018, where he previously obtained his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering. Currently, George serves as an Interim Chief Strategy Officer for cleantech companies while also fostering partnerships with Venture Capital firms in Southeast Europe.
Dr. Nektarios Michail | Economist, Cyprus University of Technology
Nektarios has been involved in a variety of roles throughout his professional career in the financial services sector, ranging from research positions to front line analyst and trading roles, in regulators, brokers, and investment funds, allowing him to obtain a hands-on experience with global markets. He has also been academically active, holding an adjunct lecturer position at the Cyprus University of Technology since 2016, with a focus on innovation and startup valuations. Nektarios’ experience and abilities, combining academic vigor with professional practice, focus on the financial side of startups, assisting them to realistically assess their potential market and customers, as well as setting clear and attainable targets, including how to properly create and implement their business strategy and how to optimize pricing. As a result, startups can crystallize their ideas and reach their full potential faster and more efficiently. Nektarios holds a Ph.D. in Financial Economics from the Cyprus University of Technology, with his research appearing in both the press and various scientific journals.
Valentinos Evripidou | Cofounder and CEO of Pixel Actions
Valentinos Evripidou is the Cofounder and CEO of Pixel Actions, a boutique digital web agency based in Limassol and the Cofounder of Politica.io, a multi-segment platform for political analysis, real time reporting and visualisations. Prior to founding Pixel Actions, Valentinos has worked as a Research Assistant in Artificial Intelligence at Imperial College London and as a Software Engineer in various organisations. He holds a BSc in Informatics from the Athens University of Economics and Business and an MSc in Software Engineering from Imperial College London. He is an Executive board member of the Cypriot Enterprise Link and part of the organising team of hack{cyprus}.
Anastasia Constantinou | Head of the Innovation Management Unit at the Research and Innovation Support Service, University of Cyprus
Dr. Anastasia Constantinou is a Senior Officer at the Research and Innovation Support Service of the University of Cyprus. She is the Head of the Innovation Management Unit dealing with the protection and management of the intellectual property rights, the Knowledge Transfer Activities and the Research and Innovation Contracts of the University. She also supports the activities of the Centre of Entrepreneurship, C4E of the University of Cyprus. Since February 2019, she is the YUFE, Young Universities for the Future of Europe, Institutional Coordinator for UCY, a strategic project for the creation of one of the first European Universities in Europe. Since October 2020, she is a member of the Policy and Framework Committee of the 7th Parallel Parliament for Entrepreneurship of Cyprus.
Dr Anastasia Constantinou combines academic, industrial, business and consulting background in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Research for more than 25 years having lived and worked in three countries, UK, Greece and Cyprus. She actively supports the development of start-ups and spin-offs in Cyprus, having played a key role in the design and development of the IDEA Incubator-Accelerator, the first of its kind in Cyprus and in the design and coordination of the IDEA Accelerator training for its first two cycles. She teaches academic and practical courses on entrepreneurship and Innovation, business model and business plan formulation and regularly provides mentoring to Cyprus based start-ups and spin-offs. She has played an instrumental role in the creation of academic spin-offs, in the patenting of technologies and in negotiating licensing agreements for the exploitation of research results from Universities and research institutions.
Since March 2019 she is an evaluator for the European Commission for the SME Instrument, subsequently the EIC Accelerator programme. She is also the main inventor of an international industrial patent.
Anastasia holds a BSc in Metallurgy from the University of Manchester, UK, an MSc in Materials Research and a PhD in Materials Engineering from Imperial College London, UK and an MBA (Entrepreneurship) from CIIM, Cyprus. In 2019 she participated in a three-week International Visitor Leadership (IVLP) Program by the U.S. Department of State entitled ‘Entrepreneurship as the Engine of Prosperity and Stability – Strategic Innovation’ in the US.
Dr. Sotiris Petrakides | PhD. Mechanical Engineering / Founder & CEO InoMob LTD
With an enduring dedication to the pursuit of excellence, Dr. Petrakides acquired extensive experience by leveraging applied research in developing novel technologies towards zero-emission propulsion, and production/utilisation of advanced biofuels. Capitalizing upon his doctoral research performed within Loughborough University UK, he has then worked as a collaborative research program leader between Tianjin University China and Loughborough University UK, developing advanced gaseous fuel combustion strategies for a plethora of propulsion systems. Several publications in high rated peer reviewed journals highlight the quality of his academic research. Upon his return to Cyprus, Dr Petrakides employed as a research consultant within Maritime Institute of Eastern Mediterranean, coordinating various regional and EU RTDI projects. In the meantime, he introduced his own cleantech StartUp company named InoMob LTD, where he is currently an energetic CEO. The novel company is active in the field of advanced biofuel production and sustainable utilisation. Since his return to Cyprus, he holds the position of a visiting lecturer at the Cyprus University of Technology.
Andrey Kostyuk | Co-founder, AAlchemy Ventures Limited
Andrey is an entrepreneur, a start-up mentor and angel investor with over 25 years of experience. He served as a Board Member and Chairman of Advisory Board in several private merchant banks in Russia, and managed real estate investment fund since 2007. Gradually, his focus shifted to real estate and venture capital investments. He is the founder and CEO of Taurus Aurum Global Property Fund Limited and co-founder of AAlchemy Ventures, a deep mentoring & business acceleration program supported by Deloitte Cyprus and focused on Russian/CIS scale-ups engaged in b2b/b2b2c services, whose ambition is to go global and start doing business in EU. He is also an expert for EIC Accelerator (SME Instrument) at EASME of European Commission, a mentor for ESADE BAN and GU’s McDonough Scool of Business alumni ambassador.
Christis Plastiras | Founder and CEO of Melior Ltd
Christis Plastiras holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge and a Master’s degree in Finance from Imperial College London. He has extensive knowledge in technology, finance and business development and can effectively link, combine and manage the pre mentioned knowledge and give exceptional performance towards a task.
He started his professional career as an investment banker for Société Générale in the City of London, before deciding to move back to Cyprus and start his entrepreneurial journey. Since then, he worked in different positions within several companies in various industries.
In 2010, he founded Melior Ltd, a technology company focusing on software solutions, which grew to become a Group of technology ventures, including: a) Ergodotisi.com, the leading job portal in Cyprus collaborating with more than 12K companies; b) Svelta, a last mile delivery, courier and e-commerce platform which recently received investment from Wakilni, a Middle East start-up that operates in the same space, with plans of further expansion in the broader Region; c) The Online Dot Boutique, a franchise company that operates and licenses Flower Boutique and Cava Boutique, two leading e-commerce brands with same day delivery in Cyprus and recently Athens, Greece and; d) Abacio, a fintech start-up that is developing a personal financial management tool and aims to help Millennials to manage their financials based on their personal goals. He is also the acting CEO of CyprusNet, one of the oldest and most prestigious technology companies in Cyprus, with a portfolio of more than 1750 informational websites.
Furthermore, in 2018 he was appointed as an advisor to the board of Cyprus Mail, the only English language daily newspaper published in Cyprus, responsible for the digital transformation of the media company. Since 2019, Christis is a non-executive Board Member of CDB Bank and a member of the Credit, Risk and Audit committee aiming to help the bank move to the next digital era.
In 2013, he joined CIIM, the leading Business School in Cyprus, as a Business Development Manager to bridge the gap between Academia and the start-up community. He helped in running the Entrepreneurship Center of CIIM (ENTICE) for three years and was a founding member of IDEA, the leading accelerator in Cyprus. In 2016, he started work for Dataffirm, one of Europe’s fastest growing and well-funded alternative investment start-up, based in London. He was the Country Manager and one of the first team members that formed the core management and development team from inception.
Concluding, the need to give back to the community has driven him to join Periklis Foundation, a non-profit organization which provides free artistic education to all children of vulnerable social groups and of financially destitute families in Cyprus, at the role of the Vice-President.
