Stavriana A. Kofteros

Stavriana is a Founding Partner of W11 Ventures, a unique boutique growth and innovation advisory and venture friend. She is an Investment Advisor to deeptech VC and FO funds, a member of the Investment Jury Committee of the European Innovation Council (EIC Fund €10bn) for European deeptech startups since its beginning, an EIC Ambassador and a NED Board Mentor to EIC Scaling Club New Biotech Platform startups. Stavriana has been active in the European startup ecosystem, as Cofounder and Chair of Startup Cyprus, a member of EU’s Innovation Ecosystem Leaders Group, member of the European Digital Leaders Network of WEF, and a member of the Innovation Advisory Board of the Biosense Institute in Serbia. She is a Cofounder of the European Startup Network, and has served as Vice Chair and a member of the Transatlantic Council of Allied for Startups, Brussels-based startup advocacy organizations. She is on the Global Advisory Council of G100 for the wing of Humanity, Technology, and Innovation, and the former Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Research Innovation Foundation, the national Research and Innovation fund of Cyprus. She is experienced in startup support on C-Executive and Board roles and deeptech investments with positions in deeptech startups. She holds degrees in Business Administration and Political Science (ULV) and Certificates in Entrepreneurship Development (MIT-Fulbright Scholar), Corporate Finance (Columbiax), and Venture Capital (EVCA).

Hugo Dixon

Hugo Dixon is commentator at large for Reuters and a political entrepreneur. As a journalist, he writes a regular column on geopolitics and geoeconomics. His most recent political campaign has been to channel Russia’s $300 billion frozen sovereign assets to Ukraine via a reparations loan. Dixon was prominent in the campaign to stop Brexit as editor-in-chief of InFacts and one of the founders and leaders of the People’s Vote campaign. He was also one of the initiators of the Group of Seven’s partnership for global infrastructure and investment, a $600 billion plan to help the Global South accelerate its transition to net zero. Dixon was previously editor-in-chief and chairman of the financial commentary website Breakingviews which he co-founded, later selling it to Thomson Reuters. During that period, he played an influential role in the Greek financial crisis, arguing strongly against the country’s withdrawal from the eurozone. Before that, he was the editor of the Financial Times’ Lex Column. He has dual British and Greek citizenship.

Yiangos Hadjiyiannis

From 2008 to 2019 Mr Yiangos Hadjiyiannis was the Deputy Director-General of CIM-Cyprus Business School, in charge for business development and strategy. From 2020 he is the Chief Executive Officer. He is an Independent Non-Executive Director at KEDIPES (Cyprus Asset Management Company), member of the Board of Directors of CIPA (Invest Cyprus) and member of the Executive Committee of the Cyprus Employers & Industrialists Federation (OEB). He is also advisor to many companies on issues of strategy and management. In recent years, he took up a research interest in Economics and Financial affairs and he has published various Articles with the local and international press. He is a commentator for the local media on financial affairs and as such he is regularly hosted on TV and radio.

Tassos Yiasemides

Mr Tassos Yiasemides is a Board Member at KPMG Cyprus, where he heads the Corporate Services and Global Compliance Management Services departments. A Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and graduate of the University of Warwick in Accounting and Finance, who has extensive experience in economic, financial, and tax analysis relating to the Cypriot, European, and international economies, particularly in support of foreign investment. His expertise includes deal advisory, real estate, feasibility studies, valuations, due diligence, and restructuring assignments. Mr Yiasemides manages a broad and diverse client portfolio across multiple sectors and holds CySEC Advanced and Anti-Money Laundering certifications. He is also a qualified insolvency practitioner and a senior trainer at KPMG Academy.

Natasa Kyprianidou

Natasa Kyprianidou is a Financial Services growth and digital transformation executive with 26 years’ experience across global banks, top-tier consulting firms, and entrepreneurship. A specialist in GTM strategy, she brings deep domain expertise in lending, payments, and wealth. She has led enterprise-wide transformations for major UK and European institutions and built digital products used by millions, earning multiple industry awards. In her current role, Natasa is the Founder & CEO of a WealthTech AI-first SaaS venture focused on private markets and wealth advisor productivity. Previously at Barclays, she delivered double-digit growth across digital mortgages and a £2.5bn POS lending franchise (with global clients that include Apple and Amazon), earning consecutive CEO Awards for her customer impact. Natasa combines P&L ownership, industry depth, consulting rigour, and technology provider experience, enabling her to credibly translate complex banking challenges into clear, executable propositions. Her relationship-led approach, extensive C-suite FS network and commercial ownership have helped her consistently originate and grow multi-million-pound engagements. A respected voice in the FS community, she regularly contributes to leading publications on digital banking, RegTech, and financial innovation.

Christiana Aristidou

Christiana Aristidou is a Transnational Technology Lawyer, Founder and Managing Partner of “The Hybrid LawTech Firm,” with over 28 years of experience in business, technology law and regulatory compliance. She specialises in complex, multijurisdictional projects, and advises startups, SMEs, incumbent and governments that integrate advanced technologies, innovative business models, and evolving regulatory frameworks across sectors like fintech, digital assets and sustainable finance, payments and banking, investment funds, energy and sustainable green investments, circular economy, and climate change, property technology and legaltech. Christiana currently serves as the legal advisor to blockchain and AI projects and platforms, including innovative banks, investment firms, EMIs, CASPs, Stablecoin projects, RWA Tokenisation, DAOs, DeFi, the metaverse and WEB3. As a certified trainer, Christiana has repeatedly trained executives and public authorities in Cyprus and across the EU, including regulators such as CySEC and the Central Bank of Cyprus, as well as a large number of private and public organisations. These include well-known banks, EMIs, investment firms, funds, CASPs, FOREX companies, and other entities operating across a wide range of sectors and industries. A funded blockchain expert and Co-Chair of Standardisation for the International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications (INATBA), Christiana actively contributes to global and EU standardisation bodies such as the ISO, CEN-CENELEC, and ETSI, from a great number of Technical Committees, focusing on blockchain, smart contracts, AI, financial services, and sustainability. Notably, she is the Head of the National Delegation to ISO/TC 307 Blockchain Committee and leads global standards under development and the Director of Legal Research for the Blockchain and Climate Institute. Christiana is a regular speaker at technology law events and conferences.

George C. Georgiou

Mr Georgios C. Georgiou is managing director at AllianzGI where he has been head of fixed income specialists as well as portfolio manager and head of investment structuring across equity and debt. Previously, he was head of investment risk at Invesco, overseeing cross-asset strategies, including derivatives, private equity and real estate. In prior roles, Mr Georgios worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, and UBS, in global markets sales and trading, corporate and investment banking, and wealth management. Earlier in his career, he was a regulator at the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority and an economist at the European Central Bank.

Bogdan Capraru

Bogdan Căpraru is a Professor of Finance and Banking at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Romania and associate senior researcher at National Institute for Economic Research, Romanian Academy. He is also a member of the Romanian Fiscal Council, nominated by the Romanian Association of Banks, and vice chair of the Network of EU Independent Fiscal Institutions. He published in high ranking academic journals and he has various editorial expertise as an editor in chief and member editorial board. He is a columnist for main national media and invited speaker by prestigious national and international institutions.

Kyriaki Pilia

Kyriaki Pilia is a Principal in the Technology Consulting Department of KPMG in Cyprus, with more than 20 years of professional experience across the financial and consulting sectors. Over the past decade, she has successfully built and led high-performing teams in Data Management, Risk Management, MIS, Compliance, and Strategy, delivering measurable improvements in departmental efficiency and effectiveness through the design and implementation of robust procedures and processes. Kyriaki is known for her solution-oriented and data-driven approach, applying strong analytical insight to ensure compliance, corporate governance, and sustainable business outcomes. A passionate and forward-looking leader, she focuses on change, people, and the future—developing strategies that support organizational goals while inspiring teams, nurturing individual strengths, and enabling people to reach their full potential.

Shemaine Bushnell

Shemaine Bushnell is an experienced journalist and political writer with a proven track record of covering local and national news, presenting complex stories in a way that engages and informs the public. She began her career at the Fox News Channel, spending several years at the Los Angeles bureau, and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of KNews, Kathimerini’s English-language platform. Shemaine specializes in translating complex political and policy issues into clear, compelling stories, drawing on her deep knowledge of government, social affairs, and international relations. A UCLA graduate in Political Science and International Relations, she brings both investigative rigor and accessible reporting to every story she covers.

George Boustras

George is Professor in Risk Assessment at European University Cyprus, Visiting Researcher at the National Observatory of Athens and Director of the Centre of Risk and Decision Sciences (CERIDES). He is Member of the EU Mission Board on Climate Adaptation. He is a Special Advisor on Civil Protection and Crisis Management to the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides and Scientific Responsible for Civil Protection Programs of the Hellenic Republic under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. George is a PhD in Probabilistic Fire Risk Assessment from CFES at Kingston University London, he was Honorary Research Fellow at CPSE at Imperial College London (2003 - 2005), and KTP Research Fellow at FSEG at the University of Greenwich (2009). He has advised Governments and Organisations and has worked with World Bank, European Commission and Expertise France. George is Editor-in-Chief of Safety Science (Elsevier) and Editor of the Book Series “on the interface of safety and security”, published by CRC Press (Taylor and Francis Group). 10 of his students are PhDs.

Theodoros Zachariadis

Theodoros Zachariadis is a Professor and Interim Director of the Cyprus Institute’s Energy, Environment and Water Research Centre and of the Science and Technology Driven Policy and Innovation Research Centre. He holds a Diploma and a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. In the recent past he has served as a member and a Vice Chair of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency, a Visiting Professor at Aarhus University, Denmark, and an associate editor of the international Journal “Energy Economics”. Since 2020 he has been continuously listed in the top 2% of most widely cited academics globally in the field of Energy. He is the recipient of the 2009 Research Prize of the Republic of Cyprus and the 2019 Environmental Prize awarded by the President of the Republic of Cyprus.

Stella Ioannidou

Ms Stella Ioannidou heads Payment Systems Policy and Oversight at the Central Bank of Cyprus, a role that entails the provision of strategic direction to market participants, as well as the conduct market infrastructures supervision, with a focus on safety, efficiency, innovation and user-experience. Stella has brought expertise gained at the European Central Bank in the areas of promoting integration and standardisation across securities issuance, clearing, settlement, and collateral management. International negotiations constitute a key component of her role, drawing on her long standing engagement in high level European fora and Council of the EU working parties. ICAEW qualified Chartered Accountant and University of Warwick graduate in Accounting and Finance, Stella’s prior professional experience spans investment banking, equity analysis, financial audits, company valuations, due diligence and restructuring engagements.

Vassilios Vrachimis

Vassilios Vrachimis is a Partner at PwC Cyprus and heads up the Consulting Practice. He also holds the role of Chief Digital Officer, and he is the Partner In charge of Government, Public Services and Health at PwC Cyprus. He has significant experience guiding digital transformation projects in the public sector and provides advice to EU agencies and Cyprus government organisations on implementing digital platforms that enhance service delivery and improve institutional performance. His experience spans digital strategy, governance reform, and transformation programme delivery in complex environments underpinning a pragmatic and results driven approach to public sector digital change. He holds FCA and CFA® professional qualifications and he is a graduate of the BA(ECON) degree of the University of Manchester (1998).

Snezana Eminidou

Snezana Eminidou is the Vice Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance, Director of the BSc in Economics and Co-Director of the MSc in Real Estate. Mrs Eminidou also serves as an Assistant Professor of Economics and Econometrics at the University of Limassol. She has received her PhD in Economics from the University of Cyprus (2019), a Master’s in Economic Analysis (2014), and a Bachelor’s in International and European Economic Studies (2012), also from the University of Cyprus. Before joining the University of Limassol, Mrs Eminidou held academic positions including Special Teaching Scientist in the Department of Economics and Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Department of Accounting and Finance at the University of Cyprus. She has also served as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of Innsbruck. Her research lies in macroeconomics and monetary economics, with a particular focus on the effects of monetary and macroeconomic shocks on expectations and the broader economy. Her work also extends to international finance and digital economics, examining how digitalisation and fintech are reshaping economic behaviour, market structures, and the functioning of economic agents. She is currently the Principal Investigator of the project “DiFiCy: Digital Transformation and Fintech: Shaping Cyprus’s Economy,” funded by the Research and Innovation Foundation (2025–2027).

Ruslan Patlavsky

Ruslan Patlavsky is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Blackbeard Asset Management, a CySEC-regulated alternative investment manager focused on sub-investment-grade sovereign and corporate credit across emerging and frontier markets. He has over 15 years of experience managing high-yield, stressed, and distressed credit strategies in both public and private markets, with a strong emphasis on identifying fundamental value through deep credit and legal analysis. Ruslan is a frequent speaker at major fixed-income conferences and occasionally leads specialist workshops on distressed credit.

Flavio Padrini

Flavio Padrini is Director of the Public Finance Division at the Italian Parliamentary Budget Office (UPB), where he leads analyses on public finance forecasts, debt sustainability, and compliance with fiscal rules. In this role, he contributes to evidence-based assessments of Italy’s fiscal framework and its medium-term plans, notably for UPB parliamentary hearings and including work presented to the EU IFIs Network. Mr Padrini has presented on macro-fiscal policy issues at national and European fora and participates in discussions on the evolving fiscal governance landscape within the EU, supporting informed policy making and transparent public finance evaluation.

Georgiana Camelia Georgescu

Georgiana Camelia Georgescu currently holds the position of Dean at the Faculty of Finance and Banking of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE). She is also a Full Professor within the Department of Finance and a Ph.D. Supervisor within the Doctoral School of Finance from the Bucharest University of Economic Studies, teaching and conducting research in Public Financial Policies, Public Finance, Double International Jouridical Taxation, Finance, Financial Controlling and Reporting and Prices and Competition, within bachelor and master’s programmes, at the same time being involved in other projects, as a consultant. Since July 2019 she is a member of the Romanian Fiscal Council and involves in the evaluation of macroeconomic projections underlying the revenue forecast of the consolidated general budget, estimation of the impact of policy measure packages affecting the budget balance, analysis of budget execution, monitorization of compliance with fiscal rules, and also in issuing recommendations regarding current and future fiscal policy. She holds a BA in „Finance and Banking”, a MA in „Banks and Insurance”, a PhD in „Finance” and a Habilitation in ”Finance” from the Bucharest University of Economic Studies. Before holding the position of Dean she has been working as a Vice-Dean at the same faculty for 8 years and has been also working for the National Ministry of Education as an expert within the Control Body of the Minister and also got involved in managing and implementing several projects financed from the European Social Fund, developed in both the public sector and the NGOs. She is Alumnus of the Aspen Public Service Leadership Programme.

Lilia Cavallari

Mrs Lilia Cavallari is the Chair of Italy’s fiscal council, UPB, and Chair of the network of EU fiscal institutions, EU IFI. Mrs Cavallari is also, professor of Economics at the University of Roma Tre. She holds a PhD from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and has a longstanding career in research and academia. She has served as advisor for international organizations and editorial boards. Her track record includes publications in major economics journals on topics regarding international macroeconomics, interdependence mechanisms in the global economy, and the transmission of monetary and fiscal policies.

Nektarios Michail

Dr. Nektarios Michail is the Chief Economist (Economic Research Manager) at the Bank of Cyprus. He specializes in economic analysis, forecasting, and investment analysis for both the domestic and international environments. He has many years of experience in various domestic and international organizations, including the Central Bank of Cyprus, the European Central Bank, as well as investment funds and companies. He holds a PhD from the Cyprus University of Technology (2016). He is the author of two books on banking and investments and has a strong and diverse research background covering economic policy, international economics, finance, and shipping.

Antonis Houry

Dr Antonis Houry is an accomplished banking executive with extensive experience in operations, technology, and financial markets, currently serving as Deputy COO of Eurobank. In his capacity as Deputy COO, Dr Houry is responsible for overseeing the bank’s operational activities, ensuring the efficient delivery of services, implementing process improvements, and driving operational excellence across the organisation. He previously held the position of Chief Information Officer (CIO), where he led the strategic direction of Information Technology, overseeing the development and execution of IT strategies, safeguarding information systems, managing business analysis and project management teams, and aligning technology initiatives with broader business goals. In this capacity, he successfully upgraded the bank’s core systems, spearheaded digital transformation projects, and fostered cross-functional collaboration to drive operational efficiency and innovation. Dr Houry brings a wealth of experience in Wealth and Asset Management, Investment Funds (UCITS and AIFs), Banking, and Capital Markets. He has held senior positions at Citigroup and Commerzbank in London, specialising in complex derivatives and structured products, which has given him a deep understanding of financial instruments and international capital markets. He holds a PhD in Quantitative Finance, an MSc in Communications and Signal Processing, and a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, all from Imperial College London. Dr Houry is registered in the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission’s (CySEC) Public Register of Registered Persons as a holder of the Advanced Certificate. He is also a member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) and the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA), where he served as Chairman of the FinTech Committee for several years.

Andrés Martínez Gonzalez

Andrés holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of León and a master’s degree in Macroeconomic Policy & Financial Markets from Barcelona School of Economics. He joined the High Service of Economists and Trade Experts in 2017. Before joining AIReF, he worked as an economic analyst at the Directorate-General of Macroeconomic Analysis of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, developing econometric models to forecast the main macro variables. He also represented Spain on the European Commission’s Output Gap Working Group.

Natasha Miaouli

Mrs Natasha Miaouli is the Chairperson of the Hellenic Fiscal Institution and Emeritus Professor at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics. Her current research focuses on issues of macroeconomics, fiscal policy, structural reforms in product and labour markets, etc. She has been Dean for the School of Economics AUEB, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the City University London UK, Visiting Professor at Queen Mary College University of London UK, University of Cyprus, and University of Bern among others. Mrs Miaouli has published many papers in international peer reviewed journals, has presented her work in various international conferences and workshops and has been editor of two books in the field of macroeconomics and mathematical economics.

Sandra Krtalić

Sandra Krtalić is a full-time professor at the Faculty of Economics and Tourism "Dr. Mijo Mirković" at Jurja Dobrila University in Pula. At the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, she obtained her master's degree in 1997, and her doctorate in 2001. Her orientation and area of scientific and professional interest are public finance, public sector economics, local public finance and international aspects of taxation. In the scope of scientific research, she is the author or co-author of over 80 scientific papers, the author of numerous reviews of articles, books, and scientific and professional projects. She actively participated in numerous confereces in the country and abroad and was involved as a manager or researcher in several domestic and international projects. As part of broader social activities, she is a member of the Economic Council of the Diocese of Poreč-Pula. In 2006, she was named Economist of the Year for her special merits in the scientific and research work in which she disseminates and promotes the results of research in the public sector domain. In 2019, she was a member of the Working Group of the President of the Republic of Croatia for the development of guidelines for further fiscal decentralization and regional development of the Republic of Croatia. Since 2021, she is President of the Fiscal Policy Commission of the Republic of Croatia.

Patrícia Semião

Patrícia Semião, holds a master's degree in Economics from the Lisbon School of Economics & Management of the Technical University of Lisbon, and has been an Executive Member of the Senior Board of the Portuguese Public Finance Council since January 2025. At the Ministry of Finance since 2012, has held the position of deputy director-general of the Directorate-General for the Budget since 2017, with responsibilities for coordinating and monitoring public finance analysis and for preparing budgetary planning documents. Previously, Patrícia Semião worked in the National Accounts Department of the Statistics Portugal (INE), specifically in the area of General Government Accounts. Patrícia Semião was appointed Executive Member of the CFP's Senior Board in December 2024.