What is innovation? – Ioannis-Michail (Yiannis) Loverdos (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hellenic Republic), Marios Papadopoulos (President of the Thessaloniki Chamber of Crafts), Kyriakos Merelis (President of the Professional Chamber of Thessaloniki)
Who the
Speakers are:
Speakers
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Ioannis-Michail (Yiannis) LoverdosDeputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hellenic RepublicIoannis-Michail (Yiannis) Loverdos, born in Vyronas, Greece, on 10 April 1959, currently serves as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He has had a long and multifaceted career in journalism, media, and public life. Over the years, he has worked as a political editor and columnist for major Greek newspapers, including Kathimerini, To Vima, Proto Thema, and Apogevmatini, among others. His journalistic career has also extended to radio, where he has served as a reporter and producer for prominent stations such as SKAI 100.4, Athina 9.84, Flash, and ERA 1. In addition, he has been active in television as a presenter of news programmes and bulletins on ERT, Mega, Alter, and Blue Sky.
Alongside his media career, he has maintained a significant presence in public and political life. From 2014 to 2019, he served as Secretary of the Municipal Council of Vyronas. Since 2019, he has been a Member of the Hellenic Parliament representing New Democracy. During his parliamentary tenure, he has participated in a number of important committees, including the Committee on European Affairs and the Committee on Public Enterprises, Banks, Public Utility Organizations, and Social Security Agencies.
Mr Loverdos studied at the School of Law of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. In addition to his native language, he speaks English fluently and has a basic knowledge of Italian and Spanish. He is married and has two children.
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Dimitrios PapantonisProfessor Emeritus, National Technical University of AthensDimitrios Papantonis, Professor Emeritus, born in Pireaus (Greece) in 1951, Mechanical Engineer of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), 1974, degree of Hydraulic Engineer and Docteur-Ingenieur degree from Ecole Nationale d’ Hydraulique de Toulouse (ENSEEIHT), 1977.
Since 1981 until his retirement in 2018 he was a Faculty Member of the Mechanical Engineering School of NTUA and from 1997 up to 2018 Professor on Hydraulic Turbomachines and Director of the Laboratory of Hydraulic Turbomachines of NTUA. He has been performing and directing research in the area of numerical flow prediction on hydraulic turbomachines, test modelling, transient phenomena and optimal sizing of small hydroelectric power plants, pumped storage, hybrid energy plants.
He has been scientific director of numerous projects, in most of them acting as co-ordinator. He is the author of 4 books and the editor of one international book.
In the period 2009-2013 he was the Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering. From 2014 until 2018 he was the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Administration of the National Technical University of Athens.
Member of committees of the Ministry of Energy and of GGET for the financing of renewable energy plants and member of the Board of Directors of PPC Renewable Energy, Hellenic Energy Exchange and Clearing of Energy Exchange S.A. From 2021 member of the Board of Directors of RAEWW (Regulatory Authority for Energy, Water and Waste) and for a five-years term. -
Marios PapadopoulosPresident of the Thessaloniki Chamber of CraftsHis studies in Economics did not manage to keep him away from the art of pastry making which he loved since his childhood, growing up in a family with Asia Minor origins and full of oriental aromas and recipes
He is President of the Thessaloniki Confectioners’ Shopkeepers’ Association
First Vice President of O.E.Z.E. Federation of Professional Confectioners of Greece
Vice President of the Board of Directors of the European Confederation of National Federations of Bakers and Confectioners C.E.B.P.
President of the Chamber of small and medium Industries of Thessaloniki.
In 2022 he was elected to the honorary position of President of the jury at the World Competition (COUPE DU MONDE DE LA BOULANGERIE) in Paris. This competition is the largest and most important in the world and this position is given to a Greek for the first time.
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Kyriakos MerelisPresident of the Professional Chamber of Thessaloniki