2nd Limassol Business and Investment Summit

Thomas A. Kazakos is the Director General of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber. Mr. Kazakos is also a Member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (ΟΕΒ), as well as, the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ΚΕΒΕ). He has previously served as a Board Member of the Cyprus Ports Authority and the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA). Similarly, he represents the Shipping Chamber at the Board of Directors of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in London and the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA) in Brussels where, since 2015, he has also been appointed as Chairman of the ECSA State Aid Committee. Since November 2017, he has been appointed by the European Commission, to the Board of Directors of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in Lisbon, representing European shipowners. He studied in the UK, where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and a Master’s Degree in European & International Trade Law.

Nicos Nicolaides holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College (USA) and an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California (USA). From 1978 -1981 he worked at the Athen’s Headquarters of METKA SA, a company dealing with the provision and erection of power stations, ports and mining systems. From 1978-2008, he worked with the Electricity Authority of Cyprus holding various engineering and management positions. He served as President of the Board of Cyprus Road Transport Licensing Authority from 2006-2008. From 2008 – 2010 he served as Minister of Communications and Works. In May 2011 he was elected a Member of the Parliament with the Cyprus Social Democratic Movement. He was a member of four parliamentary committees, Finance, Communications and Works, Legal and Agriculture, and the ad hoc Committee for Cyprus Airways. From May 2016 until May 2017 he served as the Chairman of the Committee of Institutions, Merit and the Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman). As an MP he participated in the Cyprus Delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where he was a member of the Committee of Legal Affairs and Human Rights, and the Committee of Culture, Science, Education, and Media. In June 2013 he was elected as the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Culture, Diversity, and Heritage. On December 18, 2016, he was elected Mayor of Limassol.

Dr. Bas Boorsma is a leading urban innovation and digitalization specialist & executive with over 20 years of experience in the 'smart city' space. He serves as CDO to the City of Rotterdam and as Professor of Practice at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. He also serves as Member of the Board, at the Smart City Association Italy (TSCAI). Bas is the author of the well acclaimed book "A New Digital Deal".

Anders Sloth Nielsen has a decade of experience in the cleantech sector and specializes in urban development and how smart city technologies can play a crucial role in developing sustainable cities of the future. Currently, Anders is both a Senior Investment Manager and Head of Sustainable Cities, former Smart Cities, and Mobility at Copenhagen Capacity where his work focus on advising foreign companies and investments on the establishment and investment opportunities in Greater Copenhagen. Prior to CopCap, Anders was employed at a globally recognized cleantech cluster organization, leading various cleantech projects globally through triple-helix partnerships. Anders has also been the founder of a SaaS networking start-up, successfully securing investments from the likes of the Danish Innovation Fund.

George Campanellas is the Chief Executive Officer of the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency (Invest Cyprus) and the Vice President of the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA). He has nearly twenty years of professional experience in Cyprus and abroad, working with the DG Competition in Brussels and directly with the Cypriot Ministers of Health and Energy, Commerce, Industry, and Tourism. Mr. Campanellas has been actively involved with the development of the oil & gas sector in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone, dealing with licensing, exploration, and exploitation activities, as well as promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation at a regional level. Throughout his career, he also had an active role in drafting the regulatory framework and running the relevant licensing procedures for attracting Foreign Direct Investment in sectors of strategic importance and large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the LNG terminal at Vasilikos Energy Center, Cyprus Techno Park, EuroAsia Interconnector and the City of Dreams Mediterranean, Europe’s largest integrated casino resort and Cyprus’ largest FDI project. George Campanellas has been elected to the Steering Committee of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) and has the position of the Regional Directorship of Eastern Europe.

Isavella Frangou is the VP of Sales and Marketing at payabl. She is a specialist in online payments, fintech, and finance, working closely with e-commerce merchants to help them optimize their payments functionality. For the last 8 years, Isavella has been working with payabl., a licensed payments institution and principal member of Visa and Mastercard. Before joining payabl., she held commercial roles in financial services industry companies, including American Express. Isavella holds an MBA in International Marketing and Finance and in International Relations from Depaul University in Chicago, and a BA in International Relations and Europe Area Studies from the American University in Washington DC.

George Malekkos is a Software Innovation Architect dedicated to accelerating the cloud’s successful adoption. He is the CEO & founder of Powersoft Cyprus, a company that has won numerous awards, among them 2 gold awards in computerized accounting and the innovation award from OEB. George is a keynote speaker for cloud computing, futurist speeches for digital transformation, and motivating youth. George is currently a member of CSCC (Cloud Standards Customer Council) and was also the Vice-President of CITEA (Cyprus Information Technology Enterprises Association) for several years, now is the secretary. As a guest lecturer and train the trainer for professors at all major universities in Cyprus for Computerized Accounting, his participation in European projects is vast. In addition, he was one of the 30 members of the Digital Advisory Council of Digital Europe. George mentors and judges on several Start-up competitions in Cyprus and abroad like Digital Champion Cyprus, Hackathon, Microsoft Imagine Cup, EYA -European Youth award, Watify, and lately a national expert for World summit awards an organization for digital innovation from 180 countries.

Yana Raevskaya holding position of Legal department Manager in Prospectacy, holder of Bachelor of LLB and MBA from University of Cyprus. She is a Member of CBA. She is an accomplished lawyer, she has extensive experience with projects related to online business with investors from various countries. Her areas of practice include Corporate & Commercial Law, Trusts and Intellectual Property Protection. During the past 4 years of her career, she focuses on transforming the business idea into operational Company which will enjoy the benefits provided to the foreigner’s investors by the Cyprus Legislation. She speaks Greek, Russian and English.

Nawaf Abdulla is currently holding the position of Chief Executive Officer at DP World Limassol in Cyprus, a UAE national, joined DP World in 1997 back in Dubai, UAE. It is now 25 years being in Ports and Maritime sectors. When joined DP World, only two Ports in UAE were within the company’s portfolio wherein today the group has interconnected global network of 295 business units in 78 countries across six continents. Mr. Abdulla’s expertise and leadership is throughput Ports Management including various developments and expansion projects of facilities within the port industry, mainly in UAE, Middle East & Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe. Mr. Abdulla held several managerial roles within the Port Management and Maritime sector, focusing on financial results of business units, including strategic decisions, investments opportunities, and building relationship with shareholders / stakeholders. Mr. Abdulla’s leadership style focuses on driving results while delivering outcome throughout empowerment, delegation, and mentoring of individuals within the business unit.

Tony Antoniou is a graduate of the Imperial College London University, holding a Bsc in Computing Science, and the City University Business School, holding an MSc in Business Systems Analysis and Design. In 1981 he has established the company Micrologic Ltd, which was one of the very first software houses in Cyprus. Today, Micrologic is one of the largest groups of companies, involved in the information technology field, still run by Mr. Antoniou. Mr. Tony Antoniou is currently Chairman of the Limassol Tourism Development and Promotion Co Ltd, a nonprofit organization that is the official tourism body of the Limassol region. He has served in the past as Chairman of Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vice-Chairman of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chairman of Cyprus Airways the national carrier of the Cyprus Republic, Director of the Cyprus University of Technology, and Chairman or Director of the Board in many public, semi-government and private organizations.

Nikiforos Pampakas is the General Manager of Limassol Marina, the first superyacht marina in Cyprus which has recently been completed. Nikiforos brings with him significant experience, particularly in business marketing, sales, and customer service, acquired through his diverse roles in multiple sectors in Cyprus and abroad. He also holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Bedfordshire in England. He began his career as the Project and Marketing Manager at the British Association of Medical Managers England. He later moved on to Pafilia Property Developers in Paphos, Cyprus, where he served in various roles in the Marketing Department. As his professional expertise expanded, Nikiforos went on to serve as Marketing and Sales Manager at Kanika Developments Ltd in Limassol. As General Manager of Limassol Marina, Nikiforos plays a vital role in ensuring its ongoing success by overseeing all efforts pertaining to the strategic development, sustainable growth, and overall smooth operation of this multi-million-dollar award-winning Marina development.

Yangos Hadjiyannis studies at the University of Nottingham where he earned an LL.B. with a First-Class Honours. He then moved to the University of Cambridge (Trinity Hall) where he earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies and the next year, he earned an LL.M. in International Law with First Class Honours. In 2022, he completed successfully the highly exclusive Executive Education program “Authentic Leadership” at Harvard University. He is the CEO of The Cyprus Institute of Marketing. He is a member of the Board of Directors of CIPA (Invest Cyprus) and Chairman of the Promotion Committee.

Sunil Kapoor is the Director of FML Ship Management Limited in Cyprus, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fleet Management Limited, a Caravel Group Company. The company was established by Mr. Kapoor in 2007. He has an engineering background with a degree in Marine Engineering from DMET, Calcutta, a leading university in India. He began his career at the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI). During his tenure with the SCI from 1981 to 1992, Mr. Kapoor spent most of his time at sea. After sailing with SCI, Mr. Kapoor came ashore in 1993 to work with Lloyds Register as a Surveyor based in India for about three years. Subsequent to this, in 1996, Mr. Kapoor joined Fleet Management Limited in Hong Kong as a Technical Superintendent. Over the years, Mr. Kapoor has risen through the ranks of Fleet Management to his present role as the Director of the Company’s Cyprus operations. He is also a board member of the Cyprus Marine Club and Cyprus shipping chamber and Cyprus Maritime institute. Mr. Kapoor sits on the Technical committees of all the major Classification societies.

Mark Klerides is Director at CMK Eurofinance and CFO at Global Carriers, where he is responsible for finance, treasury, sourcing, and structuring of shipping investments. Previously, he held Finance positions within the John Fredriksen Group in London, including Ship Finance International and Knightsbridge Tankers. He commenced his career with KPMG London in Audit, specialising in insurance companies. Mr. Klerides is currently a Board member at Olympia Group, Cyprus Union of Shipowners and National Bank of Greece (Cyprus) where he Chaired the Risk Committee and was a member of the Audit Committee. He has spearheaded Cyprus’ successful bid to host the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 and is a member of the Finance Commission of FIBA Europe. He is a fellow chartered accountant (ICAEW) and a member of ICPAC’s Shipping Committee. He is a University of Manchester graduate and is married with three children.

Marios Konstantinou is an experienced professional with extensive international exposure in the areas of General Management, Marketing, Commerce, and Trade. With a degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado and an MBA from the University of Memphis, he worked for PepsiCo International for 18 years where his last position was the GM and president of the BODs in Greece and Cyprus. In March 2018 he joined CHARALAMBIDES CHRISTIS LTD as the CEO of the company.

Andrea Ioannou is a fashion expert with 10 years of work experience in the Luxury Fashion Retail Management of Cyprus. She’s the General Manager of CARA boutiques. She has also served as a journalist and TV presenter in the local media. She has a Bachelor's degree in LL. B Law from City University London and Masters of Arts in Digital Media and Communications with a double specialization in Journalism and PR/Advertising from the University of Nicosia, where she has graduated with a 4.0 GPA (Summa Cum Laude honors). In 2016, Andrea represented the Luxury segment of Cyprus in the panel discussion at the 2nd Fashion Retail Summit in Cyprus, organized by the IMH Group.

Vasilis Michailidis created TOPRETAIL in 1990 after his return from the United States where he stayed for ten years. During his stay in the United States, Mr. Michailidis has gained valuable working experience and completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at St. John’s University in New York, holding a BA degree in Marketing.

Yiannis Misirlis is the founding director of Imperio Group, one of the most reputable and sustainability-focused real estate companies in Cyprus. He holds three University Degrees from London and Madrid; a BSc in Civil Engineering & an MSc in Information Technology from University College London (UCL) and an International MBA from IE Business School in Madrid. He is a regular speaker at major forums such as the Economist in New York and London. His opinions have been published in the Financial Times, Hong Kong Times, Vedomosti Moscow, and Gulf News. He was also voted "Businessman of the Year" by the newspaper Politis in 2010 and was named "Manager of the Year, 2017" by Inbusiness magazine.

Oren Plotkin has accumulated vast experience in the construction and development of real-estate projects, since 1996. During these 25 years of activity, Oren has managed and has been a partner in a group of companies involved in the construction of more than 200 projects as sub-contractors either as turnkey contractors. These projects were of different sectors, such as residential, commercial, hotels, airports, and infrastructure located in Israel, Romania, Jamaica, Turkey, Caicos, and more. Managing these activities involved all aspects of real estate projects’ development-purchase of lands, planning (both on the municipal and district levels), financing, construction, and marketing.

Max Portelli is the CFO of BrainRocket and has years of experience in accounting and auditing, starting his career with KPMG Malta before becoming the financial reporting accountant for the airline of the Maltese islands. He also undertook a successful five-year tenure as a chief financial officer for the payment services provider Entercash. Max brings extensive skills in management, accounting, and payroll and a deep understanding of external audits and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Kevin Sweet is the Vice President of Finance & Property Chief Financial Officer of City of Dreams Mediterranean and Cyprus Casinos. Prior to that, Mr. Sweet served as Melco’s Vice President, Finance and Property Chief Financial Officer at City of Dreams Manila. Mr. Sweet possesses fifteen years’ experience in the Gaming industry, working in various financial and operational roles across three countries and six jurisdictions. Mr. Sweet graduated with a BS in Business Economics from Louisiana Tech University, United States.

Petr Valov founded Exness in 2008 with a vision of creating a company driven by strong ethical values and a science-based, algorithmic product approach. A software developer since his school days, Petr studied IT and programming at university, and in the early days of Exness, he acted as the sole creator of its technologies. Today, after taking the company from strength to strength over a span of 13 years, he runs one of the world’s most successful and respectable online brokerage companies, headquartered right here in Cyprus. Petr’s vision is to see Cyprus become the Silicon Valley of the Mediterranean: an IT center fit to attract the biggest tech talents in the world. His faith in this vision is one of the reasons for his investment on the island and the decision for Exness to be headquartered here.

Prospectacy is a consulting and advisory firm that specializes in providing personalized services to corporate clients, individuals, and e-commerce businesses. They offer a wide range of solutions, including tax planning, legal services, company formation and management, and e-commerce solutions. Their experienced professionals work closely with clients to understand their unique needs and develop tailored strategies to help them achieve their goals. With a proactive and collaborative approach, Prospectacy is an excellent partner for anyone seeking expert advice and support for their business or personal needs.

H Demetriades Handling, μέλος του Ομίλου Δημητριάδη, με τεχνογνωσία και εμπειρία 27 χρόνων κατάφερε να θεωρείται ο μοναδικός παροχέας ολοκληρωμένων λύσεων αποθηκών και ν’ αποτελέσει ένα από τους σημαντικότερους προμηθευτές επαγγελματικού εξοπλισμού αποθήκης, αλλά και υπηρεσιών. Διαθέτει καινούργια και μεταχειρισμένα forklift , ανυψωτικά μηχανήματα, ράφια αποθήκης, εξοπλισμό καθαρισμού, πατώματα, handlifts, και γενικά οτιδήποτε αφορά την αποθήκευση και διακίνηση εμπορευμάτων. Παράλληλα προσφέρει υπό ενοικίαση τον μεγαλύτερο στόλο μηχανημάτων με μακροχρόνια συμβόλαια ενοικίασης. Παρέχει εξαρτήματα για όλων των τύπων φορκλιφτ, διαθέτει σύγχρονες μονάδες συνεργείων και επιπλέον 10 κινητά συνεργεία επιδιόρθωσης με άρτια εξειδικευμένο προσωπικό.

Emerland Real Estate by Gilad Shabtai is a pioneering development company, with a long-term vision for Cyprus. At the core of the business is an unwavering focus on premium quality, high-end development projects. This is reflected in an expertly curated asset portfolio of landmark investments, which elevate the destination. Gilad Shabtai is a well-known multinational businessman from Israel. He founded and runs successful operations across a wide range of industries from real estate to technology, with offices in over 15 countries around the world. Best known for the sale of his majority shares in telecoms start-up Viber, which were acquired for $900 million in 2014, Shabtai also built strong ties in Cyprus, with over 25 years of experience investing in real estate on the island.

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture and has surveyed more than 100 million employees around the world and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace experience. We help organizations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. Our culture management platform, empowers leaders with the surveys, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven™ people decisions. We certify companies as a Great Place to Work® through our Employee Survey, from where we detect how the employees feel about their company’s workplace culture and help companies elevate their employer branding, by showcasing their excellent work environment and attracting talent. Everything we do is driven by our mission: to build a better world by helping every organization become a Great Place to Work For All™.

CIM-Cyprus Business School was established in 1978 in Nicosia as The Cyprus Institute of Marketing and has been operating also in Limassol since 1984. Originally set up to promote the science of Marketing in Cyprus and abroad, during the last 45 years CIM-Cyprus Business School has evolved into an all-round Business School, offering an array of programmes at both Undergraduate as well as Postgraduate level – from Business Management to Accounting and Finance, Shipping, Human Resource Management, Luxury Hospitality Management and Law. Over the years, CIM-Cyprus Business School has provided the opportunity to more than 10,000 students to acquire acclaimed qualifications and fulfil their aspirations. A lot of our students are individuals who had missed out, for one reason or another, on the opportunity to study after graduating from secondary school, yet who always had the desire to pursue learning, gain further knowledge and qualifications, and advance their careers. Though CIM serves students of all ages and all walks of life, we still offer evening classes exclusively – in order to cater for the needs of working individuals. We still put emphasis on combining theory and practice and remain committed to offering the best and most accessible education at the most affordable fees.

Conferience is the ideal web-app for event organizers, presenters, market researchers and team leaders all over the world. Engage your audience in any kind of online or/and physical event, facilitating direct interaction among them. It is excellent for any kind of online or/and physical event, including lectures, presentations, webinars, conferences, forums, trade shows, polls, training courses, seminars, workshops, school classes, universities, focus groups, research & internal (corporate executive) meetings.

TechIsland is a non-profit organisation, a Tech Association for IT companies, VC funds & startups, with a mission to help make Cyprus the top destination in the region for world-class technology talents. TechIsland fosters Cyprus’ innovative ecosystem through policymaking, ecosystem development projects, social projects, events & networking. The organisation represents more than 184 companies, which employ more than 10,000 employees in Cyprus and employ over 53,000 employees globally.

The Limassol Chamber of Commerce & Industry was established in its present form in 1962 and represented the first concerted effort of the Limassol business community to have an organization to defend its interests and promote economic growth. This year (2022), the Chamber completes 60 years of life and creative presence at the forefront of initiatives to promote entrepreneurship and achieve optimum economic development. The Chamber remains as committed as ever to its twin objectives, of supporting its members in various ways and lobbying for development projects that will enhance Limassol’s competitiveness and upgrade its inhabitants’ quality of life.

As the flagship publication within IMH’s media brands, IN Business magazine, has a 16-year history, during which thousands of examples of good business practices by businesses and businesspeople, brands, commercial practices and developments have been showcased. The aim of IN Business was – and continues to be – the promotion of good Cypriot business. www.inbusinessnews.com

GOLD was first published in 2011 as the first monthly English-language business magazine in Cyprus. Today, it not only consistently promotes good business practices, focusing on the promotion of Cyprus as an international business centre, but has a unique readership, comprising High Net Worth Individ­uals, executives of international companies, and English-speaking Cypriot and non-Cypriot busi­nessmen and women.

REPORTER has made a splash in Cyprus’ digital media thanks to its combination of news and reporting the latest developments through its own exclusive brand of people-centered and social reporting. Following its launch, within a very short period of time Its team of journalists had made it the third most viewed news Portal in Cyprus.