The 21st Leadership and Human Resource Management Conference

Cleo Papadopoulou is qualified as an accountant incidentally as she went to London to study dance. She joined PwC in 1992 and ten years and three children later became the first female partner. Today Cleo is the Chief Learning Officer and the Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer and a member of the Management Board of PwC Cyprus. She is also in charge of corporate responsibility and heads services offered to the shipping industry. Throughout her career her focus has always been people. She is an accredited Executive Coach and certified trainer. Passionate about I&D she helps organizations develop diverse & inclusive work environments and designs and facilitates I&D trainings and workshops.

Dr. Helena Dalli is the first EU Commissioner for Equality who has been entrusted by President von der Leyen to deliver on the Union of Equality chapter, by strengthening Europe’s commitment to equality and inclusion. Dr. Dalli has held various political roles in Malta, including Member of Parliament (1996 to 2019), Minister for European Affairs and Equality (2017 to 2019), and Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties (2013-2017). Commissioner Dalli holds a PhD in Political Sociology from the University of Nottingham, and has lectured at the University of Malta.

Johannes Smits is a highly experienced strategic advisor who works with top management and HR Leaders on the workforce of the future. Prior to joining PwC, he held senior positions in professional services, automotive and FMCG. He works with companies across industries on topics of HR, Reward, Diversity and Inclusion and equal pay and he is passionate about inspiring, empowering and enabling people and organisations to embrace the opportunities of the workforce. Johannes is leading PwC’s “People in ESG” practice across the EMEA region which includes an important capability around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. He developed PwC’s EQUALSALARY Certification service which enabled him to gain in-depth insights on equal pay practices across the world.

Linda Boyd is the Founder & CEO of KLEU, an award-winning digital emotional fitness coach for workplaces, which enhances employee wellbeing, engagement and performance. Linda is a serial entrepreneur, whose purpose is to empower people with the knowledge and tools fulfill their highest potential as human beings. She is a passionate advocate of learned Emotional & Social Intelligence (ESI)as the key to a happy and meaningful life. Linda holds a BA in Psychology & Industrial Relations from the University of Sydney, Australia. She is an accredited Emotional Intelligence (EI)Coach, Master Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and qualified in Clinical Hypnotherapy. Linda is a long-standing member of The Entrepreneurs Organisation (EO), alumnus of the CEO Institute, Springboard Enterprises (SBE) and Ambassador for the global ChangeMakersRuleBreakers (CMRB) community. She has also held non-executive director (NED) board positions in the not-for-profit sector.

Tyler John is a diversity and inclusion specialist, with experience of advancing inclusion and wellbeing agendas in both public and private organizations. Tyler was a member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team at King’s College London, where he contributed to a range of interdisciplinary and intersectional projects. Most recently, Tyler has taken on the role of Inclusion + Wellbeing Partner at Wagamama, where he leads on the curation and facilitation of the inclusion and wellbeing agenda for the entire organization. Tyler is passionate about intersectional feminism and the role that representation plays in creating inclusive spaces.

Dr Georgia Thrasyvoulou is a full-time lecturer at CIM and the Director of Student Affairs and HR. She holds a Psychology Degree from the University of Cyprus, a master’s degree and a PhD in Organisational Psychology from the University of Leeds. She is a licensed Occupational and Organisational Psychology Practitioner. She is also a holder of a Post-Graduate Certificate (PGCHE) for teaching and learning in Higher Education and a fellow member of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). She has been a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Cyprus Centre for Business Research at CIM since 2017, where she is actively engaging with the centre’s research activities and conferences. She has been involved with lecturing in various Universities and Institutions including Leeds Trinity University and the University of Cyprus. Her working experience in the private and public sector in Cyprus as a practitioner Organisational Psychologist equipped her with professional experiences and expertise.

Marianna Hadjiandoniou is an expert in HR strategies, and business reorganizations. She is an Executive HR professional and experienced consultant, with a wide exposure to local and international companies. She practices HR Consulting, with a focus on defining and implementing HR strategies, initiating the HR function during start up operations, and managing the HR aspects of large-scale reorganizations. She has a solid background in managing all HR areas and downsizing exercises, as well as mass recruitment and restructuring. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and she holds an MSc in Human Resource Management from Surrey University, UK. She is a certified CSO Professional as of January 2021 and she served as the Secretary of the Board of Directors in CSR Cyprus from July 2020 until July 2023. Marianna is a Trainer accredited by HRDA (Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus). Marianna is currently a board member of Red Cross Limassol branch, since November 2021 and an active member of BPW (Cyprus Federation of Business and Professional Women). In the past Marianna was also a Secretary at the Federation of Associations of Parents of Public and Community Kindergartens in Limassol area from Sep 2015 until Oct 2016.

Andrew Williams has been the Global Head of HR of Libertex Group since 2018 and he has HR experience for over 25 years. His long multinational experience covers the design and implementation of HR strategy, change management, mergers and acquisitions/new business integration, new office setup, organisational design, talent management, executive level recruiting, compensation and benefits. He has extensive experience in building and managing HR teams in several countries and has worked for multi-national companies in the past such as Wargaming, Qatar First Bank, Morgan Stanley, Visa and Qatar National Bank among others. Andrew is also a qualified tax professional.

Róbert Balušík is an entrepreneur, mentor, and former performer from Slovakia. He has experience with artistic performances for thousands of people (including the President of the Slovak Republic and ministers). He co-founded and ran an IT company while studying Applied Computer Science in Czech Republic. After delivering IT web solutions for about 140 clients he decided to switch the role. As a Strategic Projects Manager at LEAF (NPO) he focuses on uplifting the start-up ecosystem in Slovakia along with providing mentoring & knowledge support for young professionals and students. His “superpower” is handling all the responsibilities while being physically disabled.

Hanna Naima McCloskey (she/her) is of Algerian-British heritage and the Founder & CEO of Fearless Futures. Fearless Futures serves daring companies - across sectors - ready to actively challenge inequities by addressing their roots, intersections, and lived realities. FF facilitates transformative equity and inclusion learning experiences, in-person and online, and partners with global clients through consultancy in service of designing equitable ecosystems for people and products. Hanna founded Fearless Futures - after a varied career working for the UN, NGOs and the Royal Bank of Scotland, across communications, research and finance roles.

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.

Andrea Antoniou was appointed Regional Managing Director of Iron Mountain Central and Southern Europe in 2020. In this role, Andrea is currently responsible for leading the information management business in 13 countries across the region. Andrea holds a degree in Social Studies and Anthropology from Panteion University of Athens. She started her professional career at Fileminders in 2008 from the Operations Department of the company. Over the years, she has held various positions within the organization, helping her gain specialized experience and knowledge in the field while also enabling her to assume the position of Managing Director. In 2017, the acquisition of Fileminders by Iron Mountain finds her in the position of Managing Director of the company in Cyprus. In a short time she was promoted to Regional Managing Director leading more and more countries in the region. In addition to Cyprus, her regional responsibilities were gradually extended to Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and now include all the countries of the Central and Southern European region.

Aleksandra Sulimko is the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at TheSoul Publishing where she leads the Human Resources department, bringing her expertise to strengthen day-to-day operations of a global team spread across 70 countries. She also ensures her team supports each business division to drive employee well-being, empowerment, and development. Based at the company’s headquarters in Cyprus, Aleksandra is a Harvard Business School alumna. She joined TheSoul from Exness, an international and award-winning financial brokerage company, where she introduced employee learning programs and supported personal career development across all company levels. Before this, Aleksandra worked for Team Training International and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in positions focused on coaching, employee career path training, and organizational consulting.

Nicoletta Tillyrou is the EMEA Talent Acquisition Manager at Amdocs. She is part of the company for the last 5 years leading the Cyprus growth talent strategy and driving the talent attraction and acquisition strategy for EMEA region. As a recruitment industry professional with more than 9 years’ experience across public and private sectors, she has contributed to establish innovative employer branding concepts that helped to position Amdocs Cyprus as an employer of choice. Nicoletta is passionate about identifying new ways of attracting talent in a challenging market, establishing the campus recruitment strategy across countries, and managing processes to provide an agile candidate journey.

ECOMMBX represents the new age of fintech, revolutionizing the way businesses handle their global transactions. We specialize in e-account management, cross- border payments, personal & business cards, acquiring, and multi-currency conversions, all through our ECOMMVERSE, a single, innovative and intuitive platform that gives you instant access to all of ECOMMBX’s services.

Our innovative service model is based on four cornerstones: cutting edge technology designed for the global banking industry; customized connections with banking partners around the world; stringent security; and maximum operational speed.

In short, our ECOMMVERSE is your go-to address for e-accounts and related products as well as a series of other services and benefits that make your business operate smoother and life easier.

Jobalito is an online job finding platform designed & developed to slash recruitment costs for organizations by seamlessly and efficiently connecting them with talent. Jobalito offers a range of flexible & fully automated tools designed to offer complete and efficient solutions to organizations looking to recruit new talent or conduct branding efforts in the active job market. Jobalito is powered by Infocredit Group, the leading provider of business intelligence and risk management solutions for 50 years. www.jobalito.com

Part of the Libertex Group, founded in 1997, Libertex is an online broker offering tradable CFDs with underlying assets being commodities, Forex, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, and others. Libertex also offers investments of real stocks. Over the years, Libertex has received more than 40 prestigious international awards and recognitions, including “Best Trading Experience” (Ultimate Fintech, 2023) and “Best CFD Broker” (World Finance, 2023).

Parimatch Tech is an international product company that develops technology and marketing solutions for the entertainment industry and the Parimatch brand. A growing number of local operators and partners across Europe, Asia, and Oceania use company’s tailored technology solutions and brand to facilitate business in their regions. Parimatch Tech has developed a corporate culture that conveys the spirit of the brand, inspires people to take on new challenges and provides comfortable working conditions. The company’s headquarters is located in Limassol.

Safe Bulkers, Inc. is an international provider of seaborne transportation services of dry bulk commodities. With a modern fleet of 44 bulk carriers and an outstanding orderbook for 9 newbuildings (EEDI - Phase 3, NOx-Tier III), the Company’s vessels transport a wide range of dry bulk cargoes across the globe, including major bulks as grains, coal and iron ore and other minor bulks as bauxite, alumina and fertilizer. The Company is incorporated in the Marshall Islands with offices in Cyprus, Greece, Monaco and Switzerland. The Company is listed on the NYSE since 2008 with its common stock trading under the symbol “SB”. Safe Bulkers is the largest ship-owner under the Cyprus Registry with 42 out of 44 of its vessels flying the Cyprus flag.

Wolt is a technology company that makes it incredibly easy to discover and get the best restaurants, grocery stores and other local shops delivered to your home or office. Wolt works together with tens of thousands of merchant partners as well as with over a hundred thousand courier partners across 23 countries and more than 250 cities. The Helsinki-based company was founded in 2014, employs over 6,000 people today, and is led by its co-founder and CEO Miki Kuusi. On November 9, 2021, Wolt and DoorDash announced they are joining forces. DoorDash’s acquisition of Wolt was finalised in June 2022.

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 Marketing, Business, to Accounting and Finance, Shipping, and Human Resource Management, Law, Hospitality Management and other. 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.

The Project “University Labor Market Liaison Offices” which is co-funded from the Structural Funds of the European Union and from national resources, aims to improve the association between Universities, the labor market and its needs. The Project’s focus is on placing students in businesses and organizations, as a part of their curriculum, with a view to gaining professional experience. Eight Universities participate in the Project, which is coordinated by the University of Cyprus.

The CFA Society Cyprus promotes the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence in the local financial sector, for a sustainable economy and the ultimate benefit of society. It creates networking opportunities, enhances professional relationships, is active in expanding financial literacy, builds relations with universities and supports diversity, equality and inclusion. It has 250+ members, who are also members of the US-based CFA Institute, which awards the title of Chartered Financial Analyst, implements a Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct, provides educational resources and funds and distributes academic research in cutting-edge topics that contribute to and improve global best practices in financial analysis and investment management

National Betting Authority is a legal entity of public law and is governed by the Betting Law of 2019. The Authority is responsible for the licensing, regulation and supervision of the betting activity which is conducted within the Republic of Cyprus. Furthermore, the Authority has the responsibility for collaboration and discussion with competent agencies, public services and international organisations for issues relating to the betting industry. Moreover, it is responsible for the implementation of specific measures to be taken for the protection of young people, vulnerable groups from addiction to betting. For more information, see the website www.nba.gov.cy

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.