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2024
Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy
What does it take to scale up a business?
Mr Nicodemos Damianou was born in Lefkosia in 1973. He holds a Sc.B Degree in Computer Science from Brown University USA, a Ph.D in Computer Security & Policy-based Management of enterprise-wide Computer Networks from Imperial College UK, a Diploma of Information Security from Imperial College, and an MBA from the University of Cyprus. He is an IT and Information Security professional with many years of experience in Payment Systems and Fintech, Risk Management Methodologies and Digital Transformation Technologies.
He served at managerial positions within the Bank of Cyprus Group. From November 2017 to January 2024 he was the General Manager of JCC Payment Systems Ltd.
He is married to Rodoula Damianou and has two daughters, Eleni and Sophia.
Nicodemos Damianou
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Margaret Thatcher Professor of Enterprise Studies in Innovation & Growth
Professor Kavadias is the Co-Director of the Entrepreneurship Center, at the University of Cambrdige. He holds a Diploma from the National Technical University of Athens and a Master's and PhD from INSEAD. His research interests include strategy operationalisation, deployment, and execution through innovative business models and processes. He studies larger corporates as well as smaller companies and startups, utilising different methodologies ranging from qualitative case research to lab experiments, econometric analysis, and mathematical economic modelling. Stylianos Kavadias is a member of the Operations and Technology Management subject group at Cambridge Judge Business School, which focuses on practice-based research through partner organisations to address a wide spectrum of management challenges.
Stylianos Kavadias
The Panel 2024
FEATURED EXPERTS
2023
Professor of Decision Sciences and Technology Management
Theodoros Evgeniou
AI & Business: creating value, minimising risks
Theos Evgeniou is a professor of Decision Sciences and Technology Management at INSEAD and director of the INSEAD Executive Education program on Transforming your Business with AI.
He has been working on Machine Learning and AI for the past 25 years, on areas ranging from AI innovations for business process optimization and improving decisions in Marketing and Finance, to AI regulation, as well as on new Machine Learning methods. His research has appeared in leading journals, such as in Science Magazine, Nature Machine Intelligence, Machine Learning, Lancet Digital Health, Journal of Machine Learning Research, Management Science, Marketing Science, Harvard Business Review magazine, and others.
Professor Evgeniou is a member of the OECD Network of Experts on AI, an advisor for the BCG Henderson Institute, an advisor for the World Economic Forum Academic Partner for Artificial Intelligence, and together with three INSEAD alums also a co-founder of Tremau, a B2B SaaS company whose mission is to build a digital world that is safe & beneficial for all. He gives talks and consults for a number of organisations in his areas of expertise, and in the past he has been involved in developing hedge fund strategies with more than $100 million invested. He has received four degrees from MIT, two BSc degrees simultaneously, one in Computer Science and one in Mathematics, as well as a Master and a PhD degree in Computer Science.
The Panel 2023
FEATURED EXPERTS
2022
Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Bayes Business School, University of London
Costas Andriopoulos
The power of purposeful curiosity: How asking the right questions will change your life
Costas Andriopoulos is a Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He joined Bayes Business School (formerly Cass) in September 2014. Before joining Bayes, Costas held a Chair in Strategy at Cardiff Business School, and, prior to that held posts at Brunel Business School, University of Aberdeen Business School and the University of Strathclyde Business School. He has also been a visiting Professor at Said Business School (University of Oxford), Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), Grenoble Ecole de Management, International Hellenic University, and ALBA Graduate Business School.
His main research interests focus on how organizational paradoxes enable innovation in the face of changing technological environments. In particular, he studies how entrepreneurial firms in high-velocity markets can excel at both incremental (exploiting current capabilities) and discontinuous innovation (exploring into new space).
His research, funded by the Carnegie Trust and the Institute for Innovation & Information Productivity has been published in leading academic journals such as Organization Science, Human Relations, Long Range Planning, California Management Review, European Journal of Marketing, International Small Business Journal, among others. He is the co-author of the book “Managing Change, Creativity and Innovation” (2nd Edition, Sage, 2014). Currently Professor Andriopoulos is working on a book about corporate curiosity.
Professor Andriopoulos is an award-winning teacher. He teaches New Venture Creation at the EMBA programme and New Product Innovation at the MSc in Marketing Strategy and Innovation at Bayes Business School (formerly Cass). He has taught executive and senior leadership teams how to manage organizational change and innovation, high-performing teams, entrepreneurial/design thinking, strategic paradoxes and breakthrough innovation. In his teaching, he systematically intertwines theory and practical application (e.g. teaching cases, simulations, in-class exercises).
You can follow him on Twitter @candriopoulos. For more information, you can also check his personal website: https://www.andriopoulos.org
The Panel 2022
FEATURED EXPERTS
2021
Associate Professor at Athens University of Economics and Business, Scientific Coordinator ACEin and Partner at Uni.Fund
Katerina Pramatari
The need for the development of entrepreneurial competencies and the role of Universities in research commercialization
Katerina Pramatari is founding partner at Uni.Fund, a Greek VC fund of €30M in the tech-transfer and innovation window of Equifund that invests in start-ups and spin-offs at pre-seed and seed stage, supporting the growth of new ventures and leveraging the hidden potential that exists in the Greek Universities, R&D and Tech Space.
Katerina has extensive entrepreneurial experience and has been the founder of two technology start-ups. She also serves as Associate Professor at the Department of Management Science and Technology of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) and is among the top European experts/academics in the fields of Internet-of-Things (IoT), retail and business analytics.
She is a key founder of ACEin, a leading University accelerator that has been awarded for bridging the corporate world with University start-ups. Over the last years she has supported various teams in the setup of their own ventures and has been among the initiators and supporters of various activities fostering youth entrepreneurship.
The Panel 2021
FEATURED EXPERTS
Partner at Uni.Fund, Professor at Athens University of Economics and Business, Scientific Coordinator ACEin
Professor at the Cyprus University of Technology / Member Board of Directors at the Electricity Authority of Cyprus
2020
Professor of Decision Sciences and Technology Management
Theodoros Evgeniou
Navigating Data and AI Opportunities and Risks: New Challenges for Business and Regulators
Theos Evgeniou is a professor of Decision Sciences and Technology Management at INSEAD and director of the INSEAD Executive Education program on Transforming your Business with AI.
He has been working on Machine Learning and AI for the past 25 years, on areas ranging from AI innovations for business process optimization and improving decisions in Marketing and Finance, to AI regulation, as well as on new Machine Learning methods. His research has appeared in leading journals, such as in Science Magazine, Nature Machine Intelligence, Machine Learning, Lancet Digital Health, Journal of Machine Learning Research, Management Science, Marketing Science, Harvard Business Review magazine, and others.
Professor Evgeniou is a member of the OECD Network of Experts on AI, an advisor for the BCG Henderson Institute, an advisor for the World Economic Forum Academic Partner for Artificial Intelligence, and together with three INSEAD alums also a co-founder of Tremau, a B2B SaaS company whose mission is to build a digital world that is safe & beneficial for all. He gives talks and consults for a number of organisations in his areas of expertise, and in the past he has been involved in developing hedge fund strategies with more than $100 million invested. He has received four degrees from MIT, two BSc degrees simultaneously, one in Computer Science and one in Mathematics, as well as a Master and a PhD degree in Computer Science.
The Panel 2020
FEATURED EXPERTS
2019
Practice Manager, World Bank's education global practice
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Harry Anthony Patrinos
The Future of Automation and Its Implications for Educational Systems
Harry Anthony Patrinos is the Practice Manager for the Europe and Central Asia region of the World Bank's education global practice. He specializes in all areas of education, especially school-based management, demand-side financing and public-private partnerships. He managed education lending operations and analytical work programs in Argentina, Colombia and Mexico, as well as a regional research project on the socioeconomic status of Latin America’s Indigenous Peoples, published as Indigenous Peoples, Poverty and Human Development in Latin America (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006).
He is one of the main authors of the report, Lifelong Learning in the Global Knowledge Economy (World Bank, 2003). Mr. Patrinos has many publications in the academic and policy literature, with more than 40 journal articles. He is co-author of the books: Policy Analysis of Child Labor: A Comparative Study (St. Martin’s, 1999), Decentralization of Education: Demand-Side Financing (World Bank, 1997), and Indigenous People and Poverty in Latin America: An Empirical Analysis with George Psacharopoulos (World Bank/Ashgate, 1994). He has also worked in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. He previously worked as an economist at the Economic Council of Canada. Mr. Patrinos received a doctorate from the University of Sussex.
2017
Executive Director, MIT Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation
Leon Sandler
Commercialization research: Why it matters; What is its impact & the MIT experience?
Leon Sandler is a seasoned innovation and entrepreneurship leader best known for his 18-year tenure as Executive Director of the MIT Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation, where he guided hundreds of MIT faculty research projects toward real-world impact and startup creation. Under his leadership, the center supported more than 550 researchers and helped over 50 projects become companies addressing challenges in health care, energy, the environment, and communications. Sandler’s work focused on mentoring teams, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, and educating innovators on how to translate research into viable commercial solutions. Prior to his time at MIT, he held senior management roles in industry and worked as a startup CEO and consultant. He retired from the Deshpande Center in 2024 but continues to advise emerging innovation leaders.
The Panel 2017
FEATURED EXPERTS
2016
Managing Director of IDC Beyond
Nava Swersky Sofer
Entrepreneurship & Academia in the Start-Up Nation
Ms. Nava Swersky Sofer is the Managing Director of IDCBeyond at Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. She is employed at Genopole ® and Genopole 1er Jour, SCR. She founded Columbine Ventures in 2000 and served as its Managing Director. She served as Vice President of Novartis AG. Ms. Sofer also served as the President and Chief Executive Officer at Yissum Group from December 2005 to December 29, 2008. In 1999, Ms. Sofer Founded Columbine Capital and served as its Managing Director until the end of 2000. From 1995 to 1998, Ms. Sofer was a partner of Sanderling Ventures. She served as the Head of Pharma Policy at Ciba-Geigy AG. She served as Managing Director of AG-Tech Fund at Nessuah Zannex Venture Capital Management Ltd. She serves as the Chairman of Atox Bio. She served as the Chairman of Aderis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
She serves as a Director of Proneuron Biotechnologies, Inc. and Optonol, Inc. She served as a Director of EGM International, Inc. (alternate name, World Diagnostics Inc.) since December 2000. She served as a Director of X Technologies, Dynavax Technologies Corporation, Echo Therapeutics, Inc., BioCancell Therapeutics, Inc. and Harmonia Medical Technologies, Inc. She served as a Member of Supervisory Board at Novagali Pharma S.A. Ms. Sofer received her LLB from Tel Aviv University and her MBA from IMD International as well as diplomas from the Sorbonne, the Instituto Trentino and the Goethe Institute.
CIV Research Affiliate / CVR Managing Editor
Nathan Zeldes
Lessons and Caveats of University Venture
Nathan Zeldes, a physicist morphed into an organizational change agent, is recognized as a global thought leader in the search for improved knowledge worker productivity. Having enjoyed a long career as a manager and senior engineer at Intel, he now helps organizations to solve core problems at the intersection of technology and human behavior. Nathan has been active mentoring startup companies since the early nineties, when he represented Intel in a startup incubator in Israel.
Subsequently, when he became globally known as an email productivity expert, he became a valuable resource for startups seeking input on their product and business plans in this space. Nathan holds an MSc in applied physics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His professional activity is accessible at http://www.nathanzeldes. com.Nathan is a long-time collector and student of technology history, and his work as an affiliate researcher at the Coller Institute focuses on the history of venture.
CIV Director of Venture Community
Millennians in Academia - are they a problem or a solution?
Vladi Dvoyris was granted his MBA degree with specialization in management of knowledge-based firms from the Technion (2012), and a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the Hebrew University (2009). Before joining CIV he served as an advisor for several dental enterprises, and is currently engaged in his PhD research, focusing on innovative nanotechnology-based diagnostic devices. Vladi is a popular lecturer and public speaker, and his work at the Coller Institute of Venture focuses on community management, marketing, and the institute’s web-presence.
Vladi Dvoyris
Scientific Officer of RPF
Marcia Trillidou
Development of a National Technology Transfer Office in Cyprus
Marcia Trillidou is a Scientific Officer at the Research Promotion Foundation (RPF), in the Unit for Innovation and Enterprises. She works for RPF since 2003 and during her employment at the Foundation she gained experience in a wide range of fields regarding Research and Innovation Support, including, among others the design and administration of National Funding Programs and the implementation of studies on the design of new support measures and structures. Within this context she has performed the study on the development of a Technology Transfer Support System in Cyprus, gathering international experience and insight to TTO best practices from around the world.
The results of the study served as a basis for further activity regarding the development of a National Technology Transfer Office in Cyprus. Marcia holds a BSc in Mathematics from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Greece and an MBA from the University of Birmingham, UK.
2015
Entrepreneur, Investor and Operator
The Business of Tech Innovation
Ehud has more than two decades of expertise in the high-tech industry as an entrepreneur, investor and operator. Ehud was a Managing Partner at Vertex VC. Ehud was the first to lead the investment and to identify Waze (acquired by Google for over $1 Billion) as a bright star from its start. Previously, Ehud served as Chairman and CEO of Ki-Bi Mobile Technologies. He led the business to its commercial success, an IPO in London, and eventual acquisition. At Telegate, where he was responsible for a restructuring plan that lead to the acquisition of the company for over US$400 million. Prior to Telegate, Ehud was a private equity investor and investment banker in New York and Tel Aviv.
Ehud Levy
Partner Emeritus at Big Pi Ventures
Strategies for Small Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Aristos Doxiadis is General Partner at Openfund, an early-stage technology fund based in Athens. He is a pioneer of private equity in Greece, with 20 years of experience in many industries, from banking software to table grapes. Openfund is a leader in the startup ecosystem, having invested in the most dynamic recent ventures coming out of Greece. Recently he has been researching and writing on the institutional and cultural determinants of the Greek economy. Aristos’ earlier experience includes working on anti-poverty programs for the EU Commission, planning industrial policy for the Greek government, and managing consulting and auditing companies.
Aristos Doxiadis
Entrepreneur
Dr Harry Hatzakis
Believe, it can be done!
Harry Hatzakis is a self-declared nerd, with profound thirst for technology innovation. He has founded and co-founded a number of companies trying to create a “controlled” workbench for his crazy ideas and “what-if” scenaria. Some of those crazy ideas resonated with a big part of the market and have managed to build commercial success out of it. Harry states that “It is extraordinary how much you can push the boundaries of innovation if you lose your ability to sleep at nights; an experience that I feel very privileged to be part of, and I wouldn’t change it for anything”. Harry studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Thessaloniki, did his PhD at Imperial College. He is the CEO and founder of Biotronics3D and is an NED for a number of SME technology companies. He is Entrepreneur in Residence at the Coventry University and Visiting Entrepreneur at the University of Greenwich.