Andreas K. Andreou
Ηead of the Library's Information Systems and Technologies Department, University of Cyprus Library; Member of the Advisory Committee of the Cyprus Library
Andreas K. Andreou (Andreas Kapandreou) is a librarian and writer. He studied Librarianship, Information Sciences and Educational Sciences (Continuing Education). He works at the University of Cyprus as the head of the Library's Information Systems and Technologies Department. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Cyprus Library, an honorary board member of the Cyprus Association of Librarians and Information Scientists (CALIS) and a member of the Board of the Hellenic Spiritual Club of Cyprus (EPOK). He is an ex-member of the Council of the University of Cyprus, while he was also president of the CALIS. In 2010 he co-authored, together with Filippos Tsimpoglou, the Strategic Development Plan of the Cyprus Library: from reality to ideal, through the possible. He is also the author of five literary books. His works have been translated and published in other languages.
George Hadjigeorgiou
Deputy Director, Cyprus Library
Fotini Tsiridou
Member of Parliament, Deputy Chairperson, Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice and Public Order, House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus
Fotini Tsiridou is a member οf parliament at the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, representing Limassol since 2021. She is Deputy Chairperson of the House Standing Committee on Legal Affairs, Justice and Public Order and a Member of the House Standing Committee on Transport, Communications and Works, of the House Standing Committee on Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance and of the House Standing Committee on Human Rights and on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women. She holds a Bachelor of Law (LLB) from City University of London and a Master of Laws in Maritime Law (LLM) from University College London (UCL). She is Barrister-at-Law as member of the Middle Temple of England. She is a lawyer and partner at Costas Tsirides & Co. LLC.
Stephen Wyber
Director, External Affairs, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Knowledge Rights 21
Stephen leads work at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions to raise the profile of libraries and their work in wider discussions, and underline how strong and inclusive library services help deliver on broader policy goals. He has a particular focus on questions around copyright and advocacy, through his engagement in the Knowledge Rights 21 Programme. In this, he makes the case for laws that enable libraries to fulfil their roles and missions in a digital age.
Stephen has worked for IFLA for almost a decade, in a variety of policy and advocacy roles. Previously, he worked at the UK Delegation to the OECD and British Embassy in Paris, covering economic and social affairs. He studied at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and the College of Europe.
Elena Diomide-Parpouna
Director, University of Cyprus Library
Elena Diomide-Parpouna is the Director of the University of Cyprus Library. She holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Library and Information Science from institutions in Greece and the United Kingdom, as well as a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Cyprus. She is an ex officio member of the University Senate and a member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Library Consortium. She has also served as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Cyprus Library under the Ministry of Education and Culture. A strong advocate of Open Science, she actively participates in and supports collaborations, initiatives, and special programmes at institutional, national, and European level. At the same time, she promotes the role of libraries and librarians in supporting teaching and research within the institution, as well as within the broader cultural and scientific community in Cyprus.
Giorgos Savvinidis
Journalist
Giorgos Savvinidis was born in Thessaloniki. He is a graduate of the Department of Journalism of the School of Arts, Communication and Cultural Studies at Frederick University. From 2001 to 2006 he worked as a journalist at Haravgi, while since 2003 he has been involved in writing cultural articles. Since 2007 he has been working at Phileleftheros as an editor and cultural columnist. He has also worked as a copywriter and scriptwriter for advertising companies. He has been a member of the jury of the Cyprus Theatre Awards (THOC) and an honorary member of the Film Advisory Committee. Since 2019 he is a member of the Film Classification Council.
Michalis Kalamaras
Co-curator, Limassol International Book Fair Conference; publishing consultant, Thinking; founder, eAnagnostis.gr
Michalis, with studies in Greek philology, has more than 15 years of experience as a book professional. Since 2013, he works in consulting, digital marketing and content development at Thinking, an Athens-based technology and design agency providing digital services and products for the book industry in Greece and abroad. Since its inception in 2022, he is co-curator of the Limassol International Book Fair Conference in Cyprus. He founded eAnagnostis.gr (“e-reader” in Greek), in 2008, a news and analysis website on digital editions, ebooks and audiobooks, and the digital transformation of the book industry. He has participated in conferences and seminars including FutureBook, ReBoot Books, SIDT Books, Readmagine, Digital Publishing Summit and Let’s Talk!, and he has attended international book fairs in Abu Dhabi, Bologna, Cairo, Frankfurt, London, Sharjah and Thessaloniki. He is a member of the Network for the Research on Typography and Publishing (DETE) and of PEN Greece.
George Glossiotis
Librarian; National Coordinator in Greece and Cyprus, Knowledge Rights 21
Giorgos Glossiotis holds a degree from the Department of Librarianship (ΤΕΙ Athens) and a Post-graduate Diploma in IT and Management. Currently works for the Organisation for Mediation and Arbitration as Head of the Library and of the IT department. Member of the Association of Greek Librarians and Information Scientists since 2000, has served it from many positions as General Secretary of EC, Vice President, and President. He was elected as EC of EBLIDA, SC of MLASand of the IFLA’s Regional Division Committee Europe for two terms. He is national coordinator for Greece and Cyprus for the project KR21.
Marios Zervas
Director, Cyprus University of Technology Library
Marios Zervas holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from the Centre National des Arts et Metiers (CNAM) in France and an MBA from the Open University of Cyprus. Since November 2006, he has been the Library Director of the Cyprus University of Technology and a member of the Senate. He developed effective partnerships with the local community and proceeded to digitize important archives for the preservation and promotion of Cyprus' cultural heritage. He created the first institutional repository in Cyprus following international standards and practices using open-source software. It is a strong advocate of Open Access (OA) and Open Science (OS), promoting good practices and contributing to the creation of funds and policies to promote OA. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, it has proceeded to create the Union catalogue of school libraries. He contributed to the establishment of the Cyprus Association of Academic Libraries (ACLB) and subsequently to the creation of the non-profit company Consortium of Cyprus Libraries (CCLB), where he continues to be vice-president and a member of the negotiating team. He was a member of the IFLA School Library Committee, a member of the Board of the Cyprus Theatre Museum, and a member of the Cyprus Library Advisory Board. He organized major conferences in the field of research libraries. He was the coordinator of the Erasmus+ project "Building the Capacity of Librarians and Educators in Information Literacy," which was recently awarded by the European Union.
He created the first institutional repository in Cyprus following international standards and practices using open-source software. It is a strong advocate of Open Access (OA) and Open Science (OS), promoting good practices and contributing to the creation of funds and policies to promote OA. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, it has proceeded to create the Union catalogue of school libraries. He contributed to the establishment of the Cyprus Association of Academic Libraries (ACLB) and subsequently to the creation of the non-profit company Consortium of Cyprus Libraries (CCLB), where he continues to be vice-president and a member of the negotiating team. He was a member of the IFLA School Library Committee, a member of the Board of the Cyprus Theatre Museum, and a member of the Cyprus Library Advisory Board. He organized major conferences in the field of research libraries. He was the coordinator of the Erasmus+ project "Building the Capacity of Librarians and Educators in Information Literacy," which was recently awarded by the European Union.
Giorgos D. Vrakas
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Law, University of Cyprus
Giorgos D. Vrakas is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Cyprus within the ONISILOS COFUND Fellowship Programme, supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant. His research primarily focuses on online copyright law, with particular interest in the challenges posed by digital technologies and platforms to traditional copyright frameworks. He has contributed to the academic debate through publications and conference presentations addressing the evolving intersections of copyright, the internet, and European law. See more information here
Eleni Singou
Senior Collection Management and Development Librarian, University of Nicosia Library
Eleni Singou is the Senior Collection Management & Development Librarian at the University of Nicosia Library, where she has been working since 2011. She is responsible for the administration of the Library Services Platform, Alma, which was recently implemented, as well as other library systems. She has worked across multiple departments, including circulation, distance learning services and cataloguing. Her primary focus has been Information Literacy, where she has designed and taught credit-bearing courses, delivered tailored instructions, created guides and tutorials, and participated in relevant actions and committees. She holds a degree in Library Science and Information Systems from the International Hellenic University (formerly ATEITH), a master's degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Nicosia, and a certification in Library Instruction from the Library Juice Academy. She is currently a member of the IFLA Standing Committee on Information Literacy.
Giannis Tsakonas
Director, Library & Information Center, University of Patras; Vice President, Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER)
Giannis Tsakonas is Director of the Library & Information Center, University of Patras, Greece and Vice President of LIBER (Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche - Association of European Research Libraries). In the past (2016-2022) he has been elected to the Board of Directors of Hellenic Academic Libraries Link and he served as Vice President of the Hellenic General Council of Libraries, Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs (2016-2019). Giannis works consistently for twenty years to offer options to researchers to meet the needs of the society, including his work on enabling libraries to develop services, frameworks and infrastructures to serve this mission and multiplying the effects of Open Access in scholarly communication.
George Andrew Zannos
Managing Director, Greek Collecting Society for Literary Works (OSDEL)
Since 2016 George Andrew Zannos has been the Managing Director of the Greek Collective Management Organization OSDEL (in the field of reprography). He has extensive experience in the field of intellectual property, especially in relation to the cultural sector.
Since 2016 George Andrew Zannos has been the Managing Director of the Greek Collective Management Organization OSDEL (in the field of reprography). He has extensive experience in the field of intellectual property, especially in relation to the cultural sector. He studied law in Germany (University of Freiburg) and Greece (University of Athens) and went on to obtain an LL.M in Intellectual Property from UCL (London). Since 1989 has been a member of the Athens Bar Association with rights of audience before the Hellenic Supreme Court. In his professional practice as a lawyer he has represented many important music authors, organizations such as the Union of Greek Composers, the Collective Management Organizations ERATO (performers) and OSDEL (reprography), the Orchestra of Colours, the Camerata of Megaron, BSA (Business Software Alliance), recording companies, publishers, film producers, and others. He has also served as legal counsel (advisor) in the Office of the Greek Minister of Culture (2009-2012) coordinating the Minister’s legal team and contributing to policy issues in the field of copyright and culture and has sat on the Boards of the Greek National Opera, Greek Public Radio and Television (ERT) and the Greek Film Festival.
Mina Charalambous
Director, University of Nicosia Library; Member, IFLA Regional Division Committee Europe
Mina Charalambous is the Director of the University of Nicosia Library. Her educational background includes a bachelor's in communication studies and a master's in library science. She has spent the past 30 years in the field of librarianship, while she has served on EBSCO's advisory board since 2010. She has served on the board of directors of the Cyprus Library Consortium (CALC) since 2018. She was a board member of the Cyprus Association of Librarians and Information Scientists (CALIS) as Organizational Secretary (2008 to 2012) and since 2024 is a board member of CALIS as Secretary of International Relations. She is a member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Regional Division Committee Europe since 2025.
Mauro Spagnol
Director, literary agency Books Everywhere
Mauro Spagnol is the Founder and Director of Books Everywhere, an agency registered in the United Kingdom but rooted in Mauro’s Italian heritage. After more than 20 years in publishing—working with companies such as Quarto Publishing and Michael O’Mara Books in the UK, Mauro decided in 2019 to establish his own agency, with the goal of giving independent publishing houses across Europe a stronger voice. Book Everywhere began by representing Italian (Arka, Il Castello, La Margherita), Portuguese (Edicare), Catalan (Mosquito Books Barcelona) and Dutch (Lantaarn) publishers. The literary agency’s mission has always been to promote and sell children’s books from non-mainstream publishers, showcasing the vibrancy and creativity of independent publishing across Europe. Since then, the agency’s list has continued to grow: Books Everywhere supported Dobrovsky Publishers in the Czech Republic by promoting their graphic novels; it added more Italian publishers to represent on the international stage, including Aboca, an independent and environmentally conscious publisher; it has been working closely with Hoepli in Italy, which, ahead of the 2025 Bologna Book Fair, launched a new children’s list for which the agency holds exclusive representation; it also represents Ikaros, a boutique publishing house from Greece; and, in addition, it has recently partnered with the UK publisher DoReMi. Looking ahead, Books Everywhere is preparing to announce the addition of an Italian publisher specializing in adult illustrated books. The agency firmly believes that countries like Italy, with their wealth of talented authors and illustrators, remain underrepresented internationally. It considers its mission to change this. Books Everywhere also strongly believes that Mediterranean countries, sharing so many cultural and creative values, should work more closely together to build stronger ties in publishing.
Hélène Pasquet
Editorial Director Fiction and BD, Bayard Éditions; Vice president, Children’s book group, French Publishers Association (SNE)
A graduate in literature and economics, Hélène Pasquet worked a few years for Editis before taking charge of promoting French literature and intellectual debate at the French Embassy in Tunisia. She joined the Bayard group in 2008. Since then, she has passionately edited children's novels, from first readers to young adults. She is currently head of the Comics and Fiction editorial division at Bayard Jeunesse and Milan publishing houses. In this role, she supervises the editorial teams and the creative studio. She defines editorial policies, develops the lists for both brands and represents them. She is also vice-president of the Children’s book group of the French Publishers Association (Syndicat national de l'édition - SNE).
Mirella Batziania
Responsible for the content and management of bookpoint.gr, Greek Collecting Society for Literary Works (OSDEL)
Mirella Batziania was born in 1968 and attended studies in the IT field. For 22 years she worked as a freelancer in sales and sales training. Since 2014, she has been working at OSDEL, the Greek Collecting Society for Literary Works, and is currently responsible for the content and management of the Books in Print database, bookpoint.gr
Eleni Papageorgiou
Publisher, Metaichmio Publications; Board member, Association of Greek Publishers and Booksellers (EN.EL.VI.)
Eleni Papageorgiou was born in Athens in 1986 and is a publisher at Metaichmio Publications. She holds an undergraduate degree in Communication, Media and Culture from Panteion University of Athens, an Mphil in Popular Literature from Trinity College Dublin, an MBA in Cultural Management from Santillana University in Madrid and an MA in Publishing (distance learning) from Oxford Brookes University. She has been working at Metaichmio Publications since 2012.
Giorgos Savva
Publisher, Sofita Publications; Board member, Cyprus Publishers Association
George Savva is a children’s book publisher at Sofita Books. With studies in Economics & International Business,he entered the publishing field in 2002, dedicating his work exclusively to the creation and production of interactive children’s books that combine imagination, education, and play. Over the years, his publishing house has collaborated with authors and illustrators from various countries. As a member of the Cyprus Publishers Association (S.E.KY.), he actively participates in book fairs and cultural events in Cyprus and abroad, with a strong commitment to promoting reading, creativity, and cultural entrepreneurship.
Elena Perikleous
Commissioner for Children's Rights of the Republic of Cyprus; educator; author
Elena Perikleous is the Commissioner for Children's Rights of the Republic of Cyprus. She studied education and has a Master’s degree in Environmental Education. She writes mainly for children but also for adults. She is an Educator, ex-Coordinator of Cultural Education at the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus and e-xPresident of the Cyprus Association of Children’s and Young Adults’ Books (CYBBY - IBBY Cyprus). Elena Perikleous is an incurable bookworm. She officially received the title when she read her 1000th book. Somewhere there, nearing “they lived happily ever after,” she decided that she wanted to truly live better and since then she reads and writes. She always carries with her her literary pharmacy, which is full of lifebuoy-books: stories that chase away sadness, and along with it all other afflictions: loneliness, anxiety, jealousy, selfishness… tenderly embracing the soul.
Evi Triantafyllides
Founder & CEO, Worldwide Buddies
Evi is the founder and author at Worldwide Buddies: a boutique publisher that creates picture books and games for children to discover the world. One of her books, "The Book of Cultures", is amongst the 10th most backed children’s book campaigns on Kickstarter. Through Worldwide Buddies, Evi has worked on international licensing deals with Scholastic, Psichogios, Penguin India and the US restaurant chain, Chick-fil-A. Worldwide Buddies’ products can be found in over 1000 stores, including places such as Barnes & Noble, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hudson Books, Nordstrom and WHSmith. Worldwide Buddies is the exclusive publisher of the Emmy-nominated PBS KIDS show, Rosie's Rules.
Demetris Skourides
Chief Scientist for Research, Innovation and Technology, Republic of Cyprus; Chair of the National AI Taskforce; Chairman of the Board of Directors, Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF)
Demetris Hadjisofocli
CEO, Center for Social Innovation (CSI)
Demetris C. Hadjisofocli is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Center for Social Innovation. Previously, he was the Director for Business Development for Worldcom's Digital Ventures Group, in the United States. He also worked with companies such as UUNET Technologies, AOL, ANS Communications, and MCI Telecommunications, all of them pioneers in developing and adapting new ICT technologies. His expertise evolve around Intellectual Property Rights, localization for entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems, innovation and entrepreneurship processes, operational efficiencies, project planning and management, action based systemic problem resolution and solution development processes, developing creativity as a competitive edge, training, and organisational synergies and collaboration, and online education systems. The last 20 years he participated in over 350 funded projects, while being the leader in 50 of those in the areas of entrepreneurship, online learning platforms, digital curricula, and life sciences. He is an innovator, and a serial entrepreneur. He is also a mentor/coach and a motivator at various business idea development ecosystems with youth level audience. He led an effort and is a proponent of the development of strong and substantive links between Businesses and Academia, through the creation and management of Liaison Offices between academic institutions, businesses, and the government of Cyprus, created the first business accelerator connected to the University of Nicosia, and the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, invested in startups, introduced and developed the Junior Achievement program in Cyprus and is one of the leaders of the startup ecosystem in Cyprus. He holds a BSBA in Marketing and International Business and an MBA in Strategic Planning & Entrepreneurship Development both from The Ohio State University, an LLM in Corporate Law and Intellectual Property Rights from the University of Salford, an MPhil in Innovation and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems from the Catholic University of Murcia, and a Doctorate degree (DBA) with field of interest in “Localized Operational and Production Business Ecosystems, with focus on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, by leveraging Contextual Thinking Principles and Artificial Intelligence tools”.
Sara Lloyd
Group Communications Director & Global AI Lead, Pan Macmillan
Sara Lloyd is Group Communications Director and Global AI Lead at Pan Macmillan. In addition to chairing and leading the company’s communications group and driving strategic transformation across its communications functions, she is responsible for developing the trade group’s AI strategy globally, informing and engaging both internal and external stakeholders, developing principles and policies in relation to AI use, leading on AI safety and ethics and facilitating a culture of innovation and change. Her career over the last 30+ years has spanned newspaper, academic, reference, Scientific, Technical, and Medical (STM) and consumer publishing and she has played a key role in transforming many publishing businesses from print to digital, and leading change projects more broadly, driving and delivering cultural as well as structural and process change. She is a regular presenter and writer on many topics including innovation, change, leadership and marketing, looking to share and inspire others. Sara has been selected as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Publishing by The Bookseller trade magazine every year since this list was initiated, she was named Futurebook Leader of the Year in 2016 “for the sheer breadth and depth of her impact on the publishing world”, and she is one of the “Futurebook 40”, a list of the top 40 innovators across the publishing industry, published for the first time in 2018. Sara is a passionate advocate for Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in publishing and the wider creative industries and has been a Board Trustee for New Writing North since 2019.
Alexandra Büchler
Director, Literature Across Frontiers; Chair, Culture Reset; Board member, ENLIT - European Network for Literary Translation
Alexandra Büchler is Director of Literature Across Frontiers (LAF). A cultural manager, translator and editor, she was born in Prague and has lived and worked in Greece, Australia and the United Kingdom, where she co-founded LAF in 2001. She has served on the executive board of the advocacy network Culture Action Europe, UK Translators’ Association, European Civil Society Platform for Multilingualism, and is currently on the board of Wales PEN Cymru and ENLIT, the European network of national organisations supporting literary translation. She has initiated, developed and implemented many international projects in cooperation with partners, including workshops, seminars, public debates, conferences and literary showcases, as well as large-scale projects based on exchange residencies connecting cities across Europe (Sealines, Tramlines, Word Express). As translator and editor, she has published over 25 books, including prose and poetry, anthologies of short fiction and books on modern art and architecture.
Emily Diamandopoulou
Founder, Rhyme&Reason and RIMA Language_Tech_Culture
Emily Diamandopoulou is a Greek-Scottish translator with more than 25 years’ experience in translation and interpreting. She is the founder of Rhyme&Reason Language Services and RIMA Language_Tech_Culture.
She has translated over thirty books and published seven specialised English-Greek dictionaries, while also serving as editor for a number of English-language academic journals.
She is actively involved in research projects on translation technologies in partnership with national research institutions and chairs the organising committee of Language_Tech Patras, an annual event devoted to translation and new technologies. She teaches Translation Technologies at the University of Piraeus Centre for Lifelong Learning and is a member of the LangOps Institute as well as the Artificial Intelligence Working Group of the Panhellenic Association of Translators.
In parallel, she promotes green entrepreneurship and the New European Bauhaus initiative in the cultural and creative industries.
Haris Ioannides
Co-founder, Limassol International Book Fair; publisher, Armida Books; Board Member, Cyprus Publishers Association
Haris Ioannides grew up in Nicosia, Cyprus and studied in Canada and the US. He has been in charge of Armida Books for over 22 years. He has dedicated his professional life to promoting Cypriot authors overseas, with Armida now boasting several titles in translation in over a dozen languages. He is also one of the founders of the Limassol International Book Fair, a member of the board of the Cyprus Publishers Association, and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Cyprus Library.
Established in 1995, Armida is a multiple award-winning indie publisher based in Nicosia, Cyprus. Armida publishes intelligent contemporary Fiction and distinguished Non-Fiction of the highest standard, by both local and international authors, with a focus on the Eastern Mediterranean region. After receiving the EUPL prize in 2010, Armida became and has since remained one of the leading exporter of literary rights of Cypriot Greek literature overseas.
Despina Pirketti
Literary translator
Despina Pirketti was born in Cyprus in 1973. She holds a BA in Translation Studies (Ionian University, Corfu) and two MAs: in English Literature and Comparative Cultural Studies (University of Cyprus) and in Theatre Studies (Open University of Cyprus). She works as a copyeditor and literary translator between Greek, English and French. Recent translations include: Lu Yao, Life (English to Greek, Armida 2025)· Wajdi Mouawad, Mère (French to Greek, for THOC, Cyprus’s National Theatre, January-March 2025); Pavlos Pamborides, And a wake-up (Cypriot Greek to English, Armida 2025); Desmond Egan, Selected Poems (English to Greek, Armida 2024); Giorgos Christodoulides, Selected Poems 1996-2021 (Greek to English, Armida 2021); Stass Paraskos, The Mythology of Cyprus (English to Greek, The Orage Press, UK, 2018); Stephanos Stephanides, The Wind Under my Lips (English to Greek, Rodakio, Athens 2018).
She writes theatre reviews and contributes essays on literary translation, the most recent one titled “Manifestations of Greek in the English Original of The Wind Under My Lips, featured in Shifting Horizons and Crossing Borders: Thinking with Stephanos Stephanides (ed. Angelos Evangelou, Brill 2024).
She is also the author of the novel Αίαντα ήθελε να τον λένε (Exantas, Athens 1999) and two staged plays: Sommerfugl (Larnaka 2014; London 2018) and Anaesthesia (Larnaka 2016).
Marios Tannousis
CEO, Invest Cyprus - Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA)
Marios Tannousis is the CEO of Invest Cyprus. He has more than twenty-nine years of international corporate experience, with twelve years in the international banking and Financial Services group Societe Generale, where he served various key posts.
He is a Member of the Board of the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) and co-founder and member of the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA). He also served as President of the Cyprus Finance & Leasing Association and Board Member in various other organizations and bodies
He is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) and holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Rutgers University, NJ, USA and an MBA from Mankato State University (MSU), MN, USA. He has also completed the FinTech program of Oxford University, Said Business School and the program on Transformational Leadership of the University of Cambridge Judge Business School.
He is certified for offering investment services and has a special interest in Economic Development and job creation through Investments especially in Banking, Financial Services, FinTech, Investment Funds and Private Public Partnerships across economic sectors.
He represents Cyprus in various international and European Conferences.
Ahmed Rashad
CEO, Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah; Board Member, Egyptian Publishers Association; Executive Committee member, International Publishers Association (IPA)
Ahmed Rashad is the CEO of Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah Publishing House, one of the leading publishing houses in the Arab world with a history spanning over 40 years. With more than 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. He was appointed by the Minister of Investment and External Trade of Egypt as Vice President of the Export Council for Printing, Packaging, Paper, Books, and Artistic Works. Currently, he serves on the Executive Committee of the International Publishers Association, becoming the third Arab to hold this position in the organization’s 130-year history. Additionally, he is a board member of the Egyptian Publishers Association and acts as a consultant for various cultural entities. He is also a former Vice President of the Arab Children's Publisher Forum, part of the Sharjah Book Authority (UAE).
Lina Chebaro
Chief editor, Rights Director, Arab Scientific Publishers (Lebanon); Copyright Manager, Thaqafa for Publishing and Distribution (UAE)
Lina earned a Master’s in Publishing Studies from Oxford Brookes University, reflecting her dedication to lifelong learning and professional excellence. Her resilience and determination were recognized with the university’s prestigious “Achievement in the Face of Adversity” award.
As the Director of Copyrights and Editor-in-Chief for three leading publishing houses—Arab Scientific Publishers, Inc. in Lebanon, Thaqafa Publishing & Distribution in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Arab Scientific Publishers in Saudi Arabia—Lina has made significant contributions to the advancement of the Arab publishing industry. Over the past thirty-five years, Arab Scientific Publishers, Inc. has evolved into a dynamic and influential publishing entity, boasting a catalog of over 6,300 titles across diverse genres, including children’s literature, young adult fiction and non-fiction.
One of Lina’s most remarkable accomplishments lies in her significant contributions to the enrichment of the Arab publishing sector. She has acquired translation rights for books originally written in 17 languages, including English, Russian, Chinese, and French. Her efforts in translating the "Chinese Silk Road" books into Arabic stand as a unique achievement, fostering cultural exchange and mutual understanding between civilizations. Additionally, her dedication to bringing the works of renowned authors such as Dan Brown, Stephen King and Jeff Kinney into Arabic has greatly enriched Arabic literature with internationally celebrated literary works.
Hanife İçten
Key Account Manager for English-Language World, Cyprus, Greece, Türkiye & Azerbaijan, Frankfurt Book Fair
Hanife was born in a village near Kütahya, Turkey, close to Aizanoi. She came to Germany at 9 months old and considers herself a cosmopolit and a Greek by heart. She lived in Cologne until University and she studied at Münster, Cardiff (Wales), Strassburg and Frankfurt am Main. Hanife holds a Masters in English Philology and loves reading in German, English and Turkish. She Started working for Frankfurt Book Fair in the year 2000. Since 2017 she has been responsible for customers from the English-language world, Cyprus, Greece, Türkiye and Azerbaijan. She lives currently on a remote German island in the North Sea, where no cars or other vehicles are allowed.
Nenad Bogdanovic
Planning and Development Coordinator, Head of Creative Europe Desk Cyprus, Organization for European Programmes and Cultural Relations (OEPCR)
With over 20 years of experience in international cultural cooperation and EU cultural and youth funding programmes, Nenad Bogdanovic is Planning and Development Coordinator at the Organisation for European Programmes and Cultural Relations (OEPCR). In that capacity, he serves as Head of Creative Europe Desk Cyprus, National Contact Points for “Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values” (CERV) programme and New European Bauhaus. Also, he serves as Focal Point of the Cyprus national member of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) and similar global initiatives operated by the OEPCR.
Yiola Klitou
Τranslator, conference interpreter, actress
Yiola is a driven and creative professional working as a freelance translator, conference and court interpreter, and actress since 1997.
She holds a BA in Translation from the Ionian University's Department of Translation and Interpreting and an MA in Conference Interpreting from the University of Cyprus in collaboration with the EU. Her working languages are Greek (A), English (B), and French (C). As a professional translator, she specializes in legal, financial, medical, and literary texts, including plays. She has been a Sworn Translator of the Republic of Cyprus since 2019.
With over twenty years of experience, Yiola is an active conference interpreter for various subjects, and an experienced court interpreter for both civil and criminal cases.
Finally, she is a qualified actress with an Actor's Diploma from the Vladimiros Kafkarides Drama School. She has been an active member of the cultural community in Cyprus with credits in theatre, television, and cinema, and with more than a dozen staged translations of plays in Greek by many theatre companies in the country.
Theo Votsos
Translator, cultural journalist
Theo Votsos, born in Stuttgart in 1966 as the son of Greek migrant workers, works as a freelance translator of Greek and German literature. He also works as a film and literature editor for various print and online media.
He studied political science, sociology and philosophy in Konstanz and Tübingen. In 2001 his comprehensive study on Antonio Gramsci's concept of civil society was published by Argument Verlag. His published translations include the works of numerous classical and contemporary Greek authors, e.g. by Jannis Ritsos, M. Karagatsis, Stratis Myrivilis, Alexis Panselinos, Vassilis Papas, Helene Varopoulou, Agoritsa Bakodimou, Lila Konomara, Christos Chryssopoulos and others, on the one hand, Robert Walser, Jeremias Gotthelf, Gottfried Keller, Adolf Muschg, Paulus Hochgatterer, Eugen Ruge, Nelle Neuhaus, Timur Vermes, Lucy Fricke and others. on the other hand. He lives between Cologne, Germany, and Thessaloniki, Greece. In Cologne, between 2001-2017, he has been involved in various projects in the free cultural scene, e.g. worked as a program officer for the Cologne Mediterranean Film Festival and as managing director of the intercultural theater and cultural center "Bühne der Kulturen". Since 2008 he has been working exclusively as a freelance literary translator and culture editor and in this capacity regularly enjoys working stays of several weeks in writers' and translators' houses in various European countries. He also works as a freelance film and literary critic.
Nikos Nikas
Publisher, Nikas Publishing
Nikolaos Nikas is a third generation book publisher (Nikas Publications-Hellenic Paedia-Polaris-Εducartoon). He studied Business Administration at Plymouth University and holds a Master of Philosophy in Publishing Studies from Stirling University . He served as President of the Book Publishers Association (S.E.K.B). Innovative studies have been developed to upgrade the publishing sector in Greece, and he is the creator of an educational program for the use of new technologies in electronic publications (electronic design and e-publishing). He participates as a speaker at conferences and writes articles on topics related to the publishing industry with particular focus on philanagnosia (reading promotion & new readers creation) among preschool and elementary (primary) education children.