Judges & Mentors – 6th Cycle

JUDGE

Vassiliki Mavrokefalou
Vassiliki Mavrokefalou
Director Market Management - Expedia Group

Vassiliki is responsible at Expedia Group for leading the market management team for Greece, Cyprus and East Adriatic. She's an expert in driving and improving businesses’ performance of hoteliers.

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Vassiliki Mavrokefalou
Director Market Management - Expedia Group

MENTOR

Λίζα Κατσουράκη
Lisa Katsouraki
Head of Corporate Development - Etraveli Group

Lisa is heading Strategy, M&A and Strategic Partnerships for Etraveli Group, one of the leading global flight centric OTAs and the #1 global flights platform enabling flights distribution via innovative tech solutions.

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Lisa Katsouraki
Head of Corporate Development - Etraveli Group

MENTOR

Alexis Komselis
Alexis Komselis
Director - Alba Hub for Entrepreneurship & Development

Alexis has implemented several entrepreneurship support and outreach programs. He works with startups and family businesses to set up a feasible business model.

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Alexis Komselis
Director - Alba Hub for Entrepreneurship & Development

JUDGE & MENTOR

Philippos Koutropoulos
Philippos Koutropoulos
Director of Revenue Management - Hotel Grande Bretagne & King George

Mr Koutropoulos is the Director of Revenue Management for the Hotel Grande Bretagne, King George and Sheraton Rhodes Resort. He holds a Hospitality and Tourism Management Degree.

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Philippos Koutropoulos
Director of Revenue Management - Hotel Grande Bretagne & King George

JUDGE

Dafni Michalopoulou
Dafni Michalopoulou
Development Manager - Dolphin Capital Partners

Prior to joining Dolphin Capital, Dafni held several positions in the tourism industry in France and Greece. Moreover, she was recently appointed to the BoD of the Greek National Tourism Organization.

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Dafni Michalopoulou
Development Manager - Dolphin Capital Partners

MENTOR

Elsa Exarchou
CEO - Branding Greece

Elsa Exarchou holds a MBA Hotel & Tourism Management Degree from Surrey College, specializing in Sustainable Tourism.

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Elsa Exarchou
CEO - Branding Greece

MENTOR

Magda Peistikou
Head of Learning and Development of INSETE

Magda Peistikou is the Head of Learning and Development of INSETE (Institute of Education of the Greek Tourism Confederation).

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Magda Peistikou
Head of Learning and Development of INSETE

MENTOR

Christina Kartsiotou
Christina Kartsiotou
Senior Business Consultant

Mrs Kartsiotou is an experienced business consultant that helps businesses to grow. She started her career in 1984 by starting up successfully an IT company, New Logic in North Greece.

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Christina Kartsiotou
Senior Business Consultant

JUDGE & MENTOR

Spyros Arsenis
Spyros Arsenis
Head of Innovative Entrepreneurship Development - NBG Business Seeds

Dr. Arsenis is the Head of Innovative Entrepreneurship Development of the NBG Business Seeds program and the initial Coordinator of the act4Greece crowdfunding platform.

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Spyros Arsenis
Head of Innovative Entrepreneurship Development - NBG Business Seeds

JUDGE

Konstantinos Santikos
Konstantinos Santikos
Managing Director - Santikos Collection

Konstantinos Santikos is a hospitality entrepreneur. He holds a Business & Finance Degree from Babson College. He has worked at UBS bank in Zurich and CondeNast Traveller in New Work.

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Konstantinos Santikos
Managing Director - Santikos Collection

JUDGE

Sotiris Andriopoulos
Sotiris Andriopoulos
Director of Rooms - Athenaeum InterContinental

With over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Sotiris Andriopoulos is the Director of Rooms at Athenaeum InterContinental Athens, managing the operation of Housekeeping and Front Office.

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Sotiris Andriopoulos
Director of Rooms - Athenaeum InterContinental

JUDGE

Yiannis G. Economou
Yiannis Economou
Managing Director - Economou Hotels

Yiannis Economou was born in 1975 in Heraklion. He's the Managing Director of a private corporation that owns 2 hotels in Heraklion, the Galaxy Hotel Iraklio – 5*, 260 beds, and Galaxy Villas Resort – 4*, 220 beds.

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Yiannis Economou
Managing Director - Economou Hotels

MENTOR

Matina Mykoniati
Manager, TLS - PwC Greece

Matina Mykoniati has over 20 years of professional experience in shepherding complex and politically sensitive initiatives towards Start-ups, SMEs, Large Enterprises and Public Sector Entities.

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Matina Mykoniati
Manager, TLS - PwC Greece

MENTOR

George Nikolaou
George Nikolaou
SME’s Business Banking Supervisor - NBG

In his current position as “SME’s Business Banking Supervisor” at NBG Moschato’s branch, George is helping firms meet their funding goals and grow their business, by using the right tools.

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George Nikolaou
SME’s Business Banking Supervisor - NBG

MENTOR

Christos Perakis
Christos Perakis
Co-Founder, CEO - Zoottle

Christos is the CEO of Zoottle, an award-winning hospitality company. He spent over 10-years at Apple, where he managed $2B in revenue. His last role was that of Apple’s Country Business Manager for Greece and Cyprus.

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Christos Perakis
Co-Founder, CEO - Zoottle

MENTOR

Olga Sarli
Industry Manager - Google Greece

Olga has more than 9 years of experience in consulting and digital marketing in the Financial Services sector.

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Olga Sarli
Industry Manager - Google Greece

MENTOR

Yannis Batsis
Learning & Development for EMEA - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Yiannis Batsis was born in Volos, Greece. Before joining the HR world, Yiannis worked in hotel operations, with his last role being a Front Office Manager.

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Yannis Batsis
Learning & Development for EMEA - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

MENTOR

Stefanos Sidiropoulos
CEO - Trekking Hellas Group

Stefanos Sidiropoulos is a hospitality entrepreneur specialized in the field of authentic outdoor experiences.

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Stefanos Sidiropoulos
CEO - Trekking Hellas Group

MENTOR

Diogenis Venetopoulos
Diogenis Venetopoulos
Vice President, Sales - Variety Cruises

Mr. Venetopoulos joined Variety Cruises in 1999, as a Port Engineer Assistant. He continued in the company as Sales Manager until 2013 before serving as the UK sales office Managing Director for two years.

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Diogenis Venetopoulos
Vice President, Sales - Variety Cruises

MENTOR

Eugene Vassilikos
Evgenios Vassilikos
Chief Operational Officer - Airotel Group of Hotels

Evgenios Vassilikos was born in 1984 in Athens. Because of his French origin, he attended the Lycée Franco-Hellénique Eugène Delacroix. He continued his studies in Paris, majoring in Hotel Management.

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Evgenios Vassilikos
Chief Operational Officer - Airotel Group of Hotels

JUDGE & MENTOR

George Agas
George Agas
Managing Director - Vrahos Boutique Hotel

George Agas got a Master's degree in electrical engineering (University of Patras) in 1990. He also got a Diploma in Marketing after that. Since then, he has been making electromechanical studies for the construction of buildings.

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George Agas
Managing Director - Vrahos Boutique Hotel

MENTOR

Filippos Zampelis
Hotel Manager

After finishing his MBA, he started his career in Front Office at Renaissance Manchester as Telephone Operator, then as Front Office Agent and was promoted as Shift Leader.

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Filippos Zampelis
Hotel Manager

JUDGE & MENTOR

Charalampos Papadopoulos
Counselor, Economy and Commerce at Embassy of Greece in Tirana, Albania

Mr. Charalampos Papadopoulos is an Economic Diplomat and an engaged business developer for tech startups, currently stationed at the Greek Embassy in Tirana, Albania.

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Charalampos Papadopoulos
Counselor, Economy and Commerce at Embassy of Greece in Tirana, Albania

JUDGE & MENTOR

Emma Gavala
Emma Gavala
Strategic Marketing Consultant - Gavala & Co

Emma is an Economist, ex-Googler, Glamping researcher and traveller. She's the founder of Gavala & Co, a specialised boutique consultancy, offering advisory services to Glamping & Alternative Tourism operators.

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Emma Gavala
Strategic Marketing Consultant - Gavala & Co

JUDGE

Constantine Moros
Constantine Moros
Director, Consulting Services - EY

Constantine is a Director at EY - Consulting Services in Greece and the CESA Advisory Markets Coordinator. He has over 20 years of accumulated professional experience in various fields.

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Constantine Moros
Director, Consulting Services - EY

JUDGE & MENTOR

Dimitris Serifis
Dimitris Serifis
CEO - Nelios

Dimitris is considered by many as the expert in digital transformation for the travel industry. In 2008 he took the decision to create Nelios.com, providing specialized digital services for the industry.

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Dimitris Serifis
CEO - Nelios

JUDGE & MENTOR

Marianna Sigala
Marianna Sigala
Professor at the University of Piraeus, Greece

Professor Sigala's academic credentials are combined with her professional experience in the tourism industry.

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Marianna Sigala
Professor at the University of Piraeus, Greece

JUDGE

Katerina Petropoulou
Katerina Petropoulou
Founder & Managing Director of Hotelising

Katerina conceptualized and launched Hotelising in 2012 at a time when hotel sales departments were operating only in-house.

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Katerina Petropoulou
Founder & Managing Director of Hotelising

JUDGE & MENTOR

Elena Papadonikolaki
Elena Papadonikolaki
Hospitality Expert

Elena Papadonikolaki is a highly motivated and goal-oriented sales professional with over 20 years of demonstrated experience in hospitality sector driving top line revenue and market share.

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Elena Papadonikolaki
Hospitality Expert

MENTOR

Maria Morfoulaki
Operational Scientist A’ - CERTH-HIT

Maria is a Transportation Engineer having a great experience on Public Transport Operational and Quality issues, Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning, Traffic Simulation and Marketing & Engagement Techniques and Methods.

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Maria Morfoulaki
Operational Scientist A’ - CERTH-HIT

JUDGE & MENTOR

Nikos Karaflos
CEO - Dexamenes Seaside Hote

With a strong background in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, as well as in Lighting and Multimedia, Nikos Karaflos believes in devising powerful ideas with cultural and social impact.

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Nikos Karaflos
CEO - Dexamenes Seaside Hote

JUDGE & MENTOR

Yanni Korkovelos
Yianni Korkovelos
Director of Information Technology - Charles Hotel

Yianni Korkovelos has a diverse background in the hotel industry, with almost 20 years of experience, most of that experience coming from management positions.

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Yianni Korkovelos
Director of Information Technology - Charles Hotel

JUDGE & MENTOR

Christos-Lytras
Christos Lytras
Managing Partner - Hippocampus

Christos is Managing Partner of Hippocampus, a consultancy assisting in bridging the gap between Corporates & Startups. Until 2016, Christos was Product & Service Lead at The Eurobank Innovation Center.

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Christos Lytras
Managing Partner - Hippocampus

JUDGE & MENTOR

Nicos Stathis
Operational Scientist A’ - CERTH-HIT

Nicos holds a B.Sc in International & European Economic Studies from the University of Macedonia & a M.Sc in International Tourism Marketing from Oxford Brookes University and has a 17-year experience in hospitality.

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Nicos Stathis
Operational Scientist A’ - CERTH-HIT

MENTOR

Michael Mavropoulos
Michael Mavropoulos
Founder & CEO - Experiences Net

Mr Mavropoulos is the Owner/CEO of the newly founded company Experiences Net, operating in the field of Tourism. Prior to establishing his own business, he enjoyed a career as senior executive in multinational corporations.

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Michael Mavropoulos
Founder & CEO - Experiences Net

JUDGE & MENTOR

Apostolos Moussamas
Apostolos Moussamas
Vice President - Athens Hotel Association

Mr. Moussamas has been a graduate of Cornell University, one of the most prominent universities for hotel administration. As the CEO of Moussamas Bros, he was responsible for the full reconstruction of Crowne Plaza Athens.

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Apostolos Moussamas
Vice President - Athens Hotel Association

MENTOR

Effie Lazaridou
Managing Director - New Agriculture New Generation

Effie has been appointed Managing Director of ‘New Agriculture New Generation’ in June 2018 to lead the design and implementation of this innovative multi-year initiative in Greece.

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Effie Lazaridou
Managing Director - New Agriculture New Generation

JUDGE

George Kyvernitis
George Kyvernitis
Vice President - Kyvernitis Group

Mr Kyvernitis is the Vice President of Kyvernitis Group, one of Greece’s leading corporate & leisure travel services providers. He graduated from the Illinois State University, with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

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George Kyvernitis
Vice President - Kyvernitis Group

JUDGE

Gerasimos Michalitsis
Gerasimos Michalitsis
'New Ventures' Dept Manager - INTRASOFT International

Gerasimos has accumulated 20+ years of experience in leading firms of the Information and Communications Technology sector. He is now focusing on innovation and creativity, for transforming an idea into a profitable venture.

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Gerasimos Michalitsis
'New Ventures' Dept Manager - INTRASOFT International