
Mr Theodore Fessas is the founder and major shareholder of Quest Holdings. Quest Holdings was founded in 1981 (as Info-Quest), is listed on the Athens Stock Exchange (1998) and operates through its affiliates in the IT sector (InfoQuest Technologies, iSquare, iStorm, Uni Systems, FoQus) in e-commerce (www.you.gr), in courier services (ACS Courier Services), in renewable energy sources (Quest Energy) and in air conditioning products and services (Clima Quest).
He served as President of SEV - Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (2014-2020). He is the Honorary President of the Federation of Hellenic Information Technology and Communications Enterprises (SEPE) and member of the Board of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE).
He studied Electrical Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens and holds a Master in Thermodynamics from the University of Birmingham, UK.



He has studied Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine (Great Britain) where he completed his postgraduate studies and holds BEng and MSc.
He has worked as an executive, freelancer and entrepreneur in various positions in the fields of construction, investment and IT. A. Georgantzis was born in Piraeus in 1968, speaks English, French, is married and father of two children.



A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales (ICAEW), born in London and educated in the UK. Engaged by PwC UK, London, for 13 years and 26 years by PwC Greece, Athens. A Greek firm partner for 23 years and Executive Committee member for over 15 years holding senior leadership positions.
PwC Greece 1994 to present day
Served as PwC Greece Audit and Assurance practice leader (2009 to 2015), with some 450 clients and around 320 staff. Overall responsibility for a client portfolio including Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling, Eurobank Ergasias, Piraeus Bank, Interamerican, Eurolife, Hellenic Petroleum, OTE, Vodafone, Quest Group, Ellaktor and many other leading Greek Corporates.
Over the period, lead audit engagement partner on a wide variety of clients including Eurobank Ergasias, Piraeus Bank, Emporiki Bank, Credicom Bank and Leaseplan Hellas.
Founded in 1994 and led PwC’s Deals and Transaction Advisory Services business until 2009, developing it into the largest dedicated investment advisory team in Greece. Advisor on numerous transactions across multiple industries with significant focus on banking. Advisor on the acquisitions of Interbank, Ergasias Bank, ETVA, Bank of Athens, Bank of Central Greece, Greek Branches of Nat West and Barclays, Telesis Investment Bank, Proton Bank and other banking institutions. Led the financial and commercial due diligence for 3E on its merger with Coca Cola Beverages Plc forming one of the world’s largest bottling groups operating across 28 countries. Deals clients have included large Private
Equity investors and multinational corporations.
Founded and led PwC Greece’s NPL advisory team. Lead engagement partner on numerous assignments including: - National Bank of Greece 2008 mortgage and consumer portfolio disposals - Emporiki Bank 3 mixed portfolio disposals - Citi Bank Greece consumer NPL portfolio remediation strategies – Davidson Kempner short listed bidder for Piraeus Bank’s Corporate NPL portfolio. With PwC Spain colleagues, introduced to Greece the NPL servicer carve-out transaction framework implemented in 2019 and 2020 at Eurobank Ergasias, Piraeus Bank and Alpha Bank.
Clients & Markets leader for Greek firm (2015 till present), working across the client service spectrum and PwC International network to develop strategies to serve clients emerging requirements. Promoting good Corporate Governance by facilitating a variety of C-suite Governance workshops with Greek listed company boards and by working with the Non-Executive Directors Club in Greece and the UK’s Non-Executive Directors Association (NEDA).
Non-Executive Director positions held
PQH BoD since 2016. The single liquidator platform for 16 resolved banking institutions, regulated by Bank of Greece, with €9 bn (GBV) of NPL assets. PQH has, inter alia, unified and streamlined the formerly disparate collection and recovery processes and recently closed the sale of a €1 bn of consumer loans portfolio achieving record high pricing. Further significant and innovative transactions in the pipeline. 2016
Augmentor Fund – Chairman of the Board since establishment in late 2020, an Alternative Investment Fund regulated by Cysec, mandated to invest in renewables PV and Wind with innovative storage solutions and related technologies. Pipelines being developed in Cyprus and Greece with strategic anchor, financial institution and HNWI investors.
Fresh-Life UG – Chairman of the Advisory Board since 2020, an early stage German registered company with a B2C infant nutrition business (Germany, UK and Nordics) online subscription model. Campion School and St Catherine’s School - Honorary treasurer, Non-executive, on Board of Governors of St Catherine’s School (1996 - 2003) and at Campion School (2008 – 2014), both not for profit organizations.
Key skills
Analytical skills around strategy development and advice, financial analysis and assessment, investment/transaction structuring, accounting and regulatory impact evaluation, ESG strategies and framework development. Analysis and remediation of corporate governance best practices fit for purpose.
Business development strategies and implementation skills including mentoring other partners and PwC staff on pitches to ensure best practice skills are applied for success. These skills are primarily identifying client needs, effective meeting and soft skills, distinctive and impactful presentation skills and skills to secure projects, including creative fee structures and negotiations.
Nurturing cultural change by communicating Organisational Purpose, promoting relevant Values and Behaviours and by developing impactful campaigns to embed and refresh. Significant focus on leveraging technology tools.
“Connecting the dots” within and across organisations to develop innovative solutions and opportunities.
Achieved through nurturing trust and strong communication and related soft/empathy skills.
Organising and delivering relevant impactful C suite client conferences. Public speaking and presentationskills – recent examples include chairing PwC flagship events such as “Future of Banking” King George hotel 6 November 2019 with some 200 delegates, Tackling Greece’s NPL challenges, Steigenberger Hoff Frankfurt 26 January 2019, around 140 delegates including SSM executives and leadership.
Pro Bono work
Mentoring startups and early stage businesses on business, financial planning and analysis skills, done through PwC’s Corporate Responsibility Programme. Ongoing
An elected member of the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales) Governance Council 2017 to 2019 for Europe and Eurasia territory.
A regular public speaker on business areas of expertise (Banking strategy, NPLs, Acquisition Value Creation, Corporate Restructuring) and on strategies to tackle uncertainty, volatility and risk for both businesses and individuals.
PwC UK, Bermuda and US 1981 to 1994
1986 until 1994 - PwC’s London Deals, working across the service portfolio - valuation advice, due diligence on multi-national transactions, M&A financial advice including advice on listed company hostile takeovers, supporting both bidders and targets. Advising creditor banks on their distressed exposures by assessing business recovery strategies and debt restructuring options. Forensic investigations including cross border corporate fraud and money laundering. Worked in New York and Silicon Valley on acquisition/investment projects for European clients.
1981 until 1986 - PwC London Audit practice, major clients were Ford Motor Company, Aegon Insurance., Dresdner Bank and Oxford University Press. Included a short-term auditing secondment to Bermuda for 6 months to work on a variety of multinational captive insurance clients.
Personal
Dual Nationality, British and Cypriot, based in Athens. Married, 2 grown children, enjoys robust health regime including tennis and other regular fitness programmes.

Political Career
• Active in the underground student opposition to the dictatorship in Greece (1970-1974). Recognized as the voice of the clandestine radio transmitter set-up inside the occupied National Technical University of Athens.
• Member of Parliament, elected continuously for the years 1977 – 1993, 2000 –2009. Also, first woman ever to be elected Vice-president of the Greek Parliament
• President of the Coalition of Left and Progress (1991-1993). First woman ever to lead a Greek political party.
• 2000-2003: Head of the PASOK (Socialist Party) group in the Select Committees on Education and Culture. Member of the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe, the Western European Union and NATO. Member of the Inter-parliamentary Union.
• 2004-2009: Head of the PASOK group in the Select Committees on Social Affairs, Education and Culture and the Environment. Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Western European Union.
• Chairperson of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense (2009).
Professional Career
• Working as engineer at Pechiney Aluminum Industries (1974).
• Administrator at Ministry of Finance of Greece. Department of import-export planning. (1975-1976).
• Section manager at Helector S.A. Department of energy and waste management (2003-2004).
European Commission
• 2010–2014: With over 30 years of public service in Europe, Damanaki recently served as European Union Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
• Under her leadership, the Commission was able to bring fish populations back to healthier levels—from as few as five sustainable stocks in 2010 to up to 27 today.
• The continuation of her fisheries policy efforts could lead to 15 million more tons of fish in the sea, 30 percent more jobs and the equivalent of over US $2 billion in additional revenue.
• She introduced and implemented the Blue Growth agenda for Seas and Oceans in Europe, which aimed to create 1.6 million new jobs and the equivalent of US $750 billion in revenue by 2020 in sectors such as coastal tourism, ocean energy, and marine biotechnology. The Blue Growth was approved in unanimity by the European Council.
• She established legislation to create a common framework for Marine Spatial Planning to map and better manage maritime activities across EU countries.
The Nature Conservancy
• Maria Damanaki is the Global Managing Director for Oceans at The Nature Conservancy. She leads a global team focused on transforming how the world manages its oceans, including sustainable fisheries management, large-scale protection and restoration of coral reefs and other ecosystems.
• Her team develops innovative financial tools like Debt Swaps and Blue Bonds. She recently signed the first ever Debt Swap for Ocean protection with the Government of Seychelles that led to the introduction of the 2nd biggest Marine Protected Area in the Indian Ocean. This program achieved the Financial Time reward (2017) for the best Conservation financial innovation product and the TED-X prize (2019) with a reward of 26mil $.
• She recently signed the first ever insurance product with the Government of Mexico for creating a Trust that will restore the whole coastal area around Cancun together with insurance industry, the hotel owners’ association, and local partners.
Maria Damanaki chairs the UN Sustainability Committee for Blue Growth.
She is a member of the Friends of Ocean Commission of the World Economic Forum.
She co-chairs the Advisory Network of the High-Level Panel for blue Economy (14 Prime ministers including Canada, Australia, Norway, Chile, Kenya)
She seats in the Board of Directors in Oxford Martin School Ocean Program at the University of Oxford, in the Board of Monaco Ocean Foundation, the Board of Oceanographic Institute and in the Board of Maritime Regions Forum. She also sits in the Board of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) the biggest fisheries certification system at a global level.

He is a Member of the Advisory Board of diANEOsis, a Member of the Board of the Onassis Foundation, Member of the Board at Quest Holdings SA, Member of the Board at the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), Member of the Advisory Committee of the Charitable Organization "Mission", Holy Archdiocese of Athens, Member of the Advisory Committee of Stanton Chase, Member of the ELIAMEP Advisory Committee and participates in the Committee of Wise Men of Greece.
Until March 2019, he was Chairman of the Board of Eurobank Ergasias A.E. and Chairman of the Board of the Hellenic Banking Association. At Eurobank Ergasias SA he was also the Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee and a member of the Risk Committee and Nominations Committee, of the Legal Scientific Council of the Bank.
He held the position of Managing Director at GENIKI Bank and the Management Consultant & Member of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Piraeus Bank Group. He has served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Eurobank, Head of Wholesale Banking for 14 years, Deputy Governor at the National Bank of Greece, President of ETEVA, Deputy Governor at ETVA, Managing Director at the Foreign Exchange Department at the Bank of Greece and Advisor at Cleveland United States and Vice President of BSE.
He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Piraeus. Holder of a degree in Economics, University of Piraeus, Master Degree in Economics, American University, USA. and Ph.D. with a specialization in Monetary Policy & International Economics, Pennsylvania State University, USA.

Previously, she served as Head of Market Management & Communications (since 2011) and a member of Allianz Greece Executive Committee (since 2013). Prior to moving in Allianz’s insurance sector, in 2009, as a Deputy Market Management Manager and Local Innovation Manager, Philippa worked as a fund manager in Allianz Mutual Funds Mgmt Co. for 10 years.
In 2020, Philippa for a third consecutive year, has been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the Most Powerful Women in Greece for 2019.
She holds a Bachelor Degree in Banking & Financial Management from the University of Piraeus and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from ALBA Graduate Business School. She is a mother of twin boys.

In parallel Mr. Kyriakopoulos is a member of the BoD of Euroseas Ltd and Eurodry Ltd (Ship owning company listed in NASDAQ), President of the Association of the Private National Broadcasting Television Companies and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises [SEV]. He has been in the past a member of the BoD in various companies such as GEK-TERNA and AGET HERACLES.
From July 1997 to July 2002 he was the C.E.O of the Hellenic Post Group and up to 2006 a member of the BoD.
From August 1996 to July 1997 Mr. Panos Kyriakopoulos was an advisor to the technical company ATEMKE S.A.
From July 1986 up to July 1996 he was the Managing Director of Globe Group of Companies, a group active in the areas of ship owning and management, textiles, food and distribution.
He has served the Greek Army from October 1984 to June 1986.
Mr. Kyriakopoulos has a B.Sc. degree in Marine Engineering from University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He has a M.Sc. degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Imperial College, London.
He is 60 years old, married with two children. He speaks English and French.
Mr. Panos Kyriakopoulos has been decorated by the Hellenic Republic with the Star and the Cross First Class of Merit and Honor and has been awarded a merit by the Ministers of Transport and Communications and Economy for his service to the Hellenic Post Group. He has also been awarded by the President of the Hellenic Republic the rank of a Brigadier General (hon) of the Hellenic Army.

Strategic Planning Executive Committee
He is the Honorary President of the Federation of Hellenic Information Technology and Communications Enterprises (SEPE) and member of the Board of ICC-Hellas (International Chamber of Commerce) and the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE).
He studied Electrical Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens and holds a Master in Thermodynamics from the University of Birmingham, UK.
He has studied Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine (Great Britain) where he completed his postgraduate studies and holds BEng and MSc.
He has worked as an executive, freelancer and entrepreneur in various positions in the fields of construction, investment and IT. A. Georgantzis was born in Piraeus in 1968, speaks English, French, is married and father of two children.
From 2003 to early 2007, he served as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of the Quest Group and then held the position of Managing Director at the publishing company DAPHNI COMMUNICATIONS (2007-2010).

Audit Committee
A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales (ICAEW), born in London and educated in the UK. Engaged by PwC UK, London, for 13 years and 26 years by PwC Greece, Athens. A Greek firm partner for 23 years and Executive Committee member for over 15 years holding senior leadership positions.
PwC Greece 1994 to present day
Served as PwC Greece Audit and Assurance practice leader (2009 to 2015), with some 450 clients and around 320 staff. Overall responsibility for a client portfolio including Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling, Eurobank Ergasias, Piraeus Bank, Interamerican, Eurolife, Hellenic Petroleum, OTE, Vodafone, Quest Group, Ellaktor and many other leading Greek Corporates.
Over the period, lead audit engagement partner on a wide variety of clients including Eurobank Ergasias, Piraeus Bank, Emporiki Bank, Credicom Bank and Leaseplan Hellas.
Founded in 1994 and led PwC’s Deals and Transaction Advisory Services business until 2009, developing it into the largest dedicated investment advisory team in Greece. Advisor on numerous transactions across multiple industries with significant focus on banking. Advisor on the acquisitions of Interbank, Ergasias Bank, ETVA, Bank of Athens, Bank of Central Greece, Greek Branches of Nat West and Barclays, Telesis Investment Bank, Proton Bank and other banking institutions. Led the financial and commercial due diligence for 3E on its merger with Coca Cola Beverages Plc forming one of the world’s largest bottling groups operating across 28 countries. Deals clients have included large Private
Equity investors and multinational corporations.
Founded and led PwC Greece’s NPL advisory team. Lead engagement partner on numerous assignments including: - National Bank of Greece 2008 mortgage and consumer portfolio disposals - Emporiki Bank 3 mixed portfolio disposals - Citi Bank Greece consumer NPL portfolio remediation strategies – Davidson Kempner short listed bidder for Piraeus Bank’s Corporate NPL portfolio. With PwC Spain colleagues, introduced to Greece the NPL servicer carve-out transaction framework implemented in 2019 and 2020 at Eurobank Ergasias, Piraeus Bank and Alpha Bank.
Clients & Markets leader for Greek firm (2015 till present), working across the client service spectrum and PwC International network to develop strategies to serve clients emerging requirements. Promoting good Corporate Governance by facilitating a variety of C-suite Governance workshops with Greek listed company boards and by working with the Non-Executive Directors Club in Greece and the UK’s Non-Executive Directors Association (NEDA).
Non-Executive Director positions held
PQH BoD since 2016. The single liquidator platform for 16 resolved banking institutions, regulated by Bank of Greece, with €9 bn (GBV) of NPL assets. PQH has, inter alia, unified and streamlined the formerly disparate collection and recovery processes and recently closed the sale of a €1 bn of consumer loans portfolio achieving record high pricing. Further significant and innovative transactions in the pipeline. 2016
Augmentor Fund – Chairman of the Board since establishment in late 2020, an Alternative Investment Fund regulated by Cysec, mandated to invest in renewables PV and Wind with innovative storage solutions and related technologies. Pipelines being developed in Cyprus and Greece with strategic anchor, financial institution and HNWI investors.
Fresh-Life UG – Chairman of the Advisory Board since 2020, an early stage German registered company with a B2C infant nutrition business (Germany, UK and Nordics) online subscription model. Campion School and St Catherine’s School - Honorary treasurer, Non-executive, on Board of Governors of St Catherine’s School (1996 - 2003) and at Campion School (2008 – 2014), both not for profit organizations.
Key skills
Analytical skills around strategy development and advice, financial analysis and assessment, investment/transaction structuring, accounting and regulatory impact evaluation, ESG strategies and framework development. Analysis and remediation of corporate governance best practices fit for purpose.
Business development strategies and implementation skills including mentoring other partners and PwC staff on pitches to ensure best practice skills are applied for success. These skills are primarily identifying client needs, effective meeting and soft skills, distinctive and impactful presentation skills and skills to secure projects, including creative fee structures and negotiations.
Nurturing cultural change by communicating Organisational Purpose, promoting relevant Values and Behaviours and by developing impactful campaigns to embed and refresh. Significant focus on leveraging technology tools.
“Connecting the dots” within and across organisations to develop innovative solutions and opportunities.
Achieved through nurturing trust and strong communication and related soft/empathy skills.
Organising and delivering relevant impactful C suite client conferences. Public speaking and presentationskills – recent examples include chairing PwC flagship events such as “Future of Banking” King George hotel 6 November 2019 with some 200 delegates, Tackling Greece’s NPL challenges, Steigenberger Hoff Frankfurt 26 January 2019, around 140 delegates including SSM executives and leadership.
Pro Bono work
Mentoring startups and early stage businesses on business, financial planning and analysis skills, done through PwC’s Corporate Responsibility Programme. Ongoing
An elected member of the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants England & Wales) Governance Council 2017 to 2019 for Europe and Eurasia territory.
A regular public speaker on business areas of expertise (Banking strategy, NPLs, Acquisition Value Creation, Corporate Restructuring) and on strategies to tackle uncertainty, volatility and risk for both businesses and individuals.
PwC UK, Bermuda and US 1981 to 1994
1986 until 1994 - PwC’s London Deals, working across the service portfolio - valuation advice, due diligence on multi-national transactions, M&A financial advice including advice on listed company hostile takeovers, supporting both bidders and targets. Advising creditor banks on their distressed exposures by assessing business recovery strategies and debt restructuring options. Forensic investigations including cross border corporate fraud and money laundering. Worked in New York and Silicon Valley on acquisition/investment projects for European clients.
1981 until 1986 - PwC London Audit practice, major clients were Ford Motor Company, Aegon Insurance., Dresdner Bank and Oxford University Press. Included a short-term auditing secondment to Bermuda for 6 months to work on a variety of multinational captive insurance clients.
Personal
Dual Nationality, British and Cypriot, based in Athens. Married, 2 grown children, enjoys robust health regime including tennis and other regular fitness programmes.
In parallel Mr. Kyriakopoulos is a member of the BoD of Euroseas Ltd and Eurodry Ltd (Ship owning company listed in NASDAQ), President of the Association of the Private National Broadcasting Television Companies and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises [SEV]. He has been in the past a member of the BoD in various companies such as GEK-TERNA and AGET HERACLES.
From July 1997 to July 2002 he was the C.E.O of the Hellenic Post Group and up to 2006 a member of the BoD.
From August 1996 to July 1997 Mr. Panos Kyriakopoulos was an advisor to the technical company ATEMKE S.A.
From July 1986 up to July 1996 he was the Managing Director of Globe Group of Companies, a group active in the areas of ship owning and management, textiles, food and distribution.
He has served the Greek Army from October 1984 to June 1986.
Mr. Kyriakopoulos has a B.Sc. degree in Marine Engineering from University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He has a M.Sc. degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Imperial College, London.
He is 60 years old, married with two children. He speaks English and French.
Mr. Panos Kyriakopoulos has been decorated by the Hellenic Republic with the Star and the Cross First Class of Merit and Honor and has been awarded a merit by the Ministers of Transport and Communications and Economy for his service to the Hellenic Post Group. He has also been awarded by the President of the Hellenic Republic the rank of a Brigadier General (hon) of the Hellenic Army.
Corporate Social Responsibility Committee
For many years she was leading the Marketing and Communications department of the ICT sector, while today she holds the position of Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications of the Group's companies. In 2013 she was appointed President of the CSR Committee of the Board for the introduction of CSR and Sustainability Strategy in the companies of the Group.
Since 2015 she is Vice Chairwoman of Quest Holdings and a member of the Board of the Group's companies, while in 2007-2010 she served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Hellenic Information Technology and Communications Enterprises (SEPE). She also serves as Board member in various organizations and charities.
Political Career
• Active in the underground student opposition to the dictatorship in Greece (1970-1974). Recognized as the voice of the clandestine radio transmitter set-up inside the occupied National Technical University of Athens.
• Member of Parliament, elected continuously for the years 1977 – 1993, 2000 –2009. Also, first woman ever to be elected Vice-president of the Greek Parliament
• President of the Coalition of Left and Progress (1991-1993). First woman ever to lead a Greek political party.
• 2000-2003: Head of the PASOK (Socialist Party) group in the Select Committees on Education and Culture. Member of the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe, the Western European Union and NATO. Member of the Inter-parliamentary Union.
• 2004-2009: Head of the PASOK group in the Select Committees on Social Affairs, Education and Culture and the Environment. Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Western European Union.
• Chairperson of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense (2009).
Professional Career
• Working as engineer at Pechiney Aluminum Industries (1974).
• Administrator at Ministry of Finance of Greece. Department of import-export planning. (1975-1976).
• Section manager at Helector S.A. Department of energy and waste management (2003-2004).
European Commission
• 2010–2014: With over 30 years of public service in Europe, Damanaki recently served as European Union Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
• Under her leadership, the Commission was able to bring fish populations back to healthier levels—from as few as five sustainable stocks in 2010 to up to 27 today.
• The continuation of her fisheries policy efforts could lead to 15 million more tons of fish in the sea, 30 percent more jobs and the equivalent of over US $2 billion in additional revenue.
• She introduced and implemented the Blue Growth agenda for Seas and Oceans in Europe, which aimed to create 1.6 million new jobs and the equivalent of US $750 billion in revenue by 2020 in sectors such as coastal tourism, ocean energy, and marine biotechnology. The Blue Growth was approved in unanimity by the European Council.
• She established legislation to create a common framework for Marine Spatial Planning to map and better manage maritime activities across EU countries.
The Nature Conservancy
• Maria Damanaki is the Global Managing Director for Oceans at The Nature Conservancy. She leads a global team focused on transforming how the world manages its oceans, including sustainable fisheries management, large-scale protection and restoration of coral reefs and other ecosystems.
• Her team develops innovative financial tools like Debt Swaps and Blue Bonds. She recently signed the first ever Debt Swap for Ocean protection with the Government of Seychelles that led to the introduction of the 2nd biggest Marine Protected Area in the Indian Ocean. This program achieved the Financial Time reward (2017) for the best Conservation financial innovation product and the TED-X prize (2019) with a reward of 26mil $.
• She recently signed the first ever insurance product with the Government of Mexico for creating a Trust that will restore the whole coastal area around Cancun together with insurance industry, the hotel owners’ association, and local partners.
Maria Damanaki chairs the UN Sustainability Committee for Blue Growth.
She is a member of the Friends of Ocean Commission of the World Economic Forum.
She co-chairs the Advisory Network of the High-Level Panel for blue Economy (14 Prime ministers including Canada, Australia, Norway, Chile, Kenya)
She seats in the Board of Directors in Oxford Martin School Ocean Program at the University of Oxford, in the Board of Monaco Ocean Foundation, the Board of Oceanographic Institute and in the Board of Maritime Regions Forum. She also sits in the Board of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) the biggest fisheries certification system at a global level.

Renumeration Committee
He is a Member of the Advisory Board of diANEOsis, a Member of the Board of the Onassis Foundation, Member of the Board at Quest Holdings SA, Member of the Board at the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), Member of the Advisory Committee of the Charitable Organization "Mission", Holy Archdiocese of Athens, Member of the Advisory Committee of Stanton Chase, Member of the ELIAMEP Advisory Committee and participates in the Committee of Wise Men of Greece.
Until March 2019, he was Chairman of the Board of Eurobank Ergasias A.E. and Chairman of the Board of the Hellenic Banking Association. At Eurobank Ergasias SA he was also the Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee and a member of the Risk Committee and Nominations Committee, of the Legal Scientific Council of the Bank.
He held the position of Managing Director at GENIKI Bank and the Management Consultant & Member of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Piraeus Bank Group. He has served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Eurobank, Head of Wholesale Banking for 14 years, Deputy Governor at the National Bank of Greece, President of ETEVA, Deputy Governor at ETVA, Managing Director at the Foreign Exchange Department at the Bank of Greece and Advisor at Cleveland United States and Vice President of BSE.
He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Piraeus. Holder of a degree in Economics, University of Piraeus, Master Degree in Economics, American University, USA. and Ph.D. with a specialization in Monetary Policy & International Economics, Pennsylvania State University, USA.
Previously, she served as Head of Market Management & Communications (since 2011) and a member of Allianz Greece Executive Committee (since 2013). Prior to moving in Allianz’s insurance sector, in 2009, as a Deputy Market Management Manager and Local Innovation Manager, Philippa worked as a fund manager in Allianz Mutual Funds Mgmt Co. for 10 years.
In 2020, Philippa for a third consecutive year, has been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the Most Powerful Women in Greece for 2019.
She holds a Bachelor Degree in Banking & Financial Management from the University of Piraeus and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from ALBA Graduate Business School. She is a mother of twin boys.
In parallel Mr. Kyriakopoulos is a member of the BoD of Euroseas Ltd and Eurodry Ltd (Ship owning company listed in NASDAQ), President of the Association of the Private National Broadcasting Television Companies and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises [SEV]. He has been in the past a member of the BoD in various companies such as GEK-TERNA and AGET HERACLES.
From July 1997 to July 2002 he was the C.E.O of the Hellenic Post Group and up to 2006 a member of the BoD.
From August 1996 to July 1997 Mr. Panos Kyriakopoulos was an advisor to the technical company ATEMKE S.A.
From July 1986 up to July 1996 he was the Managing Director of Globe Group of Companies, a group active in the areas of ship owning and management, textiles, food and distribution.
He has served the Greek Army from October 1984 to June 1986.
Mr. Kyriakopoulos has a B.Sc. degree in Marine Engineering from University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He has a M.Sc. degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Imperial College, London.
He is 60 years old, married with two children. He speaks English and French.
Mr. Panos Kyriakopoulos has been decorated by the Hellenic Republic with the Star and the Cross First Class of Merit and Honor and has been awarded a merit by the Ministers of Transport and Communications and Economy for his service to the Hellenic Post Group. He has also been awarded by the President of the Hellenic Republic the rank of a Brigadier General (hon) of the Hellenic Army.
Nomination & Corporate Governance Committee
He is a Member of the Advisory Board of diANEOsis, a Member of the Board of the Onassis Foundation, Member of the Board at Quest Holdings SA, Member of the Board at the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), Member of the Advisory Committee of the Charitable Organization "Mission", Holy Archdiocese of Athens, Member of the Advisory Committee of Stanton Chase, Member of the ELIAMEP Advisory Committee and participates in the Committee of Wise Men of Greece.
Until March 2019, he was Chairman of the Board of Eurobank Ergasias A.E. and Chairman of the Board of the Hellenic Banking Association. At Eurobank Ergasias SA he was also the Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee and a member of the Risk Committee and Nominations Committee, of the Legal Scientific Council of the Bank.
He held the position of Managing Director at GENIKI Bank and the Management Consultant & Member of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Piraeus Bank Group. He has served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Eurobank, Head of Wholesale Banking for 14 years, Deputy Governor at the National Bank of Greece, President of ETEVA, Deputy Governor at ETVA, Managing Director at the Foreign Exchange Department at the Bank of Greece and Advisor at Cleveland United States and Vice President of BSE.
He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Piraeus. Holder of a degree in Economics, University of Piraeus, Master Degree in Economics, American University, USA. and Ph.D. with a specialization in Monetary Policy & International Economics, Pennsylvania State University, USA.
Political Career
• Active in the underground student opposition to the dictatorship in Greece (1970-1974). Recognized as the voice of the clandestine radio transmitter set-up inside the occupied National Technical University of Athens.
• Member of Parliament, elected continuously for the years 1977 – 1993, 2000 –2009. Also, first woman ever to be elected Vice-president of the Greek Parliament
• President of the Coalition of Left and Progress (1991-1993). First woman ever to lead a Greek political party.
• 2000-2003: Head of the PASOK (Socialist Party) group in the Select Committees on Education and Culture. Member of the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe, the Western European Union and NATO. Member of the Inter-parliamentary Union.
• 2004-2009: Head of the PASOK group in the Select Committees on Social Affairs, Education and Culture and the Environment. Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Western European Union.
• Chairperson of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense (2009).
Professional Career
• Working as engineer at Pechiney Aluminum Industries (1974).
• Administrator at Ministry of Finance of Greece. Department of import-export planning. (1975-1976).
• Section manager at Helector S.A. Department of energy and waste management (2003-2004).
European Commission
• 2010–2014: With over 30 years of public service in Europe, Damanaki recently served as European Union Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
• Under her leadership, the Commission was able to bring fish populations back to healthier levels—from as few as five sustainable stocks in 2010 to up to 27 today.
• The continuation of her fisheries policy efforts could lead to 15 million more tons of fish in the sea, 30 percent more jobs and the equivalent of over US $2 billion in additional revenue.
• She introduced and implemented the Blue Growth agenda for Seas and Oceans in Europe, which aimed to create 1.6 million new jobs and the equivalent of US $750 billion in revenue by 2020 in sectors such as coastal tourism, ocean energy, and marine biotechnology. The Blue Growth was approved in unanimity by the European Council.
• She established legislation to create a common framework for Marine Spatial Planning to map and better manage maritime activities across EU countries.
The Nature Conservancy
• Maria Damanaki is the Global Managing Director for Oceans at The Nature Conservancy. She leads a global team focused on transforming how the world manages its oceans, including sustainable fisheries management, large-scale protection and restoration of coral reefs and other ecosystems.
• Her team develops innovative financial tools like Debt Swaps and Blue Bonds. She recently signed the first ever Debt Swap for Ocean protection with the Government of Seychelles that led to the introduction of the 2nd biggest Marine Protected Area in the Indian Ocean. This program achieved the Financial Time reward (2017) for the best Conservation financial innovation product and the TED-X prize (2019) with a reward of 26mil $.
• She recently signed the first ever insurance product with the Government of Mexico for creating a Trust that will restore the whole coastal area around Cancun together with insurance industry, the hotel owners’ association, and local partners.
Maria Damanaki chairs the UN Sustainability Committee for Blue Growth.
She is a member of the Friends of Ocean Commission of the World Economic Forum.
She co-chairs the Advisory Network of the High-Level Panel for blue Economy (14 Prime ministers including Canada, Australia, Norway, Chile, Kenya)
She seats in the Board of Directors in Oxford Martin School Ocean Program at the University of Oxford, in the Board of Monaco Ocean Foundation, the Board of Oceanographic Institute and in the Board of Maritime Regions Forum. She also sits in the Board of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) the biggest fisheries certification system at a global level.