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Mr. Dimitris Danilatos

Holder of a master’s degree in Economic and Commercial Studies (Licence ès sciences économiques et commerciales) of the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) of the University of Lausanne. Fluent in French, English, and Italian.

Professionally active in the sectors of wholesale/retail trade and consultancy services, he:

  • has been elected member of the Board of various employers’ organizations at all levels: Local/Regional (Athens Traders Organisation, Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry), National (Union of the Trade Associations of Greece, Central Union of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Greece, Hellenic National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce) and European (EuroCommerce – Eurochambres)
  • was appointed a member of the institutional consultative bodies of the European Commission [Committee of Commerce and Distribution (CCD), Professional Chamber of the Enterprise Policy Group (PC-EPG)]
  • served twice in the Greek Government as Secretary General for Foreign Trade and Secretary General for Industry and was responsible for the coordination of the Government’s Privatization Programme, being also the rapporteur to the Ministerial Privatisation Committee
  • was a member of the Hellenic Competition Commission (2009-2017).

Being among the founding members of the Hellenic Network for Corporate Social Responsibility, as a representative of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he was the Network’s first Chairman of the Board (2000-2003) and since 2015 he has been the Executive Advisor to the BoD of CSR HELLAS.

Dr. Thomas Bartzanas

Thomas Bartzanas is a Professor at the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) and currently serves as Vice Rector for Research, Finance, and Development. He is also the Director of the Laboratory of Farm Structures. In addition, he chairs the Board of Directors of SmartAgroHub S.A. and is the founder of GrowEdge, both spin-offs of AUA. His research focuses on the development and evaluation of technologies for controlled-environment agricultural systems, including greenhouses and vertical farming, as well as the sustainable management of natural resources within the agrifood sector. His expertise also includes environmental impact assessment through life cycle analysis (LCA). Professor Bartzanas serves as an Associate Editor of Biosystems Engineering and is an active member of EurAgEng. He is the Chair of the Structures & Environment Committee of CIGR and a member of the Scientific Council of the European Union, contributing to initiatives related to open access research in agricultural sciences.

Mr. Giannis Balakakis

  • Geo Routes Institute | President of the BoD
  • Balkans & Black Sea Forum | Chair
  • AgriBusiness Forum | Chair
  • Gnomon Performance | CEO

Giannis is a forward-thinking, inspirational and results-oriented executive focusing on generating growth, transforming organizations and achieving excellence across businesses, institutional and public sectors. In his career, he has served as a Planning, Product, General Manager and CEO of Greek and multinational firms.

Giannis has been the founder and currently serves as President of the BoD at Geo Routes Institute, Chair of the Balkans & Black Sea Forum & AgriBusiness Forum and CEO of the leading event-destination management company Gnomon Performance.

He has repeatedly designed and led large-scale intercontinental projects, he has served as BoD member of the Association of Chief Executive Officers, fm. VP of the Society of Incentive Travel Executives, member of the Confederation Europeenne de Cadres, the Meeting Professionals International, the UN Global Compact and other relevant international organizations.

In his career, he has demonstrated excellent skills in cross-cultural and cross-sectoral negotiations, policy strategies, and Below the Line  (BTL) communication, as a result of his broad experience in multiple countries around the globe.

Giannis has a financial background in banking management. He speaks Greek (mother tongue), English, and French.