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Alexandros Vassilikos was born in Athens in 1976 to a Greek father, a self-made hotelier-business man, and a French mother. He was raised in Athens and attended the French-Hellenic school with a very diverse group of peers. He holds a Masters’ degree in Economics and Finance, with studies in Nantes, France and London, U.K.

Alexandros officially enters the family business in 1998 as a second generation hotelier. At the age of 24, he is appointed COO of AIROTEL Group and a year later, after the sudden loss of his father he becomes CEO of AIROTEL Group.

With the Athens 2004 Olympic Games in view, he drives the group into a modernization period by renovating its assets in Athens.

Despite the economic crisis, he expands the chain by doubling the company’s assets in Patra and adding a long term lease in Kavala. Also, AIROTEL expands in Crete by buying, refurbishing and selling traditional houses.

Seeing the potential for growth in Greek summer residences, under Alexandros’ chairmanship, AIROTEL purchases more than 20 houses across picturesque mountain villages of south-eastern Crete. These houses are then refurbished and sold.

In 2007 Webotel SA is founded, a company dedicated to the online representation of hotels in Greece.

In parallel to his professional obligations, he was elected President of the Athens – Attica Hotels Association in 2012. He was also Member of the Executive Council and Vice-President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels and Superintendent of Public Relations of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers. He was also a Member of the Board of the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises (SETE) from 2011 to May 2017.

In January 2018 he resigns all former positions after being elected President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, the youngest person ever to hold this position since the creation of the institution in 1935.

In October 2018 he is elected as a member of the Executive Committee of HOTREC, the umbrella Association of Hotels, Restaurants, Pubs and Cafes and similar establishments in Europe.

Finally, being a French national, Alexandre was also appointed economic adviser to the French Embassy in Athens in 2008, a position he actively holds to this day.

Robert van Rijssen is a policy officer in the Farm to Fork Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety. He has been active on strategic sustainability related issues throughout his career. He previously worked at the European Parliament as a political advisor and at the Ministry for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands as a policy coordinator. He earned a Master’s degree in 2015 from Leiden University in International Relations and Affairs. He is a Dutch national.

Dr. Nikolas E. Farantouris is Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law and Director of the MSc in Energy Strategy, Law & Economic at the International & European Studies Department, University of Piraeus, Greece. Attorney at law since 2001. He studied law at the University of Athens and completed a Master’s degree (MJur) in European and Comparative Law and a Doctorate (DPhil) in European Law, both at the University of Oxford. His work focuses on EU business law, competition law including state aids, energy law and regulation, shipping law, environmental protection and international trade law.

He has published 10 monographs, textbooks and edited volumes and more than 50 papers in scientific legal journals and periodical editions including European Competition Law Review (ECLR), Revue du Marché Commun et de l’Union européenne (RMCUE), Revue de l’Energie, Journal of International and Comparative Environmental Law, Revue des Affaires Européennes (RAE), European State Aid Law Quarterly (EStAL). He has held posts as adjunct professor, research associate or visiting professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Dresden University Germany, Athens University, European University Cyprus, Bahçeşehir University Istanbul, Oxford University et al. He has worked in Goldman Sachs’ Legal & Compliance Department in London and in Norton Rose LLP Competition & EU Law Department in London, Brussels and Athens, where he handled major antitrust, merger control, multinational cartel and state aid cases in the banking, energy, maritime and air transport sectors, before national and international authorities, the EU Commission and the European Court of Justice.

He has also gained experience as a Board member of Hellenic Competition Commission, a member of the Legal Committee of the Union of Greek Shipowners and a member of the Board of Directors, General Counsel and Chairman (caretaker) of the Public Gas Corporation of Greece (DEPA) S.A. and Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee of EUROGAS. In 2014 he organized and was appointed Director of the MSc Program in Energy Strategy, Law & Economics at the Dept. of International & European Studies, University of Piraeus, Greece – the first and the most popular interdisciplinary Master’s in Greece and one of the few postgraduate programs in Europe devoted to Energy strategy, law & economics.

He is a member of the Energy Committee of the Academy of Athens.

Gijs Schilthuis is the Head of Unit for Policy Perspectives at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development. He has worked since 2008, in different capacities, on agricultural policy reform in this Directorate-General. He first joined the European Commission in 2005 at the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers. Prior to joining the Commission, he worked at the European Parliament as a parliamentary assistant. He earned a Master’s degree in agricultural economics from Wageningen University in 2000. He is a Dutch national.

Christiana Kalogirou was born in Athens. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Athens University of Economics and Business (former HIEBS) and a Master of Science degree from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Disaster and Crisis Management Strategies in Administrative and Development sectors.

She has worked in the private sector for 20 years. She has carried out studies and scientific work in the fields of economic and regional development. At the same time, she was actively involved in initiatives relating to sustainable development, maritime economy, entrepreneurship, culture, environmental protection, as well as women’s issues.

In 2004, she was elected Member of Parliament with the New Democracy party representing Lesvos Prefecture. In 2012, she assumed the position of Secretary General of the Decentralized Aegean Administration of the Ministry of Interior. In 2014, she was elected Regional Governor of Northern Aegean. From August 2019 to April 2021 she served as Secretary General of the Aegean and Island Policy of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs  and Insular Policy. In April 2021 she took over the position of Secretary General of Rural Development and Food.

Studied Biology at the University of Athens, Greece, holds a PhD in Applied and Environmental microbiology and has completed a Post Doc study in Microbial Biotechnology.

During her PhD studied, has been head of the accredited laboratory of University of Athens for GMO detection in foodstuff and completed several projects funded by European Community in cooperation with food and pharmaceutical industries.

She worked in Cretafarms SA (food industry) as Quality Control mgr, and joined Coca Cola Hellenic in 2009 as Quality Assurance & Quality Control mgr in different production plants. She is member of the Water Treatment and Microbiology networks of experts of CCHellenic, member of Global TCCC Microbiology Community and member of the technical committee of the International Fruit and vegetable juice Association (IFU). 

Dr. Gemtos is Emeritus Professor of the University of Thessaly. He is a graduate of the Department of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and holds PhD in Farm Mechanization from the University of Reading UK.

He is member at Geotechnical Chamber of Greece, the Hellenic Society of Agricultural Engineers, the European Society of Agricultural Engineers, the American  Society of Agricultural Engineers, the  Canadian Society of Agricultural Engineers, and the Greek and European Conservation Agriculture societies.

His teaching experience focuses on farm mechanization, energy in Agriculture and precision agriculture.

He has participated in more than 27 researches, has supervised 8 PhD theses, has published more than 60 papers in peer reviewed journals and 200 papers in national and international conferences. He has additionally organized 2 international and several national conferences.

Major General Dimitrios Sideridis is the Commander of the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS). He is responsible for the operational operation of the Central Service and all the Regional Meteorological Units, the meteorological support to Ministries, Services and Organizations, private entities and the society. He was born in Serres.

Education

He joined the Hellenic Air Force Academy in 1983 and graduated in 1987 as a 2nd Lieutenant.

He graduated from:

• Joint College of  Staff  Defense
• United States Air Command and Staff College
• Air War College/Junior Officers
• Accident Prevention School
• Air-to-Ground Operations School
• Water Survival School
• Academic Instructor Course
• ACO – Air and ASACS Operations TACEVAL Evaluator Course
• Instrument Flight Training Center

He speaks English and holds MSc in International Relations and Strategic Studies from the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences.

Assignments

• Director of HAFGS Defense Planning and Programming Directorate (D2)
• Director of  Department of International Relations/General Directorate for Defense Investments and Armaments (GDDIA)
• Commander of 116 Combat Wing
• Commander of Air Tactics Center
• Director at HTAF Ground and Flight Safety Directorate
• Operations and Training Director at 116CW

• Staff Officer at Hellenic Military Representation to the EU and to Council Security Committee (CSC) as well as to CSC Policy Advisory Group (CSPAG)

He was the head of the Multinational Steering Investigation Board (SIB), according the accident on 26^th of January 2015, at TLP, LOS LLANOS base, ALBACETE, SPAIN.

Flight Experience

He has more than 3500 flight hours. He has flown with T-41D, T-2E, T-33, F-104G and since 1990, F-16C/D BLK 30/50/52+/52+ADV aircraft.