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Mr. Christoforos Chatzopoulos

Christoforos Chatzopoulos is head of Retail Loans for consumers and small businesses in the National Bank of Greece. He has been the head of the Mortgage Lending of the National Bank, the head of Consumer Credit of the National Bank, he is the Vice President of the Board of Directors of TIRESIA SA, a member of the Board of Directors of National Leasing and a member of the Board of Directors of National Insurance Brokers SA and was a member of the Board of Directors of EAEDO (Ethnokarta). He has also been the Credit and Recovery Manager at Eurobank, a member of the Boards of Directors of Euroline (Bulgaria), ERS Euroline (Romania) and Euroline (Cyprus) and a member of the Board of Visa (Greece). He was the manager of Statistical Decisions for Greece and the Gulf area. He holds an MSc in Management & Operational Research from Warwick Business School and a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Patras.

Dr. Nicholas Dercas

Professor Dercas is an Agricultural Engineer (AUA), Hydraulic Engineer (S.Sp. Institute National Polytechnique de Toulouse, France), and Civil Engineer (National Technical University of Athens). He holds a Master of Science/DEA (University of Montpellier II) and a PhD in Hydraulic Engineering (University of Montpellier II / France).

His research interests cover the area of applied agricultural hydraulics, irrigation systems and management, water resources management, crop water requirements, biomass and energy crops. He has participated in several international and national research projects.

His research work is published in peer review journals and international conferences. He is a reviewer of international scientific journals and research proposals.

Dr. Athanasios Loukas

Dr. Athanasios Loukas is, currently, Associate Professor of Engineering Hydrology – Management and Development of Water Resources, Director of Master Program “Water Resources” and Head of Transportation and Hydraulic Engineering Department of the School of Rural and Surveying Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2018-today). He was Professor, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering (2008-2012) and Dean of Engineering School, University of Thessaly (2015-2018).

He was Director of the Laboratory of Hydrology and Aquatic Systems Analysis and Director of the common Greek-French Master Program “Management of Hydrometeorological Hazards-HYDROHASARDS” co-organized with the Joseph Fourier University-Grenoble I (2010-2018).  He is Visiting Scientist/Researcher (Professor 1st class) at the Joseph Fourier University-Grenoble I, France and Visiting Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, U.S.A., position for which he was awarded a Fulbright Research Scholarship for the academic year 2013-2014.

He has co-ordinated and participated in national, European research projects as well as a significant number of hydrological and hydraulic studies and water resources management projects. He is member of scientific and professional associations. He is, currently, Editor-in-Chief of European Water, Section Editor-in-Chief “Water Resources Management Policy and Governance” of Water and Editorial Board Member of Water Resources Management and Scientific Review Engineering and Environmental Sciences. He participates and participated as Guest Editor of scientific journals Special Issues.  He is reviewer of national and European research proposals as well as evaluator and responsible of research projects certification

Dr. Spyros J. Kiartzis

Dr. Spyros Kiartzis is the New Technologies and Alternative Energy Sources Manager, for the Hellenic Petroleum Group. He received his Diploma and his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the School of Engineering; and his degree in Economics from the School of Law and Economics; all from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and finally his MBA from the Hellenic Open University. Following a period in the construction sector supervising restoration projects in Mount Athos, he served as a part-time instructor in the University of Western Macedonia and in the International Hellenic University. He joins the Hellenic Petroleum Group in 2001 where he held a range of posts in maintenance and project construction sections (including the Project Management Team for the construction of a 390 MW CCPP), before becoming Manager of New Technologies and Alternative Energy Sources. He is Managing Director of ElpeFuture an e-mobility service provider (Subsidiary of Hellenic Petroleum Group), and also Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Energiaki Pylou-Methonis SA a wind park owner. He is also member of the Board of Directors of “ELPEDISON S.A.” and “Hellenic Petroleum Renewable Energy Sources S.A.” (Subsidiary of Hellenic Petroleum Group) and has served as member of the Board of Directors of “EKO Bulgaria S.A.” (Subsidiary of Hellenic Petroleum Group).

Dr. Theofanis Gemtos

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.

Mr. Dimitris Papagianidis

Mr. Dimitris Papagiannidis was born in 1959, at Orini (in the highlands of) Nafpaktia. He studied Civil Engineering at the Democritus University of Thrace (D.U.Th.). He continued his postgraduate studies from 1985-86 in France on the subject of «Metal constructions and underground works», while he also earned a Postgraduate Specialization Diploma at the National Technical University of Athens in the INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES 2011-2012 “Environment and

Development” with a grade of Excellent.

In the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he was honored in 2021 with the responsibility of the General Secretariat of Union Resources and Infrastructure, which was re-established at the Ministry of Rural Development and Food. Since 2017 he has been/holds the position of the General Manager at the MINISTRY OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT in GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF STRATEGIC

TRANSPORT PLANNING AND ROAD SAFETY. Under his responsibility were the EU programs of the Ministry; the approval and monitoring of the National Strategic Transport Plan 2019-2037 (ESSM); the ESS; (the program?) Road Safety 2021-2030; the sectors of “Intelligent Transport Systems-ITS” of Logistics; Air Transport (Waterways etc.); and the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans.

For many years he was/serviced as Director and Executive in the Special Service for Public Works of Hydraulic Infrastructure Construction. He was mainly involved in the management of Large National Projects of National/nationwide Level Plumbing and Road Construction with a budget of over 2 billion €. Ιndicatively: the Acheloos Diversion Projects, Athens Water supply from the river Evinos, Water Supply Patras, Thessaloniki and Fyrlia Island of Paxron L, Straw Dam, Irrigation Networks of Amvrakia-Amfilochia, land improvement works in the area of Valtos, Aetoloakarnania, Anti-flooding works in the riparian zone of the Stream of Eschatia, Attica, and the construction of tunnels in Karpenisi, Agios Ilias Aitolo.

He was President of the Association of Civil Engineers of Greece in the period 2004-2009, and General Secretary in 1998-2004. He was President for 3 terms of DKM and is elected in the Central Delegation of Technical Chamber of Greece and in various sections of Engineers from 1990 until today. During the government of Costas Karamanlis, he was in charge of the Special Secretariat for Community Resources and Infrastructure at the Ministry of Rural Development and Food in the period 2004-2009.

He remapped the Special Services of the RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, while he also increased the staff with increased qualifications from the MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION UNIT OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. Furthermore, he expanded the Services and suggested to the political leadership the establishment and operation of 3 new Special Units, these of a) Coordination, b) Infrastructure and c) Implementation of Co-financed Actions of the 3rd EU-funded programs and in 2007 of the Operational Program for Fisheries and Sea 2007-2013.

Dr. Charalambos Kasimis

Charalambos Kasimis is a Professor at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development of the Agricultural University of Athens. In March 2015, he was appointed as Secretary General of Agricultural Policy and Management of European Funds of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, in charge of CAP, Rural Development and Fisheries Development Programmes of Greece as well as International Relations. He completed his term in office in July 2019.

He has served as the Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (2013-2014) and as the Director of the Postgraduate Studies MSc. Programme “Integrated Rural Development and Management of Rural Space” (2010-2014). Between September 2014 and March 2015, he was appointed as Deputy Rector of the Agricultural University of Athens. In the period 1986-2003 he served as a member of staff at the Department of Economics of the University of Patras and between 1995 and 2000 as the Director of the Institute of Urban and Rural Sociology at the National Centre for Social Research. For a number of years, he served as a member of the Executive Committee of the European Society for Rural Sociology and between 2013 and 2015 as President.

His academic interests focus on issues of rural transformation and development in Greece, the Balkans and the Mediterranean region and more particularly on family farming, employment and rural community change. Migration and, more precisely, the implications of international migration on rural regions have become one of his main research topics in the past years. In the crisis years he dealt with the study of the implications of the economic crisis upon the rural areas and the ‘return to the land’ movement in Greece.

Since 2016 Charalampos Kasimis is Vice President and member of the Governing Board of the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM).

Between 2018 -2019 he served as Executive Board member of the Organisation “Enterprise Greece”.

Mr. Dimitris Lianos

Mr. Lianos is a Mining and Metallurgical Engineer with a Master of Science (MSc.) in regional development. He is a partner and Associate Managing Director of LKN ANALYSIS Ltd (Greece).

He has more than 32 years of professional experience in the design and evaluation of Cohesion Policy and Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Greece and Cyprus (for the latter since 2002). He is an expert in the design, management and evaluation of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) operational programmes in Greece and Cyprus. In addition, he has specialized knowledge and long-term experience in the design and evaluation of Rural Development Programmes for Greece and Cyprus under Pillar II of the Common Agricultural Policy. He has participated either as project manager or expert in evaluations (ex ante, on-going, ex post) of Rural Development Programmes in both countries.

He is the geographical expert for Greece and Cyprus in the context of the European Evaluation Helpdesk for Rural Development for the 2008-2020 period. He has also important experience in country-specific studies from his participation as national expert for Greece and Cyprus in EU-wide evaluation and other studies.

Currently, he is the coordinator on behalf of LKN ANALYSIS Ltd for the provision of scientific and technical support to the Ministry of Rural Development and Food (Greece) for the preparation of the CAP 2021-2027 Strategic Plan, which is implemented in collaboration with the Agricultural University of Athens.

Dr. Nikolaos Katsoulas

Dr Nikolaos Katsoulas is Professor at the University of Thessaly (BSc-MSc in Agronomy- 1997, Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering-2002), Director of the Lab of Agricultural Constructions and Environmental Control and of the Institute of Rural Development of the IASON University Center for Innovation Research and Development, of the University of Thessaly.

He has 18 years Academic, Research and Teaching experience. He is specialized in microclimate control in agricultural buildings with emphasis in greenhouses. His research interests include technologies, automations, design, modeling and control in greenhouses, irrigation scheduling, hydroponic and aquaponic systems, energy management, renewable energy sources, microalgae production and other. He has long-term stays for research cooperation and teaching in several organizations around the world (e.g. UPCT, Spain; INRAE, Avignon, France; KUL, Belgium; SNU, Korea; UA, Tucson, USA; WUR, Wageningen, The Netherlands; HGU, Geisenheim, Germany).

He has participated in more than 50 EU and National (Greek) funded research projects and has published more than 200 publications (more than 75 in Peer-Review journals). During March 2021 he joined, as Editor, the Editorial Board of Biosystems Engineering Elsevier Journal.

Dr. Nikolaos Danalatos

Professor of Agronomy and Crop Ecology. Director of the Laboratory of Agronomy, Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Agricultural Environment, University of Thessaly (UTH)  (2006-Today). Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences UTH (2019-2022). Vice Rector of UTH (2013-2014) and unanimously elected Chairman of the Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural environment UTH for two terms 2014-2016 and 2016-2018.

He graduated from the Agricultural University of Athens (1982), received MSc in Soil Science and Water Management (1983-1986) and PhD in Quantitative Assessment of Land Use Systems (1987-1993) at Wageningen University. He is author of over 190 scientific papers in international journals (50), international book chapters (20), international conferences (106), other conferences and scientific papers.

He holds a Greek and international patent for solid biofuel production. He is evaluator of EU research programs, while his work is cited in more than 1600 international papers.