WOMEN
ECONOMIC FORUM

Antonia Moropoulou Professor Emeritus at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, Vice President of the Technical Chamber of Greece, Μember of the Governing Council of the University of Ioannina. Chemical Engineer, PhD, Director Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory, Studies Director Interdisciplinary NTUA MSc Master Program ‘’Protection of Monuments”. Contracted Professor Instituto Universitario di Architectura a Venezia (IUAV) (1994), Visiting Professor at Princeton University - Civil and Environmental engineering (1995-1996) NTUA Vice Rector of Academic Affairs (2010-2014), Vice President of the European Society for Engineering Education – SEFI (2013-2016), President of the General Assembly of the Technical Chamber of Greece (2017-2019). Chief Scientific Supervisor of the Rehabilitation of the Holy Aedicule of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem by the Christian Leaders, leading the NTUA interdisciplinary team.

Scientific coordinator of more than 100 National, European and International research competitive programs, h-index of 41, at Scopus more than 92.586 readings, three billion views of her work, acknowledged by Stanford University of the top 2% with the highest impact in the field of Cultural Heritage Protection.

2012 was awarded the “YPATIA” Award by the “Association of Hellenic Women Scientists”.

Member of the Coordinating Secretariat and the first broadcaster of the historic radio in the democratic uprising in November ’73.

Μrs. Sophia Kounenaki-Efraimoglou is the President of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Elected President of the National Chamber Network of Greek Women Entrepreneurs (EEDEGE), Executive Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Foundation of the Hellenic World and Head of “Hellenic Cosmos” Cultural Centre, as well as Treasurer of the BoD at ALBA Graduate Business School and Member of the General Council of SEV (Hellenic Federation of Enterprises). She is the Chairman & Managing Director of Ardittos Holdings SA and Board Member of TERNA ENERGY GROUP and Lavipharm S.A.

Lee Minaidis served for several years as a Deputy Mayor of Rhodes, Greece and subsequently for many years as Advisor to the Mayor of Rhodes for International Relations.

Ms. Minaidis was involved with the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) for over twenty years, first as a representative of the City of Rhodes and then as the Chair of the Organizing Committee of the 7^th OWHC World Congress held in Rhodes in 2003.  

Her cooperation with the General Secretariat of the OWHC, which has its headquarters in Quebec City, Canada,  continued with her appointment as the Coordinator for Development and European Projects.  Ms. Minaidis then served as Interim Secretary General of the OWHC in 2007 and 2008 after which she held the position of Deputy Secretary General until 2020. At that time she once again assumed the position of Interim Secretary General until October 2021, serving thereafter in a transitional capacity as an Advisor to the Secretary General.

In 2014 Ms. Minaidis was appointed by the Council of Europe to serve as one of the representatives of that institution on the Board of Directors of the European Cultural Center of Delphi (Greece). A position she continues to hold.

Konstantina Svynou was born and raised in Kos. She studied Computer Engineering and Informatics at the engineering school of Patras’ University. She then specialized with postgraduate studies in the following:

MSc in "E-Commerce Technologies and Applications", university of Patras.
Master's Degree (MPh) in "Computer Science and Technology", university of Patras.
Master's Degree (MBA) in "Tourism Business Management", open university of Athens.

She speaks fluently English, German and adequate French.

She has been a scientific associate in the High Performance Information Systems laboratory of the Computer Engineering and Informatics department of the University of Patras, while at the same time she was responsible for teaching courses in computer science in secondary education. On 2001, she turned to the tourism industry, taking over the management of her family business, which consists of 3 hotels.

On 2003 she was first elected at the board of the Hotel Association of Kos. Today she is:

• Prefect (regional governor) of Kos and Nisyros islands (2024-today)
• President of the Institute of Tourism Research (ITEP) (2018-today)
• Vice-President of the Hotelier Association of Kos
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (2006-today)
• Member of the board of Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers
• Member of the Board of Directors of Kos Marina
• Vice President of Kos’ cycling club (2022-today)

She has also been:

• President of the Hotelier Association of Kos (2014-2023)
• Vice-president of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers (2017-2023)

She was born in Athens on 2 October 1954.  She studied Law at the University of Athens  and graduated in 1977.  She continued her studies at the University of Paris 2 – Sorbonne in France, where she got the Diplome des Etudes Approfondies (DEA) in Public Law.  In 1985 she got her Ph.D at the University of Athens (Thesis subject: The constitutional protection of the environment).  She began in 1981 her academic career at the Law Faculty of the University of Athens as scientific collaborator.  She was elected senior lecturer in 1986, assistant Professor in 1990, associate professor in 1995 and since 1999 full professor in 1999.  She teaches Administrative Law and Environmental Law.

Since 1980 she is attorney at law (Athens Bar Association) and since 1987 attorney at law at the Supreme Court and the Council of State.  From 1990 until 2004 she was senior partner at the Law firm “Flogaitis – Pamboukis – Sioutis & Associates” and since 2005 she is managing partner at the Law firm “Flogaitis –Sioutis & Associates ”.

She has been member in several committees (Central Legislative Committee, Committee for the codification of the administrative procedure, Committee for the organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs etc.) She has been appointed for two years as member of the Special Supreme Court of the article 100 of the Constitution, four years as member of the Board of the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE), two years as member of the Board of the National Center of Environment and Sustainable Development, two year member of the Legal Council of Alpha Bank. She is member of the Board of the European Public Law Organization, national representative at the Conseil Européen du Droit de l’ Environnement (CEDE) and president of the Hellenic Environmental Law Society. Member of the Scientific and Legal Council of Eurobank.  From October 2009 until September 2010 she was the legal advisor of the Prime Minister of Greece. She is member of the legislative committee for the Codification of City and Urban Planning Law.  She is the legal advisor (of counsel) of the General Secretary of the Ministry of Development for Strategic Investments.  She is  arbitrator at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.  

She has participated in numerous international seminars and conferences on administrative law and environmental law and she has published a great number of articles. She is author of the books: The constitutional protection of the environment (1985), The advisory administrative procedure (1990), Environmental Law (1993), The presumption of legality of administrative acts (1995), Locus stands (standing) for the annulment of administrative acts (1998), Handbook of Environmental Law (2023 4^th edition), Administrative law co-author, 2023. 4^th edition).  She directed as scientific responsible many research projects on environmental law and policy, financed by the European Community and / or the greek state.  She is co – editor of the reviews “Environment and Law”, and “Energy and Law”.  She is fluent in English and French.    

Forty years of experience in Public and Environmental Law, investment law, public procurement, tax law, competition law and litigation at the Supreme Court, the Council of State and the European Court of Justice.

Professional Profile

Executive with more than thirty years in C-suite roles in leading management positions in both the private and public sector. Ten years working experience as CEO and Non Executive Director with strong record in change management with measurable economic impact and commercial growth under economic crisis conditions , successful implementation of strategies while fostering a culture of respect and accountability within the organization. Track record in turnaround and capacity building at high-paced organizations.

Education / Qualifications / Professional Affiliations

- BSc in Business Administration - AUEB - MSc in Operational Research -   University of Athens, - MA in Heritage Management - University of Kent - Leadership & Management - imd, Emory University and Management Centre of Europe

Professional experience

 

Non Executive roles

The Global federation of competitiveness council (USA)

Ellaktor SA Group (GREECE) Chair of the NRC Committee and Audit

 

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Roles and chair of the BOD

Hellenic Development Bank SA

Archaeological Resources Fund

 

Consulting Roles

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)

CFO Roles and BoD member

TOYOTA Group of 9 affiliates

BEIERSDORF Group of 2 affiliates

COCA-COLA Regions Greece Cyprus Balkans 

JOHNSON & JOHNSON

PRICE WATERHOUSECOOPERS

LANGUAGES

Greek – English - French – German

...

Catherine Sofianou, President of SOFMEDICA Group, is a prominent figure in Europe's healthcare sector. Born in Cairo to a Greek family, she moved to Greece in 1963 and, alongside her husband, established a trading company. In 1994, recognizing opportunities in healthcare, she founded a company in Romania focused on high-end medical technologies, introducing innovations like the Artificial Heart and Robotically Assisted Minimal Invasive Surgery to the region.

Currently overseeing a family-owned group with over 160 healthcare professionals across Romania, Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Cyprus, she actively contributes to various social not-for-profit organizations. Over the years, she has received numerous awards, including recognition for her contributions to fighting breast cancer, leadership in healthcare, and support for social projects.

Acknowledged internationally, Catherine Sofianou received honors from the Princess of Thailand, the Academy of Romanian Scientists, and the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa. Her philanthropic activities extend to cultural promotion, education, and Greek literature dissemination. Notably, she was named "Ambassador of Greek Diaspora" for her role in renovating the Greek Orthodox Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in Cairo.

In 2022, she received the Humanitarian Contribution Award at the ARGO Awards and a recognition award from Jharkhand Rai University in India for her outstanding healthcare innovation contributions. In 2023, Sofianou received the Gold Medal from the Faculty of Classic and Humanities Studies of the Democritus University of Thrace, further highlighting her multifaceted contributions to society.