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Rear Admiral Georgios Floros HN

Rear Admiral Georgios Floros H.N. was born in Athens, Greece in 1967. He is a 1988 graduate of the Hellenic Naval Academy. During his early career, he was appointed on board various types of warships, mainly frigates.

An Anti-Submarine Warfare officer, he commanded the Patrol Gunboat HS ORMI (ex-US Asheville class) from 2001-2002, completing national deployments and operational patrols in the Aegean Sea.

From 2009-2010, he commanded the Frigate HS SALAMIS (MEKO class). His ship participated with success, in the following major international Maritime Operations:

– Active Endeavour (NATO Operation against terrorism, in the Mediterranean Sea) from October to November 2009.

– ATALANTA (EU Antipiracy Operation in the Horn of Africa) from December 2009 to April 2010. Among other missions, HS SALAMIS was actively engaged in the safe release of the Greek flagged Super-Tanker “MARAN CENTAURUS” (captured by pirates).

His operational/tactical experience was later amplified during the years 2016 – 2022, with the appointment as the Chief of Staff at the Hellenic Frigates Command, Commander of the 1st Frigates Squadron (COMHELFRIGRON ONE), Director of “A” Branch in Hellenic Navy General Staff (DCOS OPS), Head of Naval Operations, Plans & Policy, Naval Intelligence and Communications, Director of the Joint Operations Center in Hellenic National Defence General Staff (DJOC/HNDGS), Commander of Hellenic Frigates Command (COMHELFRIG) and until recently Chief Of Staff of the Hellenic Navy General Staff (COS/HNGS)

Ashore, he has been the Commandant of the Navy Tactical Training School. He has served as an operational / defense planner and Intel analyst and he has been the Director of Naval Intelligence & Security (A2) in the Hellenic Navy General Staff.  He has also served as the aide-de-camp to the Minister of Defence.

Abroad, he completed a three-year tour from 2010-2013 as a staff officer, at the (former) NATO Maritime HQ in Naples (Italy) in the Exercises & Training division (N7). Among other duties, he was also a member of the Maritime Assessment Working Group, during the Operation Unified Protector in Libya (OUP).

Floros has completed the Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) course in HMS DRYAD, U.K (1993). He has earned a Master’s Degree in Computer Science, from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, USA (1999). He is a graduate of the Supreme Joint Staff War College in Thessaloniki, Greece (2004). He has also attended the 19-4 CFMCC Flag Officers Course (2019).

Currently, he is the Deputy Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff (DCOM/HNGS).

He has been awarded with the medals, decorations, and commendations stipulated for an officer of his rank and seniority. In addition, he has been awarded with medals due to participation in various operations (SHARP GUARD, EUNAVFOR ATALANTA, UNIFIED PROTECTOR LIBYA).

Rear Admiral Floros is married and he is the father of two sons.

Ambassador (h.c.) Konstantinos Bikas

Graduated in law with honors, University of Athens.

Graduate Studies in Private Shipping Law and International Law, University of Hamburg, Germany

Mr. Bikas has served in various posts of responsibility:

  • Spokesperson of the Greek Foreign Ministry, 1993-1998
  • Head of The Greek Embassy, Baghdad, 1998-2002
  • Director of the Private Office of the President of the Hellenic Republic Dr. Karolos Papoulias, 2005-2009
  • Head of the Greek National Intelligence Service, 2009-2012
  • Ambassador of Greece to the United Kingdom 2012-2016 Ambassador of Greece to the State of  Israel 2016-2018.
  • Since 2019 he has been the International Business Director at Metlen Energy and Metals

Mr. Konstantinos Lambropoulos

Konstantinos Lampropoulos is a Non-resident fellow in Strategy and International Security at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, He is currently the co-Chair of the Athens Hub of the Centre.

He has been a regular speaker at the Delphi Economic Forum for 4 consecutive years, and was the leading spokesman at the Annual Defenseworld 2017 Conference held by the Greek Ministry of Defence. He has drafted the parameters and the prerequisites of the Greek National Security model for the 21st Century at the Centre for Security Studies, the research branch of the Greek Ministry of Citizen’s Protection.

He has been an Associated Fellow of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, where he was trained at an executive level on emerging security issues as well as on foresight and strategic planning methodologies. He has received an official recommendation by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy in 2014, that was sent to the Greek Government (Prime Minister’s office) to assist in emerging security issues and the strategic planning process.

He was awarded for excellent performance, a Fellowship as part of the Global Fellowship Initiative by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. His research refers to hybrid warfare in the 21st Century and NATO potential responses.

He has served at the Hellenic Centre for European Studies, the former research branch of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an International Affairs expert with  emphasis on Security Studies, while coordinating the international partnership initiatives of the Centre as well. Hence, he has played a leading role in the creation of the Research Consortium for Sino-European and Greek-Asian Studies.

He is currently leading the planning process for establishing a research Platform on Grand Strategy with various stakeholders, including the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. The Platform plans to offer insights on Grand strategy theory, strategic leadership, strategic planning methodologies and emerging security issues, bridging theory to practice.

Konstantinos Lampropoulos has been selected, prior joining the NISC Course at Geneva, to participate in executive seminars held at the European University Institute in Florence about the future of European Security and the future security dynamics of East Asia, focusing on the Chinese regional security strategy in particular.

Furthermore, he was selected by NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division as one of the 7 Greek policymakers to attend a workshop at NATO in Brussels, regarding “Smart Defense” in November 2013.

During his time at the Hellenic Centre for European Studies, he contributed to a policy-oriented chapter the Centre’s Policy Volume sent to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  His chapter was about the prospects of Greece’s bilateral relations with Israel.

Konstantinos Lampropoulos has written extensively on NATO, the US National Security Strategies of the current and previous US Administrations as well as on National Security Reform in Greece and abroad.

Since March 2017, he has been writing policy-oriented articles on international security and foreign policy issues to leading Greek Newspapers such as “Kathimerini, “Ta Nea” and  the e-policy platform of the Greek website Liberal.

Konstantinos Lampropoulos’ interdisciplinary PhD, held at the Ionian University Department of History, refers to the US Grand Strategy in the Mediterranean during the Second World War.

He has obtained his postgraduate degree (MA) in War Studies, at the School of Public Policy, the Department of War Studies, at King’s College London, University of London. He has also studied International History in the department of History at Ionian University and Journalism at the Department of Journalism and Media of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens.

H.E. Mr. Arif Mammadov

Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Hellenic Republic Mr. Arif Mammadov

Education:

  • 1999-2003: Bachelor in International Relations, Baku State University, Azerbaijan
  • 2003-2005: Master in International Relations, Baku State University, Azerbaijan
  • 2008-2010: Master in International Relations and European Studies Prague Metropolitan University, the Czech Republic
  • 2014-2017: Master in Business Administration, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Canada

Work experience:

  • 2004-2007: Attaché, Department of Human Rights, Democracy and Humanitarian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan
  • 2007-2012: Attaché /Third Secretary/ Second Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Czech Republic
  • 2012-2016: Second Secretary/ First Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Canada
  • 2017-2018: Head of Humanitarian Affairs Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan
  • 2018-2020: First Secretary and Counselor, Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan To Switzerland
  • 2020-2021: Senior Counselor / Head of Section, Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
  • 2021-2023: Director of the Transport Policy Department & Chairman of the Governing Board of the State Maritime & Port Agency, Ministry of Digital Development & Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan
  • Since December 2023: Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Hellenic Republic

Foreign languages: Russian, English

Marital status: Married with one child

 

Mr. George Karakatsanis

Mr. George Karakatsanis is a Natural Resource Economist and Financial Engineer. He has long research, business and consulting expertise as economic designer for the optimization of fuel, non-fuel, agricultural and biological resources for corporations and states. He is the Founder, Director and Chief Economist of EVOTROPIA Ecological Finance Architectures that specializes on natural capital classification and valuation methods, advanced data analytics for geoeconomic and supply networks modelling, Machine Learning methods for Industrial Symbiosis and the structuring of ecological finance and investment instruments. He is the scientific coordinator of several EU-funded and corporate research projects on natural resource economics, critical raw materials, soil bio-remediation and Regenerative Agriculture. He is a graduate of Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), holding an MSc and PhD from National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) on natural capital econometrics. He has extensive professional experience in environmental banking, ecological investments, risk management, and business continuity. In the period 2014-2016, he collaborated with Technische Universität München (TUM), receiving a DAAD scholarship as a Guest Lecturer and Researcher in the international research program NEXUS Energy-Water-Food on the conflict resolution for the management of water resources in the Nile Basin, as well as a Guest Scientist in the Oscar von Miller Forum (OvMF), where he organized and conducted several workshops and lectures on the field of Natural Resource Economics for Engineers. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed works and more than 30 educational articles on natural resource economics. Since 2014, he is a research affiliate of the Laboratory of Hydrology and Water Resources Utilization of the School of Civil Engineering of NTUA. Since 2020, he is scientific advisor of the Association of the Greek Manufacturers of Packaging and Materials (AGMPM), Director of the Special Committee for Circular Economy and the Built Environment of the Sustainable Building Council Greece (SBC-GR) and member of the Hellenic Solid Waste Management Association (HSWMA), while since 2023 he is a member of the Board of Directors of FILAIOS Olive Oil Club.

Dr. Ilias Lekkos

Dr. Ilias Lekkos is the Group Chief Economist and Head of Investment Strategy with Piraeus Bank, one of the largest banks in Greece. He is also Chairman of the Advisory Committee to the Hellenic Statistical System, a member of the Board of Directors of European Reliance Asset Management and of the Foundation of Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE).  Finally he is a member of the External Advisory Committee of MSc in Quantitative Management at Actuarial and Financial Risk. He is also a member of the Council of Economic Advisors of the Hellenic Bank Association. As Chief Economist with Piraeus Bank, he leads the division which reports on developments in the Greek economy and the Greek banking system. He also monitors macroeconomic developments at the G7 economies and is responsible for devising the investment strategy and asset allocation policy of Piraeus Bank Group. Before joining Piraeus Bank he was a Senior Economist at Eurobank-EFG and prior to that he has worked at the Bank of England, HBOS-Treasury Services and Standard and Poor’s. Dr. Lekkos holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Athens University of Economics and Business, an MSc in Economics and Finance from Warwick University and a PhD in Finance from Lancaster University. His research has been published in a number of academic journals.

H.E. Mr. Noam Katz

A career diplomat since 1994. Ambassador Noam Katz has been serving as Israel’s Ambassador to Greece since September 2022.

Prior to coming to Athens, the Ambassador served as the Senior Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs heading the Public Diplomacy Directorate and was responsible for Israel’s public diplomacy and strategic communications throughout the world.

He has previously served as the Minister of Public Diplomacy at the Embassy of Israel in Washington DC (2009-2014), Director of Public Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem (2007-2009), Israel’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Ghana and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) (2002-2007), Deputy Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2000) and Spokesman of Israel’s Embassy in Rome (1998-2000).

Ambassador Katz holds a BA in history and an MA in Public Policy and Management from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is a 2017 graduate of the Wexner Senior Leadership Program at Harvard University.

H.E. Mr. Valentin Poriazov

Education: 1988   M.A. in International Relations, University of National and World Economy, Sofia

Diplomatic Career:

1988   Joined the Diplomatic Service

1989    Attache, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Information Department

1991    Third Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office of the Spokesperson

1993    Second Secretary (Political Affairs), Embassy of Bulgaria in Athens

1996    First Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, South-East Europe Directorate, Head of Regional Affairs Department

1997    Counsellor

1997    Director, South-East Europe Directorate, MFA

2001    Minister Plenipotentiary

2002   Ambassador of Bulgaria to the Kingdom of The Netherlands

2006   General Director for Political Affairs, MFA

2009   Ambassador of Bulgaria to the Kingdom of Denmark

2013   Ambassador at Large, MFA

2014-2016 Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

2017-2018 Ambassador of Bulgaria to the Kingdom of Sweden

26.9.2018 – to date, Ambassador of Bulgaria to the Hellenic Republic

Professional Training:

1991    US Department of State

1997    European Commission

Scientific Training:

M.A. (Political Psychology)

Awards:

Knight of the Grand Cross in the Order of Oranje-Nassau

Commander of the Order of Honour of the Hellenic Republic

Languages: English and Russian (fluent); French and Greek (mid-level)

Professor Spyridon Flogaitis

He is Professor of Administrative Law at the Law School of the University of Athens, Attorney at Law at the High Court and the Council of State of Greece, former President of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal and former Caretaker Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs (2015) and Former Caretaker Minister of Interior, Greece (in 2007and 2009). He is also an Honorary Fellow at Wolfson College of the University of Cambridge and Doctor Honoris Causa at the NSPSPA in Bucharest, Romania, the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon in Portugal, at the Titu Majorescu Univeristy in Bucharest, Romania, the State University of Mariupol in Ukraine, and the USPEE in Chisinau, Moldavia. He is Vice-President at the Appeals Board of the European Space Agency, Member of the Appeals Board of  EUMETSAT, Member of the Appeals Board of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. He is Judge at the Administrative Tribunal of EBRD and holds the Chair of the Joint of the Appeals Board at IFAD in the UN. He is former Vice-President of the Organization of Intellectual Property, former Judge at the Supreme Court of Greece, former Arthur Goodhart Professor at the Faculty of Law, Cambridge University, former Yorke Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Faculty of Law in Cambridge University.

He was born in Lefkas (Greece) and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Athens with a degree in Law. He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas and a PhD in History from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and a degree (Diplôme) of the École Pratique des Hautes Etudes-IVème Section, Histoire et Philologie.

He speaks fluently English, French, German, Italian and Greek and is the author of many publications in the area of public law.

He was awarded with the distinction of Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur of the French Republic, the distinction of Cavaliere dell’Ordine di Merito of the Italian Republic, the La Croix d’Officier de l’Ordre du Merite de Hongrie and  was honored as Grande-Oficial da Ordem do Infante D. Henrique from the Portuguese Republic