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Dr. Evangelos Vergos

Dr. Evangelos Vergos is the Dean of the School of Professional Education and Director of the Demo Farm at the American Farm School–Perrotis College. Prior to his current posts, he established the Perrotis College and the Center for Agricultural Entrepreneurship and Innovation at AFS-PC.

Evangelos earned his doctorate in Reproductive Biotechnology from the University College Dublin in 1991, and in 2000, accomplished successfully a fellowship from Harvard University for graduate studies in Human Resource Management for Tertiary Education.

His current professional interests include agrofood entrepreneurship and know-how transfer through extension service for the rural community development in Greece and abroad. He has sixty one peered reviewed scientific publications in the areas of livestock production and reproduction, adult education and extension, as well as, several reported case studies in the agrofood entrepreneurship.

He is a member of the Agrofood Committee of the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce, the Cluster of Organic Agriculture, the National Agriculture Network, and the Hellenic Zootechnical Society. He served Europe Direct “American Farm School” and Team Europe for several years, COST EU and Secretariat General of Research and Technology programs evaluation teams.

Married with 3 children.

Abstract

Stewards of the Land

Agriculture rapidly evolves due to new technology applications, science simplification, environmental and bio-security issues and concerns, and new consumers’ demands, worldwide. This evolution, either leads to the development of new products, and/or to the establishment of pretentious emerging markets. To that effect, those engaged in primary production must become competitive and sustainable entrepreneurs for producing high value products that would eventually lead to bio-secure food production. Alongside, they shall preserve the environment as such in order to inherit it intact over to next generations.

Key words: Sustainability, food production, environment

Mr. Nikolas Vafiadis

Nikolas Vafiadis was born in Athens in 1961. He studied Geology at the National University of Athens and specialized in Geochemistry and Petrology through X-Ray Diffraction. He started his PhD on the deposits of Wolfram in Greece, which he later abandoned and started working as a journalist. He was rewarded a scholarship from the British Council and –after his studies- received an MA degree in International Journalism from the City University of London.

He has worked for many influential Greek newspapers (including Eleftherotypia, Kathimerini and Kerdos), the Financial Times, radio stations (including BBC World Service, ANT-1 Radio), magazines (including Georama) and TV stations. His reports have been broadcast by many international media (including CNN, Sky News, CBS News, Al Jazeera, RAI, etc.) The last 30 years he works for the ANTENNA Group. He is currently the Head of the Foreign News Department of ANT-1 TV and one of the news anchors, while he teaches International Journalism at the ANT-1 Media Lab and “Mass Media and Social Media in Disasters and Crises” for post-graduate students at the Department of Geology and Geo-environment of the University of Athens.

He has covered a dozen wars from the front lines and has interviewed many world leaders (including Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbatsev, George Bush, Yasser Arafat, Tassos Papadopoulos, Jesse Jackson, Hamid Karzai, Jimmy Carter, Tomislav Nikolic, Turgut Ozal, John Major, George W. Bush, Alexander Kwasniewski, Ion Iliescu, Sali Berisha, Kiro Gligorov, Slobodan Milosevic, Radovan Karadzic and others).

His distinctions include the Botsis Foundation Award in 1993 <for his subjective coverage of the wars in the Gulf, in Nagorno Karabakh, in Yugoslavia and other hot spots of the planet>, the national television award as <the best war correspondent> in 1994, the Distinction of the Municipality of Athens <for his coverage of the war in Kosovo> in 1999, the Medal of the Friends of Scouts in 2000, the Ecumenical Hellenism Award in 2002, the Distinction of the Union of Journalists <for the coverage of the war in Iraq> in 2003, the medal of the Piraeus and islands’ UNESCO club in 2007, the distinction for his overall career as a journalist from the Greek Football Trainers’ Association in 2009, in 2011 the Apollo Award for social achievements and in 2016 the European Amerigo Media Award in Florence <for his overall contribution to the Media>. In 2003 he was named <Reporter of the Year> in the National Television Awards <Prosopa> for his coverage of the War in Iraq.

Mr. Bora Tuncer

Mr. Tuncer has graduated from Marmara University, Department of Business Administration in 1994 and then worked as Executive MBA at Sabancı University.

Starting his career in 1994 as Audit Assistant and later as Senior Audit Manager in Deloitte, he then joined Schneider Electric as Finance Director assigned a range of responsibilities in the fields of information technology, business development, company acquisitions and integration.

Tuncer was appointed as the Assistant General Manager of Schneider Electric Power Products Business Unit in 2010. In October 2011, he was appointed as Vice President of Power & Life Space Business Unit.

He has been the Country Head of Schneider Electric Turkey since February 25, 2013. Bora Tuncer now serves as Cluster President for Turkey, Iran & Central Asia

Abstract

Schneider Electric Diversity and Inclusion

– Schneider Electric’s HeForShe Commitments
– Schneider Electric global and local actions

Dr. Filippos Tsalidis

TRAINOSE’s Managing Director, Professor Filippos Tsalidis, holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and has served as Vice Rector at the Democritus University of Thrace from 1997 to 2003.

He was elected into the Hellenic Parliament (2004-2007). In 2008, he was appointed Secretary General for Research and Technology at the Ministry of Development.

He served as Deputy Minister for Internal Affairs and Administration’s Reconstruction (Caretaker Government, August-September 2015).

He holds the position of Managing Director of TRAINOSE since 2016.

Abstract

The railway in the Balkans: Challenges and Opportunities

The pivotal changes that are taking place in the transportation sector and shaping the map of Europe and the Balkans in particular, present both an excellent opportunity and, at the same time, a challenge for both the railway and the country itself.

TRAINOSE is thus expanding its portfolio of services with a view to becoming the main supplier of railway services in Southeastern Europe, serving effectively the global supply chains from the Far East to the South East and Central Europe through Greece

Mr. Sotirios Theofanis

Sotirios Theofanis is the Chairman of the BoD and Chief Executive Officer of the privatized Thessaloniki Port Authority SA and Member of the BoD of the South Europe Gateway Thessaloniki (SEGT) Ltd.

An internationally acknowledged expert and manager in the fields of freight transportation; logistics; and ports.

Former Expert; Head of Unit; and acting Director for Ports with the Ministry of Merchant Marine, Greece (1985-1999). Former Chief Executive Officer of Thessaloniki Port Authority SA, Greece (1999-2002) and Chairman of the BoD and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Piraeus Port Authority SA, Greece (2002-2004), he led the efforts for the restructuring and listing of the two port companies in the Athens Stock Exchange.

Former Director, Freight and Maritime Program (FMP) (2006-2012) at the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and   Transportation (CAIT), Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA, he is currently fellow with the same University.

Abstract

The Port of Thessaloniki as South East Europe main Gateway. Prospects and Challenges

Dr. Nicholas J. Theocarakis

Nicholas J. Theocarakis holds a BA from the Dept of Economics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and a PhD in Economics from the University of Cambridge. He had worked in the private sector for many years.

He left the business sector for academia and he is currently Associate Professor of Political Economy and History of Economic Thought in his alma mater. A member of the editorial board of many scientific journals, he had written three books [two with Yanis Varoufakis] and numerous articles.

In March 2015 he was appointed Secretary General for Fiscal Policy until the end of October where he became Chairman of the Board and Scientific Director of the Center of Planning and Economic Research (KEPE).

In the first two months of his stint as Secretary General he was the head of the Brussels Group and Greece’s representative at the Eurogroup Working Group.

Since March 2016 he is the Chairman of the Board of Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall.

Abstract

The “linear” model of the economy is also circular, but it is reckless.

The circular economy is usually set against a conventional linear model of the economy. This is not true.
Economists since the beginning of their science have dealt with circular models, but they were reckless into not taking
into account the limits of a non-sustainable growth.
The problems posed by the embedded circularity of the economy cannot be solved through a market process.
Will assess what has been done and what should be done.

Ms. Marina Stavropoulou

Well-rounded Lawyer with significant experience in competition cases, acquired from the Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC) and the European Commission. Track record in guiding all types of legal entities in competition law (free and unfair), IP law, data protection, telecommunications, energy & commercial law. Considerable emphasis in Compliance principles, adopting a proactive approach on legal matters. A hands-on problem solver, brings results and focuses on client satisfaction. Works with increased ownership and shapes relationships based on trust and reliability.

Key expertise includes: Competition law │ Mergers │ Regulatory policy │ Compliance │Data protection│ Commercial litigation │ Commercial contracts │ State aid │ Consumer protection │ Damages & Liabilities.

Abstract

The uncharted waters of cyberspace: mapping today’s cyber security landscape

Dr. Jelica Stefanović-Štambuk

Dr. Jelica Stefanović-Štambuk is Professor of Diplomatic, European and International Studies at the University of Belgrade ‒ Faculty of Political Sciences (FPS). Since the establishment of the Ministry of European Integration of the Republic of Serbia in 2017 she is Special Advisor on the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to the Minister for European Integration.

Professor Jelica Stefanović-Štambuk holds her B.A and Master of Science and Ph.D. in International Relations, Politics and History from the University of Belgrade. Continuously from the master thesis on historical forms of diplomatic communication (1985) through the doctoral dissertation on the development of the CSCE’s diplomatic practice (1996) till today she does researching, teaching, writing and is professionally engaged to contribute to global peaceful transformational change. She has been lecturing at her alma mater on undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level a variety of courses encompassing the fields of Diplomatic, European and International Studies and held visiting professorship posts at several institutions of higher education, including some in the Western Balkans Region.

She was the founding head of the first TEMPUS Joint Master Programme European Studies in Politics in 1991 and of the newly designed Doctoral Programme in International and European Studies in 2009 at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Political Sciences. Her committed international involvement in interdisciplinary networked research primarily on sub-state diplomacies, strategic planning and thinking, and global rise of populism in the International Studies Association’s Working Groups and development of problems-oriented, digitally immersed atelier-modes of teaching are recognized as path-breaking. For mentoring the best undergraduate students’ project proposal for Regional Development contributing to regional and local community cohesion and sustainability she has received in 2017 the award of the Development Agency of Serbia – RAS.

Acting from 2010 on as invited lecturer, speaker, programme reviewer and chair at more than 70 most influential international conferences and world-wide academic events led to her recent monographs on sustainability diplomacy and diplomatic power of circular global regions. In addition to academic work she has served for three years (1999-2002) as director of the publishing house “International Politics” and editor-in-chief of scholarly journal Review of International Affairs. She now sits on the Editorial Board of the European Perspectives: Journal on European Perspectives of the Western Balkans and regularly serves as program reviewer for the annual conferences of the Council for European Studies (CES) of the Columbia University and independent expert evaluator for the EU-funded COST.

Abstract

What indeed the circular economy is for “green growth”?

Although the circular economy is gaining widening traction neither the most vocal proponents agree on the main facets. Yet, the majority holds that it is the best transitional conduit to sustainable development by its transformational deliverance, not just of “green growth”, but of the “evergreening” of growth.

Hence, it is worthwhile to undertake an investigation of the performed relation to growth by the circular economies already in place. The best suited to be a base of this critical inquiry is the most authoritative yardstick in the field of global sustainability governance – the transformational UN’S 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its application in discernment of the European Union circular economy relation to growth – through its actual operation of the management of waste, primarily solid waste plastic stream (since waste water management is still “under construction”) – has shown that the right balance between social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development is still not found.

The framing of growth as “green” and the premium put on environmental dimension of sustainability (understood to be an effective protection of natural resources driven by economic incentives for producers and consumers alike to act more responsibly) both in the EU circular economy and in the linear economies of the candidate countries for accession to the Union, the Republic of Serbia included – even though among them she is scoring the best on the SDGs – are far beyond the mark of the 2030 Agenda’s transformational vison of sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Only the upcycling transition, stemming from the rightly found balance between entwined social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability and enabled by joint cross-border and transnational implementation of the SDG 8, is the suitable one for making the vision of sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth the reality by 2030.

Ms. Siwarde J. Sap

Ms Siwarde J. Sap has been involved in strategy and business development, combining the role of forward thinking analyst and positive catalyst with realistic target setting, for over 25 years.

Since 2010, she holds the position of Senior Advisor Economic Policy Affairs at the Netherlands Embassy in Greece. Her focus lies on regional geopolitics, investment and trade policy affairs, financial services, energy, agribusiness, transport and logistics.

Ms Sap holds a Master’s degree in Dutch Civil law, with a specialization in European law, from Leiden University and has fulfilled senior management positions at leading companies. She is fluent in several languages including Greek.

Ms Sap is Vice Chair of the Balkans & Black Sea Cooperation Forum Steering Committee, Vice Chair of the Economic & Commercial Diplomats Club in Greece and advisor to Orange Grove, an incubator established by the Netherlands Embassy. As co-initiator of the Balkans & Black Sea Cooperation Forum, Ms Sap focuses on international and institutional affairs thereby giving an impulse to the implementation and the ongoing development of this initiative.

Mr. Michele Ribotta

Michele Ribotta is the Acting Deputy Director of UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia. He joined UN Women in 2012, where he has been working as an adviser to the Director in the UN System Coordination Division, supporting gender mainstreaming in key inter agency coordination mechanisms in the context of UN system operational activities for development (QCPR).

Prior to joining UN Women, Mr. Ribotta worked as a learning manager at the UN System Staff College where he led the UN Coherence team, providing training and facilitation services to UN Country Teams on leadership and strategic planning. Prior to that, he served with UNDP Egypt as Head of the UN Resident Coordinator Office. His career in the UN system started in 1997, when he joined UNDP Bulgaria as a coordination and human rights officer.

Mr. Ribotta has a master degree in law obtained at the University of Rome La Sapienza in 1993. He is married and has three children. He speaks English, French and Spanish.