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On Monday afternoon (27/02), Nikos Christodoulides, the country's new leader, unveiled his new administration. Read the detailed biographies of the individuals who make up the new government.
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Konstantinos Kombos
Konstantinos Kombos was born in Limassol in 1976. He studied law and earned an LLM in EU Law (University of Cambridge) and a Ph.D. in European Constitutional Law (Ph.D. University of Hull). He was elected to the University of Cyprus's Department of Law in 2006 and is a founding member. He has held the positions of senator and chairman of the department of law. He is the author of six books and dozens of articles and chapters in journals and edited volumes. His works have been translated and published in six different languages, and he has spoken at dozens of international conferences.
He was appointed to the Judicial School's Council by the Supreme Court. He appeared before the European Court of Justice on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus and was asked to provide an opinion for the House of Representatives on EU law and the Cyprus Constitution. He was appointed to the Cyprus negotiating team in 2014 and took part in all stages and levels of the Cyprus process, including Geneva I, Crans-Montana, and Geneva II. He is married to Famagusta native Maria Hadjisolomou.
Minister of Finance: Makis Keravnos
Makis Keravnos was born in Larnaca and raised in Nicosia. He has three children with his wife, Niki. He studied Economics at the University of Athens and went on to pursue postgraduate studies in Development Economics, Industrial Relations, and new technology and human resource development.
He was a manager in large corporations both in Cyprus and abroad. He was a Senior Officer at the Human Resources Development Authority, the Directorate of Training and Development, and the Directorate of Research and Planning from 1983 to 2003. He was appointed Minister of Labour and Social Insurance in March 2003, and Minister of Finance in May 2004, where he served until the end of 2005. He was appointed Senior Executive Director and Member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Bank in September 2005, a position he held until September 2014. He was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of RIK and the HellenicAlico Life Insurance Company. He was a founding member and elected President of the Pancyprian Association of Economists. Since 2015, he has been active as an independent consultant on financial, management, strategic planning and business development issues.
Minister of Interior: Konstantinos Ioannou
Born on 24 March 1969, he is a graduate of the English School of Nicosia. He studied Business Administration at the Manchester School of Management UMIST in the United Kingdom. He continued his studies in the United States on an honorary Fulbright scholarship at Cornell University where he obtained a Master's degree (MBA) in Hotel Management. He is married and has three children. Since 1997 he has been a founder, advisor and member of the Board of Directors of IMH, an organization for the transfer of knowledge and information to executives in the Cypriot market.
Konstantinos Ioannou was CEO and Board Member of Real Time Hospitality Intelligence, USA (1996-2001). In 2006 he founded C.C. Coffee Company Ltd, which owns the rights to use Gloria Jean's Coffees International in Cyprus and was a member of the advisory group of Retail Food Group, Australia representing the European region. He has served on the Boards of several companies. He served as Minister of Health from 1 March 2018 until 1/7/2021 following his appointment by the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades. The University of Nicosia awarded Konstantinos Ioannou an honorary doctorate of the Faculty of Medicine in 2022 to honor his vision, efforts and determination while he was Minister of Health, for the implementation of the GESY.
Minister of Defense: Michalis Georgallas
Michalis Giorgallas was born on October 20, 1968, in Marathovounos Famagusta. He graduated from Limassol's Lanitio Lyceum. He was a member of the 31st Commando Squadron during his military service. He has a BSc and an MSc in Chemical Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki's Faculty of Engineering. From the Greek Center for Renewable Energy Sources, he specialized in ISO International Standard Systems and Green Energy. He was a Ministry of Labour-accredited EXPERT in Health and Safety. He held consulting and management positions in Greek and Cypriot businesses and organizations. He was a member of the European Party and the Solidarity Movement.
Michalis Giorgallas was a member of the National Council from 2012 to 2017 and a member of the Famagusta Parliament from 2016 to 2021. During his time in Parliament, he served as deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, as well as a member of the Parliamentary Committees on (I) Finance and Budget, (II) Education, Culture, and Sports, (II) Environment, and (IV) Monitoring of Development Plans and Public Expenditure Control. He has also served on several Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committees and as an alternate member of the Cypriot Parliamentary Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as well as on numerous parliamentary missions abroad. Michael Yiorgallas is married to Dr. Maria Paleomylitou, with whom he has a son named Angelos.
Minister for Education, Sport and Youth: Athena Michaelidou
Dr. Athena Michaelidou is a graduate of the Cyprus Academy of Education and the University of Thessaloniki, holds a Master's degree in Education from the University of Manchester and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of London, specializing in educational research and evaluation. She has been a teacher, Professor of Education at the Cyprus Institute of Education, Head of Research and Evaluation, Head of the Centre for Educational Research and Evaluation and Director of the Institute of Education. Dr. Michaelidou has served as Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, and as an associate teaching staff member at the Open University of Cyprus and the University of London. As of July 2022, by the decision of the Council of Ministers, she was appointed as Deputy Director General of the newly created Ministry of State for Culture.
Dr. Michaelidou represented the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth in expert groups of the European Commission on education issues and participated in several working groups, representing Cyprus abroad. She was the coordinator of horizontal actions and innovations of the Ministry and taught for many years in seminars and programs she coordinated, on educational innovation, action research and policy in education. Her research interests are mainly related to professional development and the introduction of innovations in education. Dr. Michaelidou is originally from Kyrenia province, she is divorced and has two children, a son and a daughter.
Minister for Transport, Communications and Works: Alexis Vafiadis
Architect and graduate of the University of Southern California (USC). He has been a practicing architect since 1988 and is a shareholder and one of the Directors of the family firm, Vafiadis and Company Ltd. He is a registered member of the National Association of Civil Engineers. He is a Member of the Board of Directors of Dimitra Investment Public Limited and of the Cyprus Joint Committee for Construction Contracts (JCCC). During his previous term as Chairman of JCCC, he contributed to the revision of the existing Construction Contracts and the enrichment of the existing ones with new texts that serve new requirements of the construction industry. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Council for Registration and Control of Contractors of Technical and Construction Projects and a member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Association of Architects. He is married to Evangelia and has two children Maria and Kostas.
Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry: George Papanastasiou
George Papanastasiou was born in Nicosia on 10 September 1961. He is married to Glykeria Michailidou, they have a son Ignatios and reside in Nicosia. He is a Mechanical Engineer by profession, with a first degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Cyprus Higher Institute of Technology, a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the City University of London and an MSc in Refrigeration & Air Conditioning from Kings College London.
He worked for 26 years with BP in various senior management positions in the UK, other European countries and Cyprus, including holding the position of Country Head. During his career, he gained a wide range of experience in the energy industry (Oil & Gas), specifically in the areas of Procurement and Supply & Logistics, Health, Safety & Environment, Technical Processes, Management, Sales & Marketing, Corporate Governance and Compliance.
George was appointed General Manager and CEO of VTT Vasiliko Ltd (VTTV), a subsidiary of the Netherlands-based multinational VTTI B.V., on October 1, 2011, where he led a flexible team of professionals in the construction of the energy products storage and handling terminal, which is currently operating in Vasiliko. He is Chairman of the Board of the Cyprus Standards Society (CYS) and the Cyprus Certification Society (CCS), Chairman of the Cyprus-Dutch Business Association of the CCS and a Board Member of the OEB.
Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment: Petros Xenophontos
Date of birth: 25 February 1962. Director of the Government Printing Office and Head of State Purchasing and Procurement Services (15/10/2021 to date) Ministry of Finance. Director of Government Printing Office and Head of Government Purchasing and Procurement Services (11/5/2020 to 14/11/2021) Ministry of Finance. Deputy Minister of Finance. Director of Government Printing Office. Head of the Government Purchasing and Procurement Services (GPA). Senior Road Transport Officer (3/2008 to 12/5/2020) Department of Road Transport, Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works. Mechanical Engineer at the Nicosia Drainage Board (11/2006 to 2/2008). Professor of Computer Science (9/2004 to 10/2006)/ Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth. Vehicle Workshop Support and Parts Department Manager at car importers (10/1992 to 8/2004)/ (BMW, Rover, Land Rover and Peugeot). Mechanical Engineer at CYBARCO (10/1987 to 2/1990). He is a member of the ETEK. He is married to Koula Ioannou Xenophontos and has two children Stefania and Alexander.
Minister of Labour and Social Security: Yannis Panagiotou
Yannis Panayiotou was born in Nicosia in 1981. He graduated from Archbishop Makarios III High School and served his military service as an Infantry Reserve Lieutenant. He studied at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens and holds a degree in Philosophy, Pedagogy and Psychology. He continued his studies at King's College London, University of London, where he obtained postgraduate degrees in Educational Policy (MA) and Educational Research (MSc), while he specialized in the field of professional learning and development (Diploma on Learning & Development) at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). He worked in the House of Representatives as a Research Associate where, through monitoring parliamentary business, he was responsible for studying government budgets and analyzing the economic, social and political impact of legislative work.
He worked at the Ministry of Finance, Department of Public Administration and Personnel, as a Training Officer of the Cyprus Academy of Public Administration, and was responsible for learning support for change and reform, for the design, implementation and evaluation of programs, as well as for the training of Public Service staff in strategic planning. He is the father of an 8-year-old daughter.
Minister of Justice and Public Order: Anna Prokopiou
Anna Koukkidi-Prokopiou was born in Nicosia in 1974 and comes from occupied Zodia. She is married and the mother of a daughter. She studied on a scholarship at University College London (UCL) and holds degrees in Economics and History with honors, with a postgraduate degree in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He holds a professional certification as a Political Risk Analyst from Teneo Intelligence (one of the world's leading political intelligence firms) and also holds an Executive Development Diploma (Mini MBA for Professionals) from CIIM, where he studied on a scholarship from the Lanitis Group, of which he was a director for a number of years. In 2015, with a scholarship from the European International Studies Association, he further specialized in Religion and Politics at the Macmillan Center of Yale University.
As an expert on foreign policy, internal security and gender mainstreaming, she has worked with the International Crisis Group, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the Union for the Mediterranean and the OSCE, among others. She is also a certified World Bank expert for Cyprus in the area of Women, Business and Law.
Minister of Health: Poppy Kanari
Poppy Kanari is a graduate of the School of English. She studied Chemistry at the University of London and holds a Ph.D. from the University of London. She has served for 37 years in the State General Chemistry Department, the last eight of which were as Director. During her tenure as Director, she established the first accredited laboratory in the National Guard for testing gunpowder in ammunition. She served on several boards, both locally and at the European level. She has been a member of the Advisory Board of the European Food Safety Authority, head of the European Network of Official Medicines Laboratories and President of the American Association of Official Analytical Chemists (European Section). She is a consultant in the fields of food safety, pharmaceuticals and toxicology.
He was the first chairman of the National Anti-Doping Group for Clean Sport. She became a member of the Board of the Karaiskakio Foundation (CF) in 1999 and was elected President in 2011, a position she still holds today. During her presidency of the Rotary Club "Nicosia - Lefkothea" in 2005, she coordinated 11 Rotary Clubs to create the first cord blood bank in KI. He is a member of the Boards of the Cyprus Cancer Research Institute, the Council of the European University and the Cyprus Research and Education Foundation - Cyprus Institute. He was born in Nicosia. She is married and has two children and five grandchildren.
Deputy Minister of State for Maritime Affairs to the President: Marina Hadjimanoli
Marina Hadjimanoli was born in Famagusta in 1973. After the Turkish invasion of 1974 at the age of one, she settled in Limassol with her family. She is the mother of three children, Charis, Melani and Christina. She is a graduate of Laniteion Lyceum B, Limassol. She studied Law at the University of Leicester, UK, where she obtained a Bachelor of Law (LLB Hons). She then obtained the Barrister at Law degree from the Inns of Court School of Law, London, as a member of the Lincoln's Inn in England.
He is a member of the Cyprus Bar Association and the Limassol Bar Association. He practiced for many years in the legal profession, in a law firm and in companies as a legal advisor. She is an elected Municipal Councillor in the Limassol Municipality since 2016. She actively participates in numerous committees of the Municipality and is a member of the Board of the Limassol Sewerage Board. She was a founding member of the Limassol Youth Chamber of Commerce, President of the Parents' Association in Primary Education, a Member of the Limassol City and Limassol District Federation of Parents' & Guardians' Associations of Primary Schools and an active member of public and private charitable organizations in the city. She has received honorary distinctions for her social and charitable work. As of 2021, she is the first woman honorary member of Europa Uomo Cyprus, where she pioneered the campaign for prostate cancer awareness and prevention. During the campaign for the 2023 Presidential Elections, she held the position of Director of the Political Office of the President-elect of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nicos Christodoulides.
State Secretary for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy to the President: Philip Hadjizaharia
Philip Hadjizaharias was born in Larnaca in 1975. He is a graduate of the Pancyprian Lyceum of Larnaca. He holds a degree in Accounting from Birmingham, an AAT, FCCA, MA Taxation in European Law from the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London and a Certificate of Effective Leadership from the University of Oxford. He is a member of the Cyprus Association of Chartered Accountants which he has served in various capacities. He is a founding partner of PHS & Partners based in Larnaca. He was a Non-Executive Director and Financial - Tax Consultant in multinational companies. He is married to Sandra Hadjizaharia, father of three children.
Minister of State for Tourism to the President: Costas Kumis
Costas Koumis was born in Paralimni in 1977. He graduated from Paralimni High School in 1995 and then served his military service. He studied Business Administration and holds a Master's Degree in Communication.
He was the Director of Communication of the Famagusta Chamber of Commerce, Director of the Famagusta Tourism Commercial and Industrial Company and a manager in private sector companies. He served as Vice President of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation from 2014 - 2018 and Vice President of CYTA from 2019 - 2020. During the same period, he was Chairman of the Audit Committee of CYTA. He also worked as a visiting professor at a University Institution and a higher education school. In the period 2020 - 2021, he was responsible for editing and presenting the webcast 'Tourism in Focus'. Since July 2021, he has been a member of the Public Service Commission. He is married to Maria Synesi, originally from Deryneia and the occupied Rizokarpaso and they have two children, Georgianna and Panagiotis.
Deputy Minister of Social Welfare to the President: Marilena Evangelou
Marilena Evangelou was born in Nicosia on 9 July 1975. She studied Communication and Mass Media at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and worked for 25 years as a journalist in television and radio stations, newspapers and electronic media as a reporter, political editor, editor-in-chief, radio and news presenter, as well as web presenter. She also worked in the field of management, public relations and communications in private companies.
She has attended dozens of seminars in Cyprus and abroad, including on Gender Discrimination, Nationality and Religion, Gender Equality, Democracy and Human Rights, Freedom of Expression and Press, and has participated in workshops and conferences as a speaker both in Cyprus and Brussels on issues related to Media, Social Media and the Cyprus problem. She is married to the businessman Antonis Serdaris from Morphou and is the mother of two boys, 14 and 15 years old.
Director of the Office of the President of the Republic: Charalambos Charalambous
Charalambos Charalambous was born on 30 September 1983 in Athens and grew up in Limassol. He is a refugee from the occupied villages of Masari, Morphou and Vatyli, Famagusta.
He graduated from the Apostles Peter and Paul Lyceum and served his military service as a Reserve Infantry Officer. He holds a degree in Mathematics from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, specializing in Statistics and Operations Research, an MSc from Warwick University, Warwick Business School, in Financial Mathematics (Financial Engineering) and the professional title ACA, Associated Chartered Accountant, from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, as well as the professional title Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). He also holds the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission Advanced and AML certificates and since 2014 he is a member of the Cyprus Association of Chartered Accountants. He has fifteen years of experience in the private accounting and financial services sector in Cyprus. He is married to Krystia Karseras and together they have three boys, Kyriakos, Giannis and Andreas Epifanios.
Government Spokesman: Konstantinos Letibiotis
Konstantinos Letibiotis was born on 16 June 1984 in Paphos. He graduated from the First High School of National Lord Makarios III of Paphos and subsequently completed his military service. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree in Engineering from the School of Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania, USA (UPenn). After completing his studies he returned to Cyprus where he worked as an Architectural Engineer in an Architectural firm based in Limassol.
From a very young age, he became involved in the community. President of the Central Student Council of the 1st High School of Ethnarchis Makarios Paphos. President of the PFC Vanguard of Thessaloniki in 2008-2009 and its representative in the PFC Thessaloniki. In 2012 he was elected First Vice President of the Executive Committee of FPC Protoporia Pancyprian. In August 2015 he was elected President of the Youth of the Paphos Democratic Rally, a position he held until May 2017. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the European Capital of Culture "Paphos 2017" and from 2016 until August 2022 he was a member of the Paphos City Council until he resigned from his position. He is married to Irene Sofokleous with whom he has a son, George.
Deputy Government Spokesperson: Doxa Komodromou
Doxa Komodromou comes from Athienou, Larnaca District. She has been working at the University of Cyprus since 2007 until today. She is the Press Spokesperson and Head of the Office of Planning and Implementation of Official Ceremonies at the Rectorate of the Higher Academic Institution, organizing, coordinating and presenting all Graduation and Graduation Ceremonies. In addition, it organizes the inauguration of the building facilities and foundation stones on the University Campus and works closely with the respective State for hosting Prime Ministers and Presidents of foreign countries, as well as European officials in Cyprus. Among its achievements are the organization of many events outside Cyprus, such as the recent Ceremony of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as Honorary Doctorate of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Cyprus. In fact, as the leader of the delegation, Doxa Komodromou organized, curated and accompanied students to Brussels and Luxembourg to participate in international competitions.
She was a personal associate of the Member of Parliament and later President of the Democratic Party of Greece and MEP, Giannakis Matsis for 15 years both in the House of Representatives and in the European Parliament (Brussels, Strasbourg). She holds a Master's Degree in "Political and Social Sciences" from the University of Cyprus. From the University of Nicosia, she obtained her first degree in Journalism and Public Relations "Communications", (Bachelor's Degree), with distinction (3.72). She is married to George Komodromos and they have two children, Andreas and Spyros.
Director of the Diplomatic Office of the President of the Republic: Marilena Raouna
Marilena Raouna was born in Larnaca in 1983. She is a graduate of the American Academy of Larnaca. She studied law at the University of Oxford (BA in Jurisprudence) with postgraduate studies (LLM) in Public International and European Law at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences. She holds a diploma in French language and culture from the University of Sorbonne. From 2007 to 2010 she worked at the European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security, as head of the European Programme to fight violence against women, young people and children ("Daphne III").
From 2010 to 2014 he served as the Permanent Representation of Cyprus to the European Union (EU-Turkey relations, enlargement policy and issues related to the Turkish Cypriot community). From 2014 to 2018, she worked at the Diplomatic Office of the President of the Republic (DPO) as coordinator of a private office of the Director of the DPO and advisor on EU issues. She participated in negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem, as well as in a special negotiating team on EU issues. From 2018 to 2021 she worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a special advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. She is married to Seth Rosenbaum and is the mother of two children.
Gender Equality Commissioner: Josie Christodoulou
Josie Christodoulou is an expert on issues relating to women's rights and the promotion of gender equality, migration and the fight against trafficking in persons. From 2004- 2018 she worked as a Policy Coordinator at the Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies (MIGS) where she played an active role in the development, monitoring and implementation of the Institute's policy and strategy. She participated in different boards such as the Cyprus Women's Lobby and contributed to the creation of the Brussels-based European Network of Migrant Women. She also participated in expert groups of the European Commission and the Council of Europe on issues related to the fight against trafficking in human beings. From 2019 to January 2022, she served as an Advisor to the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, on gender mainstreaming in foreign policy. Ms. Christodoulou developed and implemented the Framework for Gender Mainstreaming in Foreign Policy.
Environment Commissioner: Maria Panagiotou
Maria Panayiotou was born on 5 June 1982 in Larnaca. She studied History and Archaeology at the University of Cyprus where she graduated in 2004 with honors. In 2006 she completed her postgraduate studies at the University of Birmingham where she obtained the Mphil (B) in Modern East Mediterranean History. In 2017 she was awarded a Ph.D. in Modern and Contemporary History from the University of Cyprus. Since 2004, he has worked on more than seven research projects of excellence, co-funded by the European Development Funds, the University of Cyprus, the Research Promotion Foundation and the Anastasios G. He gained considerable experience in archival research and research project management. She distinguishes her employment as a member of the University of Cyprus Scientific Team for the Cyprus File project for the period 2007-2010. From March 2016 to date she has had the honor of being the Head of the Press Office of the EPP and Press Spokesperson of the party. From 2017 to 2022 he worked as a Special Scientist with duties of teaching economic history at the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Cyprus. She is the mother of an eight-year-old boy, Achilleas Ioannou.
Secretary of the Council of Ministers: Penelope Papavassiliou
Penelope (Polly) Papavasiliou was born and raised in Nicosia. She attended Kykkos Lyceum A'. She studied Economics (BSc Industrial Economics) at the University of Warwick (UK) and Business Administration (MSc in Business Administration - MBA) from City University Business School (UK). She has many years of professional experience as a career technocrat in positions of responsibility in both the Cyprus Public Administration and the European Commission, in the fields of economy, development, labour, European issues, coordination and design of policies and reforms and project management.
She started her career in public administration in 1997 as an Officer in the Planning Office (now the General Directorate for Development, Ministry of Finance) in the technical team coordinating Cyprus' accession negotiations to the EU, where she worked until 2004. He then served in the Permanent Representation of Cyprus in Brussels (2005-2006), in the field of Research and Innovation and promotion of the Digital Agenda, representing the Republic of Cyprus in the relevant groups of the Council of the EU. He was Head of the Office of the Minister of Finance for 4 years (April 2006 - March 2010) and a senior member of the Secretariat of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU. She also served as a senior official in the team coordinating the government's work and implementation of the Cyprus Economic Adjustment Programme (2013 - 2014) (Directorate General for Development) and Head of the Insolvency Framework Project Team (March 2014 - August 2015). Her partner is Phidias Vardakis.
Director of the Press Office of the President of the Republic: Victor Papadopoulos
Born in Limassol. He graduated from Lanitio High School and obtained a B.A. in Business Administration with a specialization in Accounting and Finance from the Athens School of Economics and Business Administration (ASOEE -now Athens University of Economics and Business). He obtained a Master's degree in Accounting and Finance from East London University in the UK. He worked for 26 years as a journalist, political editor and news and current affairs presenter. From 2013 to 2018, he served as Deputy Government Spokesman, and from 2018-2022 he was the Director of the Press Office of the President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades, his advisor and associate.
Deputy Minister to the President - Responsible for coordinating and supervising the implementation of the Government's project: Irene Piki
Irene Piki was born in Nicosia in 1973. In 1974, as a result of the Turkish Invasion, she moved with her parents and siblings to Athens, where she spent her school years, graduating from the Moraitis School. She then studied in the UK, first in Economics (BSc Regional Science - Economics and Human Geography) at the University of Reading (UK), and then in Environmental Economics at University College London (UCL) where she obtained an MSc in Environmental and Natural Resources Economics.
He has been serving the Republic of Cyprus as a career technocrat since 1997, in positions of responsibility, with a broad portfolio that includes economic, environmental, regional policy, reform and investment and European issues. Her professional career started in the private sector in environmental economics. In 1997 she started her career in the Civil Service with her appointment to the Planning Office (now the General Directorate for Development, Ministry of Finance), where she worked on environmental issues, and natural resources and was a member of the Cohesion Policy negotiating team during Cyprus' accession negotiations to the EU (2002-2004). She was a member of the Cohesion Policy Planning Unit until 2009, when she was selected to staff the Secretariat of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU (Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus). At the same time, in the period 2014-2016 he participated in the Ad Hoc Group on Preparation of the Implementation of the acquis communautaire in the context of the Cyprus negotiations. She is married to George G. Papageorgiou and has two daughters.
Minister of State for Culture under the Presidency: Michalis Hatzigiannis
Michalis Hatzigiannis was born in Nicosia on 5 November 1978 to parents of Kyrenia origin. He studied music at the National Conservatory of Cyprus where he obtained diplomas in classical guitar and piano and at the Royal Academy of Music in London in higher theoretical courses. For the last 25 years he has been active in the Greek and foreign recording industry, writing music, and lyrics and performing songs that have been loved by the general public, ranking him among the most popular Greek songwriters.
Michalis Hatzigiannis received the "Best Selling Artist of the Decade" award in the late 2000s, as his album sales have reached 3,500,000 copies. During the same period, he released the CD single "Everyone dance" in Germany and the album "Michalis" with English lyrics in six European countries. He sings on big stages with and alongside artists such as Dimitra Galani, Harris Alexiou, Giorgos Dalaras, Alkistis Protopsaltis, Paschalis Terzis and many others. According to official IFPI data, he has been the most commercial songwriter in Greece and Cyprus for 30 years. Michalis Hatzigiannis is a member of the association "ELPIDA - Association of Friends of Children with Cancer", for which he was declared "Artist of Hope 2019-2021".
