The People’s Trust provides micro-funding to new and existing businesses. Our organization is registered as a Not-for-Profit Civil Partnership (A.M.K.E.) with the following Board of Directors:
Evi Lazou is Chairman of the A.C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation, a private, independent grant-making foundation, working to make a positive difference for people and for nature in Greece and across the Hellenic world. The A.C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation operates entrepreneurially, building and implementing programmes as well as making grants in support of its mission.
Evi is a founding partner and board member of The People's Trust, an organisation that provides business development services and micro-funding to start-ups and small, existing businesses in Greece. She is also one of the founding partners of Greenwood Place, a community of strategic philanthropists.
Evi has broad experience and has worked in marketing and operations, including as Executive Vice President Marketing for Hyatt Regency Hotels and Tourism Hellas S.A.
She holds a BA Magna Cum Laude with Honors in Organizational Behavior and French Civilisation from Brown University, Providence, RI and studied interior design at The New School, Parsons School of Design in New York. Originally from Greece, she currently lives in London with her partner and young son.
Chloe Laskaridis holds a B.A. in History and International Relations from the University of Reading, in the UK. She also holds a post-graduate degree in War Studies from King’s College, London and a post-graduate degree in Human Resource Management (MSc) from the London School of Economics.
She has served as the Director of Corporate Development at Lampsa Hellenic Hotels SA since 2008.
John Dryllerakis is the Managing Senior Partner in Dryllerakis & Associates, a firm specializing in Corporate Law, M&A, Tax Law, Competition Law and Arbitration, with extensive experience in investment incentives and privatizations. He has served as General Counsel and General Tax Counsel for the Exxon affiliates in Greece (1967- 1984) and subsequently for Shell Hellas(1984- 1996). He was a member of their Board of Directors and Management teams.
John has also served as Chairman for the Hellenic Association of Law Firms and as a Board member for the Hellenic Corporate Governance Council.
He is the author of several books and articles and is a frequent lecturer on Tax Law, Corporate and Competition Law and Investment Incentives.
Errikos Arones is a real estate entrepreneur. He has served as the CEO of the Arones family office since 1998, focusing primarily on real estate and venture capital investments. He holds a B.Sc. in Management from the University of Indianapolis and an Advanced Management Development Program (AMDP) in Real Estate from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Errikos served on the Executive Committee of the real estate non-profit organization “ULI” (Urban Land Institute) in Greece & in Cyprus and is the founder of “Intelligence Squared Greece”, the country's premier forum for debate and intelligent discussion.
Peggy Xirotagarou is the Executive Director of the A.C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation. She brings over a decade of experience in the advertising sector, having worked with leading agencies such as SPOT THOMPSON and ADEL, starting as an Account Executive and advancing to the role of Client Service Director. She then moved on to the client’s side as a Marketing and Public Relations Manager for large multinational companies such as Estee Lauder Hellas and Zepter Hellas. In 2007 she created her own event planning company, Planit Cool. She has studied Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations at Eurocentre College International and St George College.
Access to financing for a new business and business development services. We are here to provide entrepreneurs with the tools and skills they need to realize their goals.
Nicolas Karidis has 23 years of experience in business development, project management and operations. He holds a BΑ in Management Accounting from Middlesex University London, a Postgraduate Diploma in Organisation Studies from Warwick Business School and an MBA from the University of Central Lancashire.
Nicolas was the organiser of the equestrian sports for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, led the market development and managed the services operations division of IKEA Greece – Cyprus – Bulgaria. He held managerial and consulting roles across retail, gaming, food and fashion, startups and VCs financing, in Greece, UK and the Balkans.
Yagos Antiochos has a long-term professional experience in the field of media and communication. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Management from the University of West Attica, a Bachelor's degree in the Department of Communication, Media, and Culture from Panteion University, and a MA in Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Sussex.
He worked as an editor and film critic at CINEMA and Athinorama magazines. Afterwards, he served as editor-in-chief of Athinorama magazine and athinorama.gr, actively participating in the creation of content and the formulation of the medium's strategy. He was also a presenter on the TV show "Tower of Athens" on the Greek national TV. He was also Communication Officer of the European programme Active citizens fund, operated in Greece by the Bodossaki Foundation.
Dimitris Kouletsis holds a B.A.Sc in Economics from the American College of Greece. He has extensive experience of the Banking Sector as he has worked for Piraeus Bank for more than 15 years, holding positions in both consumer and corporate credit, as well as in internal audit. Dimitris has also offered his services as a volunteer in several NGO’s such as Action Aid, Organization Earth and the Green Project. He has been working as a Development Officer since 2016.
Maria Petropoulou holds a bachelor degree in Banking and Financial Management from the University of Piraeus. She has an extensive experience in the Banking Sector, as she worked for 12 years as a Branch Executive of Piraeus Bank, mainly in the roles of Green Banking Professional and Small Business Consultant. In addition, Maria has worked in the private sector as Procurement Manager and Financial Advisor.
Argyro Stamataki has worked in the advertising sector for large agencies such as Leon & Partners and Olympic DDB, starting as an Administration Assistant and continuing as an Account Executive. She knows the operational demands of an organization, both in the administrative and communication fields. Argyro is also a movie columnist, from time to time, for the online magazine “fragilemag.gr".
Mentors of The People's Trust are professionals from different sectors with extensive experience in their fields. They voluntarily provide personalised consulting services and guidance to the entrepreneurs we support, in order to successfully implement their business plans.
Spyros Arsenis is Head of the Business Innovation Development Unit of National Bank of Greece and Director of the ΝΒG Business Seeds program and the initial coordinator of act4Greece crowdfunding platform. He is a member of the advisory boards of Synergria, Uni.fund, Metavallon, Big Pi, OK!Thess, the Archimedes Center of the University of Athens, and the Department of Applied Informatics of the University of Macedonia. He also serves as General Secretary and member of the board of the Hellenic Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage, and member of the Innovation Committee of SEV (Hellenic Federation of Enterprises), the Education, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Committee of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, and the Start Ups Committee of the German-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce.
He is an Electrical Engineer with 25 years’ professional multi-sector, multi-discipline experience in Greece and abroad in international telecom projects, business banking, and innovation, and is also the author of seven books on information technology and the Internet. He teaches Entrepreneurship and Innovation for the University of Athens’ MBA programme.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Business Development
Yannis Couletsis is the director and exclusive portfolio manager of Credence Capital Management, a hedge fund business founded in 2005 managing client portfolios in the space of financial derivatives. Prior to dealing in third party funds, Yannis traded proprietary capital in major commercial banks for over twenty years. He is a member of Harvard’s "Program on Negotiation", a consortium of Harvard University, MIT, and Tufts University that serves as an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to developing the theory and practice of negotiation and mediation. Yannis’ mission includes nurturing the next generation of businessmen to become more effective negotiators and providing advice for dispute resolution, deal-making, crisis negotiation and bargaining.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Vicky Dallas is the founder of 9AM, a company specialized in the development of websites and web applications. With over 20 years of experience in creating digital products, she has collaborated with both small and large businesses in Greece and abroad. She is also the founder of Appocalypsis, a SaaS platform offering more than 300 tools for conversion rate optimization, as well as Startup.gr, an initiative focused on promoting startup entrepreneurship.
She holds a BA in Interactive Multimedia Communications, and two postgraduate degrees: an MSc in E-Commerce and an MBA.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
He was born in Larissa, Greece, and grew up in the small town of Stylida. He holds a BSc in Computer Engineering and Informatics from the University of Patras, as well as a PhD in Algorithmic Complexity and Artificial Intelligence. He has worked in the IT sector, in companies such as INTRASOFT INTL, ORACLE and VELTI. He is currently Professional Services and PMO Group Director for the PRINTEC Group of Companies, responsible for the development and delivery of software and services for POS terminals, as well as for ATM machines. His team also delivers solutions and third-party software to Banks and Financial Institutions. Based in Athens, Greece, he travels frequently abroad. He is married and has two children. He is an amateur medium-distance runner. Apart from running, he loves scuba diving and aviation.
George Efstratiadis is an accomplished entrepreneur and the CEO of IDATOR, the leading company in Greece specializing in pumps, water meters, and civil protection products. With extensive experience in management and strategic planning, he has built strong sales and service teams, consistently driving the company to a leading position in the market.
Beyond his business ventures, George is actively involved in startup and innovation networks, supporting early-stage entrepreneurship and technological advancement. He places strong emphasis on organization, collaboration, and continuous improvement, delivering solutions that foster sustainability and innovation.
His leadership and investments in social responsibility initiatives—such as providing access to clean water in schools in India and implementing water education programs in Greek schools—reflect his commitment to creating a positive impact on society.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Born in Thessaloniki in 1976, Ioannis Ergeletzis has been active in the field of design since 1997. With collaborations ranging from top creative agencies to multinational advertising companies, he has built a career grounded in professional consistency, teamwork, and a passion for creativity.
As the founder of Kemosabe Design Studio, he specializes in delivering innovative solutions in branding, illustration, graphic design, packaging, and visual communication. His work has received distinctions and awards both in Greece and internationally, with recognition in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Kuwait, and France.
For seven years, he was the head of visual communication design for TEDx Thessaloniki and served as a member of the executive committee. Guided by his experience and his drive to support creative initiatives, Giannis aims to contribute to the growth of businesses and organizations through high-aesthetic and effective design strategies.
"The most powerful brand is people. The space is the stage. It is the framework that comes to life through the experiences, expectations, and stories we share. That is what unites us through time."
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Vicky Foteinou is an experienced Program Manager with a proven track record in management consulting and experience in corporate innovation, project management, business development and operations. She has organized numerous entrepreneurship and acceleration programs around fintech, sustainability, social, tourism and other sectors. She enjoys organizing innovation competitions such as hackathons, innovation workshops and innovation challenges as she believes it is a unique opportunity for the community to showcase their ideas, meet and interact. Over the last years she has been a mentor to many startups from all over Europe and has been involved in their development process.
Vicky holds an International Master of Business Administration (iM.B.A.) from the Athens University of Economics and Business and has graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Law, Economics and Political Sciences.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Born in Athens, Katerina Fragioudakis holds a BA in Philosophy from the Department of French Language and Literature at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, as well as an MBA from ALBA Graduate Business School. She began her professional career at A.A. Petsetakis S.A. and joined Lavipharm in 1997, where she held successive positions of increasing responsibility in Greece, with experience in the USA and France. For over two decades, she led the Group’s Corporate Communications, responsible for, among others, corporate identity, media relations, investor communications, CSR initiatives, and reputation strategy. In 2023, Katerina founded Circled Square Communications Strategies, specializing in corporate reputation, media relations, and crisis management. She is a member of the French-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, actively involved in the Health Committee, as well as the Corporate Affairs Professional Association (CAPA) and the European Association of Communications Directors (EACD).
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Matthew is a senior strategist with global experience helping brands grow through bold ideas and smart strategy.
In 2023, he co-founded Lama DDB, a boutique agency now part of the DDB group, offering creative communications and marketing consulting to clients in Greece and beyond. Over the years, he has worked across Europe, the Americas, and Asia with leading companies such as Vodafone, Nestlé, Heineken, and BP.
Before founding Lama, he held senior roles in advertising, venture capital, and consulting—advising tech startups and Fortune 500 companies alike. An entrepreneur at heart, he has successfully built and exited ventures in wellness and digital marketing.
Matthew is a frequent juror at both Greek and international creative award shows. He holds degrees in Economics and International Business, speaks five languages, and lives in Athens.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Dr Nikolas Hourvouliades is the Director of the Entrepreneurship Hub at the Anatolia American University, and has served for more than 10 years as the Chair of the Business School at ACT – American College of Thessaloniki, the post-secondary division of Anatolia College. He is a graduate of YALE University, USA and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. His research work focuses in investments and portfolio management. He has more than 30 years of experience in both academia and the business industry, having taught at private and public universities. In the past he has served at top managerial positions and in Board of Directors in various firms as well as public orgranizations, while he also serves as an advisor to companies. He has been the CEO of Souroti Mineral Waters, a member of the B.O.D. of Malamatina Winery, as well as the Chief Advisor to the Governor of Central Macedonia in financial and international issues. He has been a mentor at the Entrepreneurship Hub since it started, supporting participants grow their ideas.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Vana Karagianni has over 20 years of professional experience in Human Resources, with a focus on HR strategy and capacity building.
She has held various positions of responsibility in the HR sector, including consulting and telecommunications. She was one of the original members of KPMG's Learning & Development team in Greece. In 2020, she co-founded ENSŌ Hub, a knowledge hub that provides training and development projects, for individuals and organizations in the European Union, in Ireland, and in Greece.
She has a BA in Accounting and two MScs, in Business Administration & Human Resource Management. She is a certified Coach and an Ambassador of the European organizations "CEDEFOP" which aims to improve vocational education and training, and "Funding Box" which deals with mentoring of new businesses and innovative frameworks.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Stella Kasdagli is a writer and co-founder of inc.lude, a consultancy and training firm that supports companies and organizations in building strategies around Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. She is also the co-founder of Women On Top, the leading nonprofit in Greece dedicated to the professional empowerment of women and the promotion of gender equality in the public sphere.
She designs and implements initiatives aimed at removing barriers still faced by women and other underrepresented groups in the workplace. Alongside her advocacy work, she writes about the issues she wishes were more openly discussed, translates books, and facilitates reading groups and workshops focused on personal growth and social change.
Stella is an alumna of the IVLP program by the U.S. Department of State and the Vital Voices Visionaries 2023 cohort. She has been honored with the Social Impact UK Alumni Award, as well as the Greek State Award for Children’s Non-Fiction for her book 30 Women Who Changed the World (and How You Can Change It Too), published by Patakis Publishers.
She lives in Athens with her two daughters.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Thanos Leontaris is a Lawyer and Legal Advisor based in Thessaloniki, Greece. He is a registered member of both the Bar Association of Thessaloniki and the Cyprus Bar Association.
With extensive experience in legal consulting and litigation, he has played a pivotal role in handling a wide range of legal cases, including advisory work for startups and projects in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sectors. He has served as a Non-Executive Member of the Board at a cryptocurrency mining company and has delivered training on regulatory frameworks for blockchain and crypto technologies.
He is currently a faculty member at the University of Nicosia, specializing in Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and the Metaverse, and also holds the position of Scientific Advisor to the Hellenic Parliament.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Antonis Mylonas is the Director of Technology Solutions at Programize. He works hand-in-hand with exciting startups from all over the world to help them design, architect, and bring to life impactful and life-changing ideas.
He studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).
Antonis started his software engineering career as the co-founder of a startup straight out of university, aiming to offer better-than-industry-standard TV ratings prediction services.
After a long tenure in corporate software engineering, he made a pivotal return to startup work in 2014 and has been immersed in the startup ecosystem ever since, as a co-founder and CTO of several startups.
Aside from his broad technology experience in several cutting-edge domains, Antonis has also navigated a broad spectrum of challenges that technology startups face -from setting up a team, developing a product, and solving unique market problems in an ever shifting environment to securing VC led fundraising cycles.
Leveraging his wide range of experience, he also leads the Startup Investing arm of Programize, which aims to provide support to innovative teams.
Antonis Papachristou, has 25-year experience in HR Management in 5 different Sectors (Infrastucture, Retail, Pharma, Car, IT) having hold Senior HR positions in several business sectors (infrastructure, retail, pharma, automotive, IT). As a consultant he has run projects with different sectors Companies such as Construction, Startup, Services, Manufacturing, Shipping, Public, Wholesale, Retail, Tourism, Real Estate Development. Ellaktor Group, Housemarket SA (IKEA Franchisee for Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria), UCB Pharma SA, Fiat Auto Hellas, Eurolease, and the companies Tefin, Unitbank, British Providence and Inchape Insurance of the Inchape Holdings Hellas Group (Toyota). In the past he was the Operations Manager of the Pouliadis Group, one the largest group of companies in the IT industry in Greece. Mr Papachristou has a master’s in business administration, minor in HR Management, from the University of Kent and he has been member of the Board of Directors of the Greek Personnel
Management Association for 20 years.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Fedon Papapavlou earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Deree College in 2006, followed by a Master's in Human Resources Management from Middlesex University London in 2007.
From the outset of his career, he immersed himself in the insurance sector, gaining hands-on experience and a deep understanding of how financial institutions operate. In 2009, he co-founded his first company, and by 2012, he ventured into the tech world by launching an Insurtech startup. The idea emerged during his time in insurance, where he spotted a major technology gap within the industry. Seizing the opportunity, Fedon assembled a tech team to build a new app from the ground up. Powered by advanced algorithms and APIs, the app streamlines the entire insurance policy lifecycle, cutting administrative workload by 80%. The solution rapidly gained momentum, fueling the company's growth. Today, the app is successfully used in three countries, revolutionizing how insurance firms operate and serve clients.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Dimitra brings over 25 years of experience as a business consultant and project manager across diverse business and social sectors. She has worked with the Boston Consulting Group and Egon Zehnder, and has lived and worked in several countries in Southeast Asia and Africa, where she served as a project advisor on water and sanitation initiatives funded by the Gates Foundation and the IFC / World Bank.
In 2015, she joined the Athens Partnership as Program Director—a newly established, independent non-profit organization designing and implementing innovative public-sector programs by bridging local government and the private sector. In this role, she managed a €12 million project portfolio, developed over 280 partnerships, and led a team of more than 30 staff.
More recently, Dimitra served as Deputy Director of Global Programs at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), overseeing a portfolio exceeding €200 million. She is a certified business development consultant and holds an MBA from the Manchester Business School.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Antonis Pefanis comes from the retail and wholesale apparel sector, in which he has been active since 1990. He studied Business Administration and Entrepreneurial Behavior at The American College of Greece (Deree).
Throughout his career, he has held long-standing positions as Commercial Director at companies such as Prince Oliver, Staff Jeans, the F-Fokas department stores (Fokas/Esprit/Mango), and Devergo Jeans (based in Budapest). Since 2014, he has been operating a clothing showroom in Peristeri, Athens.
He has been deeply involved in exports, network development, franchising, retail chain management, and brand development. Alongside his main professional activity, he has also developed and currently manages a network of five tourist accommodations, in the role of consultant and manager.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Working many years in marketing and client service for advertising companies as an Account Director, George Pournaras has extensive experience in Communication and Branding Management for Greek and international brands including L’Oréal, Johnson & Johnson, Henkel etc. George is also the founder and creator of "Yoko", a sushi casual restaurant which has won the GOLD ERMIS AWARDS 2016 in the Greek Design category. He has also founded Warehouse Advertising agency, which undertakes above and below the line communication. George has offered his services both as a mentor and a judge at L’Oreal's competition for new talent and creative minds in marketing and business strategy. He holds a university degree in Business Administration and a Masters degree in Marketing. He speaks English and French, lives in Athens, though he considers himself “a citizen of the world”.
Tonia Rapti, based in Thessaloniki, is Senior Lawyer at Nexus Law Firm, with offices in Thessaloniki and Athens. She holds an LL.B. from the Faculty of Law of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an LL.M. in Transnational and European Commercial Law, Banking Law, Arbitration/Mediation from the International Hellenic University. She specializes in Commercial, Business, and Civil Law, and is a certified Data Protection Officer (DPO) and AI Ethics Officer, allowing her to comprehensive legal counseling to startups and corporations.
Mentoring areas of expertise:
Dimitris is a Physicist with post-graduate studies in Astrophysics at the University of Athens. His first job was with “Computer Software/Chip”, a leading IT magazine throughout the 90’s. A flair for communication and writing combined with the mindset of a scientist made him an ideal candidate for IBM Hellas’ Corporate Communication Department, where indeed he was hired in 1993. He served the “Big Blue” for 6 years, rising to become its Director of Communication and Head of the Press Office for Greece. In 1999, he left for pastures further afield: he was selected to set-up and head the new interactive marketing initiative at Bold Ogilvy, Ogilvy Interactive. Dimitris later became the Managing Director of OgilvyOne and in 2005 left the Ogilvy Group for Communication Effect, the Edelman affiliate in Greece. Three years later, it was time to join Marina at Out of the Box, becoming a partner and bringing his corporate & digital expertise to the table. Dimitris serves on the board of the PR Sector of EDEE (Hellenic Association of Advertising and Communication Agencies) and represents Greece at ICCO (International Communication Consultancies Organization).
Katerina is the Director of the travel & hospitality accelerator, CapsuleT. Katerina joined forces with the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels in January 2019 and has developed on behalf of the HCH the strategic planning and growth of CapsuleT’s program, the 1st travel & hospitality accelerator in Greece. From 2013 till 2018 Katerina was acting as the Executive Director of MIT Enterprise Forum Greece, the local chapter of MITEF Global. Working with the BoD from the launch of the chapter in Greece, she successfully planned and delivered 4 rounds of the MITEF Greece Startup Competition platform as well as several other startup community events such as StartSmart Conference and Tech that Matter theme events. Prior to MITEF Greece, Katerina worked for 12 years in the marketing communication & advertising industry, acting as an Account Director for Sprint Integrated Marketing Communications till January 2013. She holds a bachelor’s in Marketing and an Executive MBA from the University of Kent.
Ilias Sideris is a lawyer based in Athens. He studied at the Democritus University of Thrace and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of West Attica. From 2012 to 2014, he served as an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Trainee and Young Lawyers of Athens. He specializes in criminal cases related to tax and corporate law. He is a member of the Hellenic Association of Penal Law and the Legal Association for "Aliens and Migration Law". He regularly contributes articles to the press on legal, social, and political issues and is the author of the book "The Political History of the Kozani Prefecture."
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Chryssa Spyropoulou is a senior Marketing & Communications executive. She has worked in multinational and dynamic environments like Mattel and Estee Lauder, holding regional positions, and for the last four years she has been working in the Health Services industry. Chryssa has taken on roles of responsibility covering the entire range of the Marketing and Communication functions, such as consumer engagement, digital strategy, media management, corporate communications, and has managed cross-departmental projects and virtual teams at European level.
Chryssa holds a BSc Marketing & Communications with a specialization in Marketing from the Athens University of Economics & Business, MSc in International Business from Reading-Henley Business School, and she has been certified in Digital Marketing (Alba Business School) in Sustainable Development (CSR School - CSR Hellas).
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Eva Stavrinaki has a long professional experience in the financing and support of start-ups. Through her experience and research, she believes that emotional intelligence is a key success factor in entrepreneurship. She is the Co-founder of Human Breeze (e-learning and training) and LifeLab (wellness) as well as a Certified EQ Assessor and Business Consultant. She strongly believes in education and for this reason she teaches business to teenagers. She has more than 15 years experience in advertising and financial engineering tools. She studied Statistics and Actuarial Science and holds a Masters in Marketing. She speaks fluently Greek, English and French.
Katerina brings over 20 years of experience in Human Resources, specializing in leadership within multinational environments. Her career began in the insurance sector at AXA Insurance, where she collaborated with senior business leaders delivering HR guidance in talent management, employee relations, organizational development overseeing a team of 120.
Seeking new challenges, she joined the London-based tech startup PeoplePerHour as an HR Manager. There, she built the HR function from scratch, driving the company's growth and fostering a nurturing work environment. In 2018, Katerina joined Dialectica as Director of Talent, leading organizational transformation initiatives and contributing to the company's strategic evolution. Since 2021, she has served as the Director of Leadership Coaching, developing leadership skills among leaders and spearheading the award-winning Coaching For Success program.
In 2023, Katerina founded Mellon, offering specialized coaching and career advising services for adults and teens. She also volunteers with Women on Top and WeLead, empowering women to create positive change.
Katerina holds a Marketing Degree, an MSc in Human Resources Management, and is a globally accredited Senior Practitioner Coach by EMCC. She is a devoted mother and advocates for foster and adoptive families as a board member of Pelargos Adoptive Family Association.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Myladie Stoumbou is Director of Cloud Productivity Sales for Germany & Central and Eastern Europe at Microsoft. She leads a diverse multi-national team responsible for driving digital transformation initiatives for Germany and CEE enterprise markets. She studied Computer Engineering and Informatics at the Polytechnic School of the University of Patras in Greece and holds a post-graduate title in Economics and Management from Athens Information Technology. She joined Microsoft in 2011 as Enterprise Solution Sales Manager, aiming to promote and sell Microsoft solutions to enterprise customers in various industries. After three years she was assigned the role of Director of Technology, with the responsibility of promoting cutting-edge technology adoption in the local ecosystems of students, developers, startups and ISVs. Before Microsoft, she worked in various technology companies (SingularLogic, Velti, Intracom), mostly in sales and business development positions in Greece and in the SEE region. She is a member of the Hellenic Management Association (EEDE),
Charlotte Stratou served as Senior Advisor in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley from May 2008 until 2020. From 1987 to 2007, she held the position of Managing Director and Head of Greek Shipping at Calyon Investment Bank, part of the Crédit Agricole Group.
Between 1976 and 1987, she held various roles at the American bank Bankers Trust Company, including Advisor in the Shipping Department and Vice President in charge of Greek shipping finance. She currently serves as an Independent Board Member on the Boards of Directors of two shipping companies listed on international stock exchanges.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
David has over 35 years of international experience across both the corporate and entrepreneurial sectors. His first 21 years with Procter & Gamble saw him in senior marketing posts in Austria followed by Germany before he headed up the Thai subsidiary in Bangkok and, 2 years later, South Asia as Vice President India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, operating out of Bombay. A four-year stint followed in London as Vice President, Global Hair Care Strategy and New Business Development, responsible for brands such as Pantene, Head & Shoulders and Rejoice/Wash & Go. Since leaving P&G, David has spent 15 years consulting established companies in strategy and marketing and investing in and leading smaller businesses in the educational, sports and security sectors, the latter resulting in a successful London stock market flotation. David holds an MA (1st class) in Economics from Edinburgh University, speaks English, Greek and German and currently resides in Athens.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Betty Tsakarestou is an Associate Professor & co-initiator Director of the Advertising and Public Relations Lab – ADandPRLAB (launched in 1993) at the Department of Communication, Media and Culture, associate director of the MA in Digital Transformation: e-Diplomacy, e-Campaigning and Digital Law of Panteion University.
She has been the Scientific Coordinator of CREATIVE+ the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub and serving as an academic member of the Technology Transfer Office of Panteion University.
She is serving as Branding Chair & European Research liaison at the International Communication Division of AEJMC, board member at edcom- European Institute for Commercial Communications Education, member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Institute of Communication, Vice President Greece for the Global Media Education Council of Inida mentor at The People's Trust and member of the expert team at Envolve Entrepreneurship
In the span of the past 15 years, she has co-initiated and co-organized several thematic startup competitions, bootcamps, co-creation workshops and hackathons to empower university student innovation and entrepreneurial culture and experimentation.
Betty Tsakarestou is also an International Exchange Alumna of the Study of U.S. Institutes on Journalism and Media (2015) with the support of US Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Athens, and an Alumni TIES grantee (2021) for the research project “The Room Where It Happens" to address disinformation through encrypted apps. in 2019 she has served as the academic advisor for a team of students at the CSIS Journalism Bootcamp program with the support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Angelika is a senior HR leader and board member with more than 20 years of international experience in people strategy and cultural transformation for global and regional brands, having lived and worked in Greece, the UK and Denmark. Passionate about ESG strategy and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future, she pioneered programmes that radiated societal value creation, human rights, equity and inclusion, and employee welfare. Prior to joining Bayer, Angelika spent 5 years at LEO Pharma, Denmark, shaping the people agenda across 13 countries in North-East Europe. She is CIPD-accredited, with a Master’s in Human Resource Management and a degree in Sociology. She holds qualifications in corporate governance, sustainability leadership and corporate responsibility, and organisational agility.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Leonardo brings global leadership experience across four continents, with a strong track record in strategic positioning and business development. His expertise in start-ups and early-stage ventures has led to key advisory and executive roles within family offices and foundations, particularly those committed to impact investing and blended finance models.
As a dedicated steward ownership ambassador, Leonardo focuses on bridging social innovation with purpose-driven entrepreneurship. He is also a passionate student of Behavioural Science and Cognitive Psychology, committed to supporting conscious organisations and social enterprises in building collaborative, participatory business and governance structures.
Mentoring Areas of Expertise:
Sevasti Amanatidou, Ph.D, is a lawyer specialized in EU Competition Law. She holds a special legal advisor post with the Greek Competition Authority since 2005. She is an instructor / evaluator at the Institute of Training of the National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government in the subject of EU law. She has worked for five years for the European Parliament, focusing on issues of the Committees on Energy, Research and Industry, Environment and Consumer Protection. She holds a Ph.D on Competition Law from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She also holds an M.A. in EU Law from the European University Institute and an M.A. in Public International Law and Political Science from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
The People's Trust's partners are professionals in different industries with multiple years of experience in their fields. They provide consulting services and guidance to the entrepreneurs we support.
Anagnostopoulou P 35
106 73 Kolonaki
info@thepeoplestrust.org
(+30) 210 3647972-3
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