Academy
x = independently organized TED event

This event occurred on
October 4, 2010
8:00am - 8:00am EEST
(UTC +3hrs)
Athens
Greece

A think-tank in re-inventing Greece!

At TEDxAcademy today, we hope to ignite a different kind of conversation. When you look away from the characters who dominate media coverage, it’s possible to discover something thrilling:

Incredible people with powerful ideas.

Ideas which, if given a chance, could make a long-term difference to the future of our country and to all of us.

This October it’s their turn. I invite you to immerse yourself in 2010 TEDxAcademy outside-the-box thinking; to dream, to hope, to get inspired

Athens
Greece
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Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.

Kostas Mallios

Innovation Strategist:Kostas Mallios is at the forefront of technology`s latest journey, creating new paths for software and services across the digital landscape. At Microsoft, Kostas works with emerging technologies and business models to find ways to make new ideas land outside of the lab. In his current role as CSA Strategy and Business Development, he drives strategy, business development and M&A across several initiatives as a direct report to Microsoft`s Chief Software Architect. Before Microsoft, Kostas held various senior positions in publishing, consulting and services industries. Most memorably, Kostas spent 6 years professionally photographing and interviewing top Rock musicians.

Stelios Ramfos

Writer: ‘We grow when we are concerned for those we do not know’.

Aristos Doxiadis

‘Our new narrative for economic development should be about the small scale: family strategies, day to day behaviors, micro-businesses’ Aristos Doxiadis is re-thinking the sources of competitive advantage for Greece, based on the realities on the ground, rather than on conventional growth models. He looks at families, mentalities and life-stories, at opportunism, laws and avoidance, to shape a narrative for a new wave of entrepreneurship. He has been active in private equity and venture capital investing in Greece for fifteen years; before that he managed consulting and auditing companies, he worked on pioneering anti-poverty programs for the European Commission, and has planned industrial policy for the Greek government. He has degrees in Social Studies (Harvard) and Economics (London), and is a Visiting Fellow at the Warwick Business School.

Phillip Nielsen

Philip is a keen alpine skier and is seriously involved in amateur outdoor digital landscape photography, he now lives in his farm, on the outskirts of Athens, with his wife, two children and their animals.

Simanta Das

“Enabling change from within us” Simanta Das is Physicist, founder and Chairman of Stalhmarg Capital in Netherlands and Ayursundra HealthCare Group in India. Simanta is focusing on creating long term sustainable solutions through effective use of capital in Healthcare, Technology, Renewable Energy and Tacit Knoweldge Services. He is also developing a HealthCare delivery solution in India, to make quality healthcare affordable by enhancing efficiency and improving productivity, to include the less privileged. Simanta has been the Chief Strategy and Technology Officer for Kempen Merchant Bank and the Global Head of the Healthcare Innovation Group, Investment Banking at ABN AMRO in the Netherlands. He remains an eternal student of Physics, Philsophy and Logic having studied Experimental High Energy Physics.

Babis Mainemelis

Dr. Mainemelis is associate professor at ALBA and he also teaches, as visiting professor, at the University of Porto, the Sogang University in Seoul, and London Business School. From 2001 to 2009 he was assistant professor at London Business School, where he taught in the MBA, Executive MBA, MSc in International Finance, Sloan Fellows, Ph.D. and Executive Education programs.

Costas Bakouris

Chair of Transparency International-Greece “Only the eradication of corruption and the abandonment of obscure practices and mentalities can help Greece to move out from the profound crisis” Costas Bakouris is Chairman of Transparency International Greece since 2006. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Corinth Pipeworks S.A. and Chairman of the Greek-Russian Business Council. Mr Bakouris is also serving since 2000 as a Board Member and as a consultant to a number of companies of the Viohalco Group, an internationally active and well-established greek industrial enterprise. He holds an MBA Degree from De Paul University in Chicago, Illinois.

Eugenia Lianou

Head of Total Quality and Human Resources, Coco Mat

Antonios Papanikolaou

Priest ʻWe want to make those kids feel that there exists a different world from the one they know. Our only drive is love and we base on itʼ

Yannis Sotirakos

Alogoi Performance Group

‘The body, has a word to act’ Alogoi (a+logos= without words) is an actors’ team which was founded with the purpose to seek new and innovative ways of expression without words. Inspired by a joke among friends, the team created an innovative presentation for a project at the actor’s school with theme a persecution in a mall: behind a black bench and with only tool the body appeared elevators, trampolines, stairs, electric stairs... That was the begging of the team Alogoi. Alogoi with their performance The Escape, have participated in many Greek festivals and have represented Greece in Italy at the 13th Biennale. Their work is based on and uses elements from the mute cinema, the physical theater, the black theater and the cartoons. All the elements of the performance (stage direction, outfitting, music application etc.) is the result of the collective work of all members of the group.

Steven Van Der Kruit

“We observe where the action, pain, danger and fun is” Steven is a Visionary and watches major changes in our global society that could lead to new trends. He travels all over the world in innovative and trend-setting towns finding impulses from edgy places, markets, graffiti areas, nightlife and cross cultural places. Steven is connected with hundreds of mavericks/innovators in the world. Steven is heading Firmenichʼs Global Trend Team and is giving added inspiration to Firmenichʼs Creative Teams. In his role as Creative Director he operates in the forefront of the fast-pace Trend and Luxury Business and also advices various Global FMCG companies on “changes on the horizon” in their industries.

Theo Forbath

‘Creativity, agility, and open collaboration are the hallmarks of innovative organizations that change the way we conduct businesses’ Theo Forbath is Vice President of Business and Technology Consulting. Theo is an expert in linking technology, product and market investments with business strategies and objectives. For the last 15 years, Theo has assisted leading technology vendors, service providers and global enterprises in developing successful product strategies, innovative business models, and implementing successful go-to-market strategies and solutions. Currently, Theo leads a global consulting organization focused on assisting clients in developing successful strategies to transform their product and service offerings, key business systems and applications into competitive global solutions. These engagements typically involve aligning successful business strategies with designing successful product and market strategies, along with architectures for communications networks. Theo is responsible for tracking and writing about the evolution of communications technology and the impact of the Internet and globalization on technology adoption and product development strategies.

Sotiris Bantas

“Tiny wireless wonders” Sotiris Bantas co-founded Helic in 1999 a company that specializes in RF IC design and enabling EDA technologies. His responsibilities include leading R&D and product design teams, as well as marketing technologies and solutions to the companyʼs worldwide clientele. Prior he was a Research Engineer with the Institute of Communications and Computer Systems (ICCS) of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). He participated in several R&D microelectronics projects, in cooperation with European companies and has been involved in the design of silicon RF circuitry, high-frequency analogue integrated filters in sub-micron processes, data converters and switched-capacitor circuits.

Yorgos Panzaris

Co-creator of AthensBook & Geo|Ads "Ubiquitous connectivity & location-aware tools create new geographies, essentially rewiring our sense of place" Yorgos is an engineer with a PhD in the humanities, a policy wonk and a fresh entrepreneur. A computer engineering graduate of the National Technical University of Athens, he did his PhD at Stanford on the history of recent technology. He has studied and lectured on the political, social and cultural history of networked computing, video games and interactive simulations, and the makings of Silicon Valley and other ecosystems of innovation. In 2009, he and Dimosthenis Kaponis created Geo|Ads, an innovative platform for location-based interactive mobile advertising. And AthensBook, a very popular smart city guide for mobile devices. AthensBook is an always-on, personalized, instantly accessible layer of dynamic information for the city of Athens, Greece. Taking advantage of technologies like GPS and 3G data networks and combining algorithmic methods, public data mash-ups and user generated content, AthensBook has evolved into an extensible and readily exportable platform. A version for Thessaloniki is already on offer, with apps for other European cities in the works. Yorgos will demonstrate and discuss this work, along with his thoughts on the information-rich urban landscape and tech entrepreneurship in the periphery

Giorgos Tsiropoulos

Counselor, Advisor to European Union Project Funding, Director of Biotechnology, Biochemicals and Innovations Sector for BIOKING HELLAS, LOTUS and PROTONEX Companies ‘New Biotechnological Solutions to old fashion Agricultural production’ George Tsiropoulos is a scientific researcher. Besides teaching and higher education management, his scientific research interests involved studies related to: Ecology, Plant physio-Pathology, Environmental Protection, Physiology, Development of Modern Agricultural Production Systems. Also, biofuel’s production from energy plants, including machinery for biodiesel, and Biofuels production from algae using modern photo-bioreactors, as well as mass production of Spirulina. During his stay in Brussels, representing Greece for Research and Technology, he aquired experience in R&T, planning and management, acting as counselor to the Greek Ambassador, at the COREPER level, and to the respective Minister. Through his participation to ELOT technical committees ELOT/TE 86 and ISO/TC126, he has acquired experience in product’s certification

Dimitris Tsoukalas

Community President of Anavra Magnisias ‘With the power of the will, the vision will become reality’ Dimitris Tsoukalas was born and raised in Anavra Almyrou Magnisias. He left his native land for studies at the Industrial University of Pireus and stayed and worked in Athens until 1998. He was an executive of Public Power Corporation (ΔΕΗ) until 2002 when he was retired. As of 1998 he returned to his home land and is actively involved in the progress of the community. He has been elected President of the community for the quadrennials 1991-1994, 1999-2002, 2003-2006 and 2007-2010. For his contribution to the community, he has been honored many times. In 2009 he was awarded with the prize KOUROS for Social Contribution. He has been invited as a speaker to present his work in many congresses and postgraduate sessions in Greek Universities.

Organizing team

Niki
Siropoulou

Athens, Greece
Organizer
  • Katerina Kyprianou Kyprianou
    Organizing Team Member
  • Sonia Gerolymatou - Lazaridou
    Organizing Team Member
  • Klimis Asikoglou
    Organizing Team Member
  • Elly Politou
    Organizing Team Member