Archives: Speakers

Nikos Kalogeris was born in Chania on 30-10-1957. He has graduated from the Polytechnic School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a Diploma in Agronomist Surveying Engineering and speaks fluently English and a little German. From 1983 he owns a Technical Office in Chania, dealing with studies for Public and Private Works. In the past he has been the Chairman of the Technical Chamber of Greece / Department of Western Crete (2007-2010), Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Technical Chamber of Greece / Department of Western Crete (2001-2004), Member of the Delegation of the Technical Chamber of Greece / Department of Western Crete (1994-2013) and Member of the Steering Committee of the Technical Chamber of Greece / Department of Western Crete (1994-2006).

Since 2011, he has been actively involved in the Regional Government. For the time period 2011-2019 he has been the Vice Regional Governor of Crete for the Environment and Spatial Planning, Member of the Executive Committee of the Region of Crete and the Chairman of the Environment & Spatial Planning Committee of the Region of Crete. Today he is the Vice Governor of Chania Regional Unit, additionally responsible for Energy Planning, Renewable Energy Sources, Natural Gas, Hydrocarbons and general energy policy issues in the Region of Crete, as well as the Regional Planning for Climate Change Adaptation.

In addition, Nikos Kalogeris is the Chairman of the Board of the Cultural Center of Chania, Vice Chairman of the Board at the Eleftherios Venizelos Foundation, Member of the Board and General Assembly of Crete Development Organization and Member of the Board of the Orthodox Academy of Crete.

He is married to Gina P. Pavlaki and has two children.

Mr. Stavros Arnaoutakis was born in 1956 in Archanes of Heraklion, Crete, where he was also reared. He is an Economist.

From 1981 to 1991 he was an executive member at a private company.

In 1990, he was elected Mayor of Archanes. He maintained that office until 2004.

During that period, Archanes were awarded the following prizes:

2nd Award at the European Contest “Integrated and Sustainable Development of Exceptional Quality” in 2000, and 1st Award at the Contest “Local Growth with Respect for the Natural and Human Environment”, in 2002.

From 1991 to 2004, he was the President of Heraklion Development S.A. On his own initiative, Heraklion Development S.A. became the first development company in Greece to acquire its own office in Brussels, intending to claim European Programmes and to implement such Programmes in the best possible way.

From 2004 to 2009, he was elected member of the European Parliament. Besides, he actively participated in the Regional Development Committee, in the Fisheries Committee, as well as in the Delegation for Developing Relations with the Peoples’ Republic of China.

During the Parliamentary Elections in 2009, he was elected Member of Parliament under the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PA.SO.K.) party and he took office as a Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping.

During the Regional Administration and Municipal Elections on 07.11.2010, he was elected Regional Governor of Crete.

In 2014, he was elected Governor of the Region of Crete for the second time and he holds this office until today.

Experienced operational excellence leader with a demonstrated history of working in the oil & gas industry.  Skilled in offshore drilling operations, Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) construction, data analysis & planning, problem solving & coaching, knowledge sharing & continuous improvement.  Graduated from the Technological Education Institute of Kavala (Greece) with a degree in Petroleum Technology Engineering & from the University of Liverpool (UK) with a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management.  Focus on performance optimization of drilling operations.

Mr. Frode Overland Andersen

Born 3 February 1972

Married to Siw Skjold Lexau (Assistant Director General, Norwegian Ministry of Jusitice), two children Nikolai (13 ) and Sofia (11)

Positions

 2019 –                    Ambassador of Norway to Greece and Cyprus

2014-2019         Director of communications, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2011-2013         Deputy director of communications, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2007-2010         First Secretary, Norwegian Delegation to NATO

2006-2007         Senior Adviser, Press Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2004-2006         Adviser, Security Policy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2001-2004         Deputy Head of Mission, Norwegian Embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

1999-2001         Foreign Service Trainee

1998                 Norwegian Armed Forces, SFOR, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Education

1999                 Master’s degree in political science (Cand.Polit.), University of Bergen, Norway

1996                 Erasmus exchange programme, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany

1995                 Bachelor’s degree, University of Bergen, Norway

Mr. Yossi Amrani, the Ambassador of Israel to Greece, is a seasoned diplomat. He was born in 1958 in Haifa and joined the Israeli Foreign Ministry in 1983. Prior to becoming Israel’s envoy to Athens, among his assignments, he served in Washington D.C as the Minister for Political Affairs, Consul General in San Francisco, Ambassador to Croatia, Non- Resident Ambassador to North Macedonia and Ambassador to Hungary. His last assignment in the Israel MFA headquarters was Head of Policy Planning.

The Israeli Ambassador holds a BA and MA cum laude in history from the University of Haifa and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, respectively.