TEDxEleftheriaSquare

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Achilleas Michaelides

  Achilleas Michaelides (AKA Paparazzi) is a Cypriot artist that has embraced the art of graffiti and street art. He has presented his works in 6 solo exhibitions and many group shows and festivals in Cyprus, Greece, England, Germany, France, Russia, Switzerland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Qatar, the UAE, Georgia and Bulgaria.

• Arianna Economou

  Arianna Economou is a dance artist and dance activist. She brought modern dance to Cyprus in the 80s, co-founded the Dance House Lefkosia and was its director for more than ten years. Festival Director of the NO_ BODY Movement/Dance Performance Arts Festival since 2008.

• Christopher Pissarides

  Sir Christopher Pissarides is the 2010 Nobel Prize laureate in economics, the Regius Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and the Professor of European Studies at the University of Cyprus. He specialises in the economics of labour markets, economic growth and structural change. He has received several prizes, awards and prestigious Academy fellowships for his work, including the Grand Cross of the Republic of Cyprus and a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. In the last decade, he has mainly worked on the employment implications of automation and artificial intelligence.

• Christos Passas

  Christos joined Zaha Hadid Architects as a Senior Designer in February 1998 and has been a key member in the development of the overall artistic evolution of the Studio, its business development, the office culture and leader of a wide range of build and unbuilt projects and competitions within the practice. He has developed a broad spectrum of architectural designs in locations all over the world, including the United States, Europe, China, Eastern Europe, Russia, North Africa, and the Middle East. He also worked on creating Eleftheria Square where our TEDxES event is being held.

• Dmitry Dumik

  Having founded several successful companies in Silicon Valley, including Chatfuel, and participated in Y Combinator, Dmitry Dumik has transitioned from a tech entrepreneur to someone deeply invested in unlocking human potential. Now, he leads retreats, facilitates psychological groups, and develops ed-tech products aimed at maximizing human potential.

• GABA Project

  GABA PROJECT uniquely combines the Handpan and Lyra and is the only project of its kind worldwide. The Duet focuses on experimenting with new musical approaches in arrangement, composition and soundscapes that arise through the musicians' individual influences. Improvisation is a core element of the Duet that comes from the two members' varying musical knowledge and experiences. Performing their own original compositions, GABA PROJECT also showcase pieces from the Eastern Mediterranean such as Armenian, Cypriot, Turkish, Greek and Bulgarian yet with a fresh approach, in some cases changing their rhythm and mood and even transforming them entirely. Festivals: TEDx Eleftheria Square (Nicosia, 2024), Cosmopolis Festival 2023 (Greece), Rhodes & South Aegean International Jazz Festival 2024 (Greece), 9th Cyprus Jazz & World Music Showcase (2022), MoonWalk Festival (2022&2023), Reggae Sunjam 2019(Cyprus), Fête De La Musique 2023 (Cyprus), Windcraft Music Festival 2023 (Cyprus), Cyprus Rialto World Music Festival 2023 (Cyprus), Larnaka2030 Musicians: Vasilis Vasiliou - Handpan, Percussion Christina Polycarpou - Lyra

• Galina Yuzefovich

  Galina Yuzefovich, Literary critic, ex-professor of Higher School of Economics (Russia), bloger and TV-presenter. Author of the non-fiction books "Mysterious Map", "What do bestellers tell us about" and "Incredible Adventures of a Pilot Fish".

• Kelly Christodoulou

  Kelly is a responsible investor and sustainability expert. She assesses the behaviours of companies and engages with them to improve their environmental, social, and governance performance. Kelly has been in the responsible investment industry since 2008, starting the practice at a large Australian pension fund.

• Miranda Tringis

  Miranda Tringis is a Dutch born entrepreneur and herbalist, living in Cyprus for 30 years now. She created a Cyherbia Botanical Park where visitors can see and learn about the herbs of Cyprus in 9 different herb gardens, witness the extraction of essential oil in the distillation room and go on a green adventure in the maze and woodland walk around Cyprus.

• Polina Maltseva

  Polina Maltseva is an educational consultant, a founder of EdPower, company providing online courses for parents on children development, bloger, ex-founding COO of Letovo school (№1 IB school globally in 2023)

• Vasilis Papavasiliou

  A Cyprus cultural promoter and Tourism and hospitality professor, Vasilis Papavasiliou has deep roots in Cyprus’s tourism industry, having grown up in a family embedded in the sector. He holds a PhD in Hotel and Tourism Management from Hong Kong Polytechnic University (UNWTO TedQual-certified), with research focusing on “Collective Memory and Narrated Destination Image: Interpreting the Tour Guides’ Narratives in Guided Tours.” Currently serving as Head of Hospitality and Tourism at CTL Eurocollege, he actively promotes Cyprus through various media including video podcasts, travel videos, and comedic content. His academic work explores how storytelling influences tourists’ perceptions of destinations.