TEDxDereeACG

Speakers

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

• Elpida Bograkou

  CEO at White Canvas Athens

  Elpida’s story is one many can relate to, even if the details are different, a personal journey of growth, loss, and self-discovery. She was adopted into a loving home and grew up believing that working hard and following the rules, life would go as planned. But after losing both parents by 21, she found herself navigating life without directions. She pushed forward—excelling in school, career, and relationships—but beneath the surface, she was struggling. Over time, she realized that real growth didn’t come from doing more, but from unlearning harmful beliefs: that love means endurance, that rest is laziness, and that asking for help is weakness. Through therapy and reflection, she began to rebuild her life—not around what others expected, but around what felt honest and right for her. Her talk is a powerful reminder that we don’t have to stay tied to the scripts we were given. We can choose to rewrite them, and ourselves, at any time.

• Evlambia Revi

  Evlambia Revi was born and raised in Corfu. She is a journalist and Television Presenter. She has worked since 2010 as a reporter across print, digital, and broadcast media, specializing in police reporting, which she covered for over a decade. She is the creator of several podcast series and co-owner of the website imethexis.gr. She studied Journalism at the University of Athens, where she also earned a Master’s degree in Journalism and New Media. She is currently in her third year of Psychology studies at the European University of Cyprus. Driven by a passion for storytelling and social insight, she continues to explore the evolving landscape of media with a focus on human-centered narratives.

• Maria Diamantopoulou

  Maria Diamantopoulou spent the first 15 years of her career in the corporate world, holding finance and marketing positions mainly in the banking sector in the Balkans. In 2014, her personal journey made her turn her attention towards brain function, trauma and the nervous system. In 2024, she founded Blue Brain Publishing, Polyvagal Institute’s exclusive partner for Greece & Cyprus. Blue Brain offers books and online courses on trauma healing and nervous system regulation, and is set to publicly launch in September 2025.

• Marina Matthildi Martinos

  Marina Matthildi Martinos, Assistant Professor of Psychology, American College of Greece. Her area of expertise is developmental neuropsychology/neuroscience. She is particularly interested in understanding how neurodevelopmental disorders present themselves in the realms of cognition and behavior, and, ultimately, how they affect the long terms outcomes of the people who are diagnosed with these.

• Nancy Mallerou

  Dr. Nancy Mallerou is an internationally awarded Master Coach, one of the pioneers of coaching and one of the most sought-after speakers in Greece. Through her seminars, talks, articles, and books, she has positively impacted the lives of millions of people. She is the originator of the term “Esocentrism©,” which she first introduced in her TEDx talk in 2019 and which forms the foundation of her approach to both her personal and professional life.

• Rea Vitali

  Rea Vitali is a columnist, writer, and cultural commentator with a long-standing presence in Greek media. Born in 1961, she studied Art History and devoted her career to the art of the chronicle. She began writing in 1992 for 4 Troxoi magazine, where she was the only woman in the “Antilogos” section for eleven years. She later worked as a reporter for Tachydromos magazine and as a lead columnist for Eikones. She is a founding member of Protagon.gr, where she continues to write today, shaping public discourse through a sharp, personal, and reflective voice. Rea Vitali is the author of four books, including Kapote tha grapsw ena vivlio, Den pethana egkairos (the biography of Kostas Tsoklis), To palto mou, mama, and To Psychometro. She is also the creator, producer, and host of the television project KERAIA, broadcast on Ertnews and Ertflix. A mother of three and grandmother of four, she describes her life as full — though, as she says herself, there is always room for more.

• Stamatis Lykos

  Tech Entrepreneur & Data Scientist | Co-Founder of Asappien.

  Stamatis Lykos is a data analyst by profession and an entrepreneur by passion. As the co-found- Born in 1961. Studied Art History. Dedicated to the art of the chronicle, she began in 4 Troxoi er of Asappien — a social activity app designed to bring people together in real life — he’s on a magazine in 1992 as the only woman in the “Antilogos” section for eleven years. Worked at mission to rebuild genuine human connection in a world drowning in digital noise. Tachydromos magazine as a reporter and at Eikones magazine as a lead columnist. Armed with a master’s degree in data science (with Distinction), a role at Aegean Airlines, mem- bership in Mensa, and a position as a data science instructor at Big Blue Academy, you might expect his TEDx talk to focus on numbers and algorithms. Instead, Stamatis chooses vulnerabil- ity.

• Stelios Tzagkarakis

  Dr. Stylianos Ioannis (Stelios) Tzagkarakis is Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Social Sciences of the Hellenic Open University, Field Manager of the Center for Political Research and Documentation (KEPET) at the University of Crete and General Secretary of the Hellenic Association of Political Scientists (HAPSc). He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science (Department of Political Science, University of Crete), a master's degree in Social Policy with a specialization in Economics, Administration, and Health Policy (Department of Social and Educational Policy, University of Peloponnese), a master's degree in Political Analysis and Political Theory with a specialization in European and Public Policies (Department of Political Science, University of Crete), and a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) with thesis title: "Crisis and Welfare State in Greece 2009-2015: A Critical Analysis" (Department of Political Science, University of Crete). His doctoral thesis was honored with the HAPSc award "Katerina Panagopoulou" as the best doctoral thesis in political science for 2017. Dr. Tzagkarakis is a member of the Steering Committee of the Political Culture Standing Group of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). He has worked as a principal researcher on numerous European and national research projects and he speaks Greek, English, Spanish, and French. He holds a Certificate of Pedagogical and Didactic Competence from the Department of Primary Education of the School of Education Sciences at the University of Crete, and he has published over 60 scientific articles in Greek and English in scientific journals, conference proceedings, and collective volumes. Dr. Tzagarakis has participated in more than 50 international scientific conferences and workshops in Greece and abroad. His research and scientific interests focus, inter alia, on issues related to social policy, European and national public policies, social vulnerability, social rights, migration, health policies, and sustainability. He cooperates with the Laboratory of Education Policy, Research, Development and Interuniversity Cooperation of the University of Piraeus and has participated in several educational projects funded by European institutions, such as the European Parliament Ambassador School Programme (EPAS) which aims at increasing students’ and teachers’ awareness of European parliamentary democracy, the role of the European Parliament and European values and the “Motivating Teachers 4 Europe” (MOTIVATE) which is an innovative project under the Jean Monnet actions run under the Erasmus+ program to support teaching, learning, research and debates on various aspects of the European Union.