Our Board of Directors & Management

Maria Tsiakka

Chairman

Maria Tsiakka Olympiou was born in 1964 and graduated from the English School in Nicosia.  She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she graduated with a BSc and an MSc in 1987.  In her senior year, she was awarded the AMITA Senior award for academic excellence.  She then attended Harvard Business School where she received her MBA with Distinction.

She was also awarded a Diploma through distance learning from the University of Leicester in Psychology of Work and is a certified Project Manager Professional (PMP).

She worked at the Bank of Cyprus in Strategic Planning and Retail Banking.  She founded her own company in office equipment.  This was later merged with Tsiakkastel Office Line Ltd, her family company specialising in office solutions which she successfully manages to this day.

She was for nine years a Board member of the Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends and is currently serving her second term as a Board member of AMITA, the Association of MIT Alumnae.

She is married to Zeus Olympios and has two sons.

She was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (Cyta) in January of 2024.

Spyros Petousis

Vice-Chairman

Spyros N. Petousis was born in Limassol in 1954. He graduated from Lanitio Gymnasium High School and served in the army during 1972 – 1974.

He attended Paddington Technical College and studied Electrical Engineering at Queen Mary University of London from where he graduated with upper second class honours in 1978. He is a holder of a Postgraduate Certified Diploma in Accounting & Finance from the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA). He was employed by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus between 1979 - 2019 along the ranks of Engineer, District Engineer, Senior Engineer, Assistant Area Manager and Area Manager of Pafos (2007 – 2013) and then Area Manager of Limassol (2013 – 2019).  He is a Chartered Engineer Fellow of The Institute of Engineering & Technology (CEng FIET) and Chartered Manager Fellow of The Chartered Management Institute (CMgr FCMI) of the United Kingdom. He is a European Engineer (Eur Ing) and a member of The Scientific & Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK).

He is married with three children.

Maria Antoniou Hamatsou

Mrs Maria Antoniou Hamatsou was born in Nicosia in 1975 and graduated with honors from Kykkos B’ Lyceum in Nicosia. She studied Law in the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. She then obtained a Master’s degree in Criminal Law and Justice, Faculty of Law from Leicester University in the UK. She was admitted to the Cyprus Bar Association in 2000 and became a qualified lawyer.

She is an Accredited Mediator on civil and commercial disputes, a member of the Mediator’s Registry of the Cypriot Ministry of Justice and Public Order and a Family Mediator. She was also trained as Instructor of Professional Training by HRDA - CyQF EQF 5 and as aTrainer on Online Teaching. 

She has worked in major reputable law firms in Nicosia until 2011 when she founded her own Law Firm under the name MARIA P. ANTONIOU LLC, dealing with litigation cases. Her main areas of expertise are Civil Law, Family Law, Criminal Law, Banking Law as well as other Alternative Dispute Resolution procedures such as Arbitration and Mediation.

She was appointed as a Member of the Cyprus National Committee on "Environment and Child’s Health" as a representative of the Pancyprian Confederation of Parents' Associations of Schools of Public Primary Education, served as Assistant Secretary and Member of the Pancyprian Confederation of Parents' Associations of Schools of Public Primary Education and as Deputy President and Assistant Secretary of the Federation of Parents’ Associations of Public Primary Schools of Nicosia.

She is married and she has a son and two daughters.

She is a Member of the Board of the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (Cyta), since December 2020.

Anthi Drakou – Klerides

Anthi Drakou – Klerides was born in Nicosia.

She graduated from the Secondary School of Kykkos in Nicosia, Science Section with First Class.

She received her Law Degree at Kapodistriako University of Athens. She is a graduate of HTI of Nicosia in Civil Engineering. She first worked for several years with the Construction Company of Joannou & Paraskevaides Ltd, in the Department of Prefabricated
Buildings.

In 1981 she was employed at the Cyprus Ports Authority for 39 years. She progressed to the various positions of the administrative pyramid and in 2002 she was promoted to the position of the Manager of Personnel and Administration and served there for 15
years. Her duties included the co-ordination of all the administration work of the Authority and she handled all personnel and trade union matters. In parallel, she was assigned the duties of the Secretary of the Board. 

In 2016 she was appointed as General Manager of the Cyprus Ports Authority on a five-year contract. She was responsible for the comprehensive, efficient and effective organisation, management and supervision of all services provided by the Autority. She had the duty of supervision and was legally responsible for the Budget of the Authority.     

Zinon Zinonos

Dr. Zinon Zinonos was born in Limassol in 1980. He holds a Ph.D. from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Cyprus, specializing in the Internet of Things. He also holds a Master's degree in Advanced Information Technologies from the University of Cyprus and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering and Informatics (CEID) from the Polytechnic School of the University of Patras.

Since 2021, he holds the position of the Project Manager of Pafos Smart City, and since 2023, he is a visiting Professor at the Department of Computer Science at the American University of Beirut - Mediterraneo. From 2017 until 2021, he served as Assistant Professor, Deputy Chair, and Coordinator of the postgraduate program in Information Systems and Digital Innovation at the Department of Computer Science at Neapolis University. From 2013 to 2017, he worked at the University of Cyprus as a postdoctoral researcher at the Center of Excellence KIOS.

His interests include innovative technologies and applications for Smart Cities, the Internet of Things, wireless and mobile networks, and sensor networks.

He is married and a father of three boys.

Kypros Louca

Kypros Louca was born in Nicosia in 1985. He holds a postgraduate Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration from Queen Mary University of London, a postgraduate Master degree in International Commercial and Business Law from University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich and a Law Degree from Democritus University of Thrace. He is also a licensed Insolvency Practitioner.

As a lawyer, Kypros is mainly focused on handling high-profile international transactions largely in the areas of Banking & Finance, corporate, mergers and acquisitions of corporations, corporate restructurings, as well as in cases of international commercial arbitration, insolvency and corporate and banking dispute resolution. Under his professional capacity as a licensed Insolvency Practitioner, Kypros is regularly appointed and acts as liquidator and receiver and manager of legal entities.

He is a member of the Cyprus Bar Association, Kyrenia Bar association and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) of London.   

Kypros is the former president of the Institute of Young Scientists of Cyprus (INE) and an active member of other volunteer and non-profit organisations.

Constantinos Neophytou

Constantinos is the CEO of an investment management and venture capital company in Nicosia. Since 2001, working alongside entrepreneurs, private and institutional investors, he has helped finance and build many businesses in the US, UK, Netherlands, Greece, Israel and Cyprus. He serves on the Board of Directors of companies in the fields of investment management, healthcare, software development, renewable energy sources, recycling, etc.

He is a Chartered Director, Fellow of the Institute of Directors (UK), and also holds professional certifications from the Wharton School (Certified Investment Management Analyst), the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (Advanced), and the Insurance Institute of Cyprus. He served as an independent expert evaluator and rapporteur in various areas of research and development programmes on behalf of the European Commission (15 years) and as a Special Finance Advisor to the European Commission for the promotion of humanitarian projects (pro bono).

Prior to working in the investment management industry, he held a Welcome International Prize fellowship at Harvard Medical School, where he worked with Nobel Prize winner, Professor Linda Buck.  He studied on full merit-based scholarships at the University of Cambridge (BA, MA Hons) and at University College London (PhD).  He is a co-inventor on two patent portfolios in the area of neurodegenerative disease. 

Andreas Procopiou

Dr Andreas Procopiou is an Electrical Engineer with a PhD in Renewable Energy Sources from the University of Manchester, a postgraduate MSc degree in Electrical Power Systems, and a BEng (Hons) degree from Brunel University London. Currently holding a managerial position in a renewable energy production company, he boasts a diverse career that has taken him across Cyprus, Australia, France, and the United Kingdom.

Dr Procopiou brings extensive experience in project and resources management and fostering collaboration between research centers and industry. His previous roles include serving as a Senior Research Fellow in the field of Smart Grids at the University of Melbourne and as an engineer at one of Europe's largest research and development centers, Électricité de France R&D in France. Throughout his career, he has offered technical support and consulting services to international companies and research institutes, alongside publishing over 30 scientific and research articles in reputable international journals. As a dedicated professional, he is an active member of the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK) and the international Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Marios Fokas

Mr. Marios Fokas, born in 1977 in Nicosia, graduated with honors from Archbishop Makarios III Lyceum. Subsequently, he completed his military service in the National Guard, with the rank of Second Lieutenant. He holds a Diploma, equivalent to a Master’s degree, in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with a specialization in Telecommunications and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Cyprus.

With over 20 years of experience in networks and telecommunications, he began his career in 2003 as a network engineer at Logicom Solutions Ltd. In 2008, he joined the University of Cyprus (UCY) as an IT Officer, responsible for the network infrastructure office (2008-2014) and later the security office (2014-2016). Since 2016, he has been the Head of the Networks Sector within the Information Technology Service of UCY.

Throughout his career, he has earned a series of professional titles in networks and security, including CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional), CCDA, CCNA, CCIE (written) and Qualified Specialist in security and wireless communications. He has also coordinated the implementation of innovative network solutions, such as the Next-Generation Network of UCY, which was awarded in the "Lean IT Machine" category by Juniper Networks in 2021.

He is a member of ΕΤΕΚ since 2008 and member of Cyta Board since January 2024.