I8: Equal Opportunities to Age, Gender and Diversity

How can we promote respect for differences and equal opportunities?
How can we address and support this initiative?

(2nd Brainstorming event pictures of the team's presentation on highlighted link).

Despo Andreou (Initiative Leader)
Despo is a registered Cyprus lawyer and a Member of the Cyprus Bar Association since 1999.
She is one of the Directors of the Legal Law Company, PYRGOU VAKIS LLC and the head of the Litigation Department.
Main areas of Despo’s expertise are Civil and Commercial Litigation, Banking Law, Contract Law, Family Law, Employment Law, Personal Injury Claims and Insurance Law.
Her clientele includes among others major Cyprus banks, local and foreign companies.
Despo believes in teamwork and people's good will. She believes that when people work together, sharing knowledge and ideas, encouraging each other, they may accomplish any goal they set. She believes that team work creates miracles.
Despo loves travelling abroad meeting people, experiencing new cultures,  different smells, colours and sounds. She enjoys gym, book reading and music.
Despo’s dream is a world of Equality and Justice.

Nina Stamenkovic Shamtanis
I am the Founder and Managing Director of FeminaPlus, an organisation for the empowerment and wellbeing of women. The organisation aims to offer a sustainable framework leading to the success of professional women, by enhancing their wellbeing and lifestyle and effectively addressing challenges women face today in their professional and personal lives. The principals of integrity and transparency form the cornerstone of the existence and operation of FeminaPlus.
As a person, I am very creative; I like to make things happen that will support and benefit the community I live in. I enjoy transferring a project into action and teamwork, because a great idea with the right team of people will result in success! I am also very passionate in everything I do. I enjoy culture and music and I love reading - books are my "escape". I try keeping fit and healthy and I am a very proud vegan and vegetarian for the last 20 + years.

Ioanna Ioannou studied law at the University of Cyprus and obtained her LLB degree in 2012. She also acquired a Master’s Degree with specialization in International Business Law from the University of Leeds in England.
Ioanna is a member of the Cyprus Bar Association since 2014 and she is currently working as a Senior Associate Lawyer at a reputable Law Firm in Nicosia. Her principal area of practice is Data protection and privacy, corporate and commercial law.
Ioanna enjoys spending time with friends, having good conversations and drinking great coffee. She also loves going to the theater and visits local wineries to taste good quality wines. 
Being polite and respecting others, is what Ioanna believes and follows as core values in her personal and professional life.

Georgia Papa is a lawyer registered with the Cyprus Bar Association.
She has been a practising lawyer in Cyprus since 2011. She studied law in England at the University of Leicester and then she went on to obtain a Master’s Degree with specialisation in taxation from King’s University in London.
She is currently studying to obtain the Advance Diploma in International Taxation by the Chartered Institute of Taxation.
Upon her return to Cyprus in 2010, she completed her legal practice at Marios Eliades and Partners LLC (Advocates and Legal Consultants) and successfully passed her Bar Examinations.
In 2015 she began to work as an advocate at Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm where she is regularly involved in the project management of clients’ transactions, contract reviewing, drafting of complex execution corporate documentation as well as providing day to day legal advice to international and local clients.
Georgia is the author of a number of articles and she is regularly published in local and international journals. Due to her work she has travelled extensively as part of delegations of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and independently to promote Cyprus as business center.
She is fluent in Greek and English.

Stavros Charalambous is a lawyer and a registered member of the Cyprus Bar Association.
He graduated from the Law School of the University of South Wales in 2015 and after his graduation he started working with Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm. Stavros is currently studying MA Management.
He is a holder of “DPO Executive Certification”.
At the beginning of his career, Stavros worked in the litigation department of Pyrgou Vakis Law Firm, handling cases in relation to commercial law, banking law, contract law and employment law.
For the last few years, Stavros is working with issues regarding data protection and specifically with matters related with the General Data Protection Regulation, information security, IT and commercial matters. He is also appointed as a DPO in several organisation across various industries.

Vahid Bassett, COO/CMO at QUBE Events - organizers of one of the leading international payments events in Cyprus, Malta, and Ireland the Nextgen Payments Forum.
I hold an MSc in Financial Services & MBA in Corporate Sustainability with a strong experience in multinational corporate development.
One of my most enjoyable activities is supporting initiatives like these that look for ways to give back to society in an open, friendly and constructive manner. 

Andreas Varnava graduated from the University of Aegean.
He is excited about the Maritime Industry.
He is a young part of our shipping future.

Agnieszka Filarska - Project Manager at Unimed Feeder Services A/S.
I finished Gdynia Maritime University as Marine Engineer Navigator. In my work am involved in Maritime Transportation and Ship Operation. I lead projects and improve day by day work by optimization of processes.
I am a person who likes challenges. After 10 years of living in Gdynia, I decided to go abroad and moved to Cyprus. In my free time I like travelling, skiing, swimming and I love reading books.