CF2025

Cyprus Forum London

15 May 2024

Watch the Cyprus Forum London 2024

Igniting Dialogue, Inspiring Change.

The expansion to London marks an exciting new chapter for the Cyprus Forum, an annual forum dedicated to fostering dialogue and driving impactful change. As an extension of the Cyprus Forum series, the addition of London signifies our commitment to broadening our reach and engaging with diverse perspectives on critical issues.
 
Since its inception, the Cyprus Forum has been at the forefront of facilitating discussions and collaboration among policymakers, academics, civil society representatives, and thought leaders. By establishing a presence in London, we aim to further amplify these conversations, drawing upon the dynamic energy and expertise of this global hub.
 
Whether you’re in London, Cyprus, or beyond, your voice matters. Let’s come together to drive impactful conversations and shape a better future for all. Join us in igniting dialogue and inspiring change.

Agenda

FINAL AGENDA

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FINAL REPORT

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Speakers

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EMEL AKÇALI

Emel Akçalı is a scholar of International Relations at the Defence Studies Department, King’s College London. She teaches and researches about environmental geopolitics, critical security and geopolitical studies, gender, state and society and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa, and global International Relations. 

Her research thus far has been funded by the British Academy, EU, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), British Institute in Ankara, Central European University (CEU), the Višegrad Fund, Fondation de Robert Schuman in Paris and she has been awarded CEU Institute of Advanced Study and Aix-Marseille University Institute of Advanced Study resident fellowships for world class foreign researchers in 2013 and 2016. 

She is the author of Chypre: Un enjeu geopolitique actuel (Cyprus, a contemporary geopolitical stake), published by l’Harmattan in Paris in 2009, and she has a forthcoming book on Turkey Going Green, published by Edinburgh University Press.

IAIN BEGG

Iain Begg is a Professor at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science. His main work is on the economics of European integration and the challenges of economic governance.

VICTORIA BILLING

Victoria Billing was appointed FCDO Director Europe, covering the Mediterranean and Western Balkans, in March 2022.

Victoria previously served as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal and Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Cabo Verde and Republic of Guinea Bissau.

Victoria joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1997. She has previously been posted to Rangoon and Jerusalem.

LATIKA M. BOURKE

An experienced journalist and newsbreaker with more than two decades in the industry, working in Australia, the UK and globally in television, print, digital, social media and radio.

Latika began her career in her hometown of Bathurst in regional NSW, producing, writing and presenting radio news bulletins as well as producing and presenting local talkback programs.

After graduating from university, she moved to Sydney to work for the now-defunct 2UE radio station and the national Macquarie Radio network as a general radio reporter, before being posted to the Canberra press gallery in 2009.

In 2010, she was recruited by the ABC to be their first social media reporter alongside her duties as a federal political reporter, working online as well as for radio news, radio current affairs and television news. She also presented live television news bulletins on ABC’s 24 News channel and presented a political television talk show.

In 2014, she was recruited by The Sydney Morning Herald & The Age to join the Canberra bureau as a political reporter.

In 2016, she moved to London to work as a breaking and international reporter for the papers and specialises in geopolitics, national security, defence and foreign affairs.

She is an experienced moderator, MC and frequent media commentator appearing on the BBC and Monocole Radio.

Her memoir, From India with Love was published in 2015.

BAMBOS CHARALAMBOUS

Bambos Charalambous is the Member of Parliament for Southgate and Wood Green and the first Cypriot MP to be elected in the House of Commons in 2017. He is the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Cyprus. Bambos was a solicitor for Hackney Council prior to becoming an MP and was a councillor in Enfield Council for 23 years. Bambos served in the Labour opposition frontbench as Shadow Minister for the Middle East, Crime Reduction and Immigration. Along with chairing the APPG for Cyprus, he also chairs the APPG for Global Education, Music Education and Opera.

CONSTANTIN COTZIAS

Constantin M. Cotzias is European Director at Bloomberg L.P. He is Global Head of International External Relations for Bloomberg L.P., Chairman of Bloomberg Tradebook, and a Board Director of Bloomberg Multilateral Trading Facility Ltd, Bloomberg Index Services and Bloomberg Data Reporting Services. He sits on the Mayor of London Economic Advisory Board and sat on the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council in 2018 and the Chancellors Advisory Council in 2020. 

He was previously CEO of Bloomberg’s legal and regulatory news and research division. He joined Bloomberg in 2001 as Chief Counsel. Prior to Bloomberg, Cotzias was a senior mergers and acquisitions lawyer at Denton Wilde Sapte (presently known as Dentons), one of the United Kingdom’s largest law firms, where he advised on mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and IPOs across industries including media, telecoms, technology, and energy. From 1998-2000, he was Chief Counsel of Denton Wilde Sapte’s Moscow office. 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Modern History and Politics and is a Law graduate from the London School of Economics (University of London). He earned honours in the English Law Society Final Examinations and is a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

ILKE DAGLI-HUSTINGS

Dr. Ilke Dagli-Hustings has been a peace practitioner and researcher for over 15 years and a peace activist for over two decades. She has an MSc in Security and Development from the University of Bristol and a PhD on Security, Identity and Peacebuilding from the University of Warwick. 

Before her academic career at Warwick and Exeter Universities, where she taught World Politics and International Principles of Business respectively, Ilke worked as a project coordinator, project developer, consultant and facilitator for CSO and SME projects in partnership with UN and EU agencies as well as a consultant for polling companies in Cyprus. She co-authored and coordinated myriad peacebuilding programmes such as The Civil Society Dialogue, Cyprus Community Media Centre, Access Info Cyprus, Play for Peace and ENGAGE Do Your Part for Peace. 

Ilke, who joined SeeD as a Senior Security Researcher in 2016 and was part of the core team implementing the Security Dialogue Initiative, and evidence based participatory project supporting the peacebuilding and negotiations in Cyprus. She served as the Head of Programmes and Field Operations between 2017 and 2021, overseeing SeeD’s global programmes and research efforts. 

In 2021, Ilke transitioned into the role of Head of Partnerships & Growth, and in 2023 she became the Director General. Ilke helped establish regional and country teams in Eastern Europe and West Africa, and worked closely on social cohesion, collaborative livelihoods, violence prevention and inclusion projects in Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, South Sudan and Liberia.

ANASTASIA DIMISKI

My name is Anastasia Dimiski, and I am a Research Officer (Post-Doctoral Researcher) at the Hellenic Observatory, at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In this role, I conduct independent research on themes relevant to the Hellenic Observatory’s research cluster on Economy & Public Policy, under the supervision of Prof. Vassilis Monastiriotis . 

I hold a PhD in Applied Econometrics from the Department of Economics and Finance at the University of Guelph, where my doctoral work explored econometric methods applied to various economic contexts. My research interests include Applied Econometrics, Economics of Education, Environmental Economics, and Macroeconomics. 

Prior to joining LSE, I worked as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Economics Research Centre, Department of Economics, University of Cyprus, where I was involved in impactful projects addressing economic policy challenges in Cyprus.

URAN FERIZI

Dr. Ferizi is the Ambassador of Albania to the UK and Ireland, a role he has held since January 2024. His professional background is in scientific research, following an early career in finance. He began in the private sector, working on feasibility studies for major infrastructure projects, including London Heathrow and Singapore Airports. He later moved into investment banking, working on the trading desk at Bear Stearns (JP Morgan) in London, where he specialised in fixed-income structured products. 

Dr. Ferizi studied Mathematics at Oxford University. For his PhD in Neuroscience at University College London, he developed mathematical models for brain imaging in collaboration with MIT-Harvard’s MGH Hospital and the UK’s National Hospital for Neurology. His postdoctoral research at New York University focused on arthritis and osteoporosis, and at Stanford University, he worked on early biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease and addiction in adolescents.

GEORGE HADJIPAVLI

George Hajipavli FRGS FRSA is the founding Programme Coordinator of the Eastern Mediterranean programme at Oxford. His current focus lies with raising awareness about the strategic significance of the Eastern Mediterranean on European and Transatlantic security. This entails highlighting the geographical and thematic interconnectedness of Euro-Atlantic security, especially in the face of heightened great power competition and an increasingly volatile international environment, but also the reasons to which developments in the Eastern Mediterranean are indispensable when it comes to the prosperity and economies of European societies. 

In addition, George is the Convenor of the Discussion Group of Russian and East European Studies at the University of Oxford, and a Research Associate at South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX), within which the Eastern Mediterranean programme is situated. 

In terms of his academic credentials, George has graduated with Distinction across all examinations from the MPhil in Russian and East European Studies at the University of Oxford, and with first-class honours from the BA in Politics and East European Studies at University College London. He has been the recipient of the Departmental Scholarship of the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, the Leventis Foundation Scholarship, the Laidlaw Scholarship in Research and Leadership, the Dean’s List of the UCL Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences, and the UCL Arena Student Fellowship. 

He further maintains extensive professional experience in matters pertinent to European security studies, and energy. 

He is currently the Head of Research & Policy for a British parliamentary and community group, while he previously worked for a Member of the European Parliament in Brussels. 

He has additionally worked for a European renewable energy association, based in Brussels, and is currently a Non-Executive Director for International Development for a London-based public corporation that develops innovative energy solutions in partnership with Imperial College London. In the past, he co-authored the ‘Climate Change’ chapter in the Global Diplomatic Forum’s Global Agenda (Volume 1).

SHERIF KAMEL

Ambassador Sherif Kamel graduated from Ain Shams University in Cairo in 1991, with a BA in Civil Engineering.

Ambassador Kamel joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993, and assumed different posts in Egypt’s missions abroad, starting with the Delegation to the United Nations in Geneva (1997-2001), as well as the Embassy in Washington DC (2005-2009), then was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Mission at Egypt’s Embassy in New Delhi (2012-2016). 

He served as Egypt’s Ambassador to The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (2018-2021), and is currently Egypt’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since December 2021. 

CHRISTOS KARAOLIS

Christos Karaolis was elected President of the Federation for the first time in June 2015. He was unanimously re-elected for a fourth term in May 2023. He is the first third generation Cypriot elected to that position and the fifth President of the Federation since its establishment. He is a member of the President of Cyprus’ ‘Overseas Cypriots Advisory Committee’ and Vice President of POMAK (the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots). Christos is also a founding member of NEPOMAK and served as President of NEPOMAK UK from 2005 to 2006 and President of NEPOMAK from 2006 to 2014. 

Christos is a Partner at Bain & Company in their London office specialising in Financial Services strategy and Performance Improvement consulting. Christos has an MA in Jurisprudence from Trinity College, Oxford. He was later a Prince of Wales scholar at Gray’s Inn and qualified as a Barrister before joining Bain & Company.

VIOLETTE KHAIRALLAH

Violette Khairallah is an entrepreneur, social activist and a former prominent journalist and political anchor host in the Middle East. She is also a former Minister of Economic Empowerment of Women and Youth in Lebanon. During her tenure as Minister, she promoted landmark legislation on women’s rights in the work environment as well as promoting youth empowerment via entrepreneurial programs and employment initiatives, in cooperation with the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank.

As a women and youth advocate, Violette founded and is the President of “Indeed Better Together”. This is a non-governmental organisation which serves women and youth empowerment. Violette focuses on economic empowerment for women by implementing programs that emphasize advocacy, education, the reduction of gender inequality and the creation of better employment opportunities. 

In line with these efforts, she is actively investing in start-ups to encourage young entrepreneurs who want to flourish with their business ideas. Given the current economic volatility in Lebanon, this serves as a lifeline to many families and is Violette’s strategy to foster economic empowerment in a region heavily impacted by inequality. 

Violette also heads the Safadi Cultural Centre where she expanded the outreach of cultural events to be more inclusive of local demographics including age, gender and ethnicity. She is also the vice president of Safadi Foundation. 

Violette is currently a global fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington DC. 

She is also a member of the International Council at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government. Additionally, she is a member of the Board of Trustees at Notre Dame University-Louaize in Lebanon and a former member of the Women Leadership board at Kennedy School of Government and the National Commission for Lebanese Women. 

Violette holds an MA in International Affairs from King’s College London, and an undergraduate degree in International Business Management from Notre Dame University-Louaize, Lebanon.

ANNA KOUKKIDES-PROCOPIOU

Anna Koukkides-Procopiou is the President of Politeia Think Tank, affiliated with the Universitas Research Foundation and the CEO of the Interhorizon Group of Companies. She is the former Minister of Justice and Public Order of the Republic of Cyprus and a former Senior Fellow and Member of the Advisory Board of the Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs, University of Nicosia, where she served for more than a decade. Prior to her government appointment, she worked as a Consultant on the Turkey/Cyprus project of the Europe and Central Asia Program of International Crisis Group, while she currently serves as advisor to the President of the EPP-affiliated Democratic Rally (DISY) party on the Cyprus Problem. Her research and published academic work focusses on foreign policy, inclusive security and gender. 

An accredited Cyprus expert for the World Bank, she also worked on Liberia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and Turkmenistan via projects run by UN Women, the OSCE, Interpeace, CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, Helsinki, the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, SeeD-Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development, as well as projects funded by the State Department, the German and the Dutch Foreign Ministries. She often participated and contributed as expert in working groups run by the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the Union for the Mediterranean, as well as politically-affiliated foundations such as the Hanns Seidel Foundation, Munich and the Robert Schuman Institute. A founding member of the Israel-Hellenic Forum, she is also a member of the UN Senior Women Talent Pipeline group, based in New York. 

Anna has extensive corporate experience in senior management positions, including management positions with the Lanitis Group of Companies and an Executive Director’s position on the board of DIAS group, a public company and the largest media group in Cyprus. She is also a member of Exxon Mobil’s Global Women in Management team, based in Washington DC and a former mentor of the business programme of Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in London. 

She holds First Class degrees in History and Economics from University College London, where she studied as the recipient of the UCL Cyprus Scholarship and an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. She also holds a scholarship-funded certificate in Religion and Politics by the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University and has trained as a professional Political Risk Analyst with Teneo Intelligence, one of the largest providers of political intelligence in the world. In addition, she holds a scholarship-funded Executive Development Diploma (mini-MBA for professionals) from CIIM-Cyprus International Institute of Management, as well as professional certification in Gender Sensitive Leadership through the Gender Equality Academy, Berlin. 

An avid public speaker, TEDx speaker, book author, political analyst and commentator, she frequently contributes to local and international media outlets, including the Economist, The Times/Sunday Times, Euronews, Associated Press, Monocle, the Huffington Post and Modern Diplomacy.

KYRIACOS KOUROS

Ambassador Kyriacόs Kouros assumed duties on 2 April 2024.

Prior to his appointment, High Commissioner Kouros, from April 2023 until assuming his duties, served as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic. Previously, he served as the Director of the Diplomatic Office of the President of the Republic, in addition to his assignment as National Security Advisor to the President of the Republic and Head of the Intelligence Service.

Mr Kouros is a career diplomat who joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus in 1996. During his versatile career, he has served in different overseas posts and in various departments within the Ministry.

In 2012, he was appointed Ambassador of Cyprus to the Netherlands with parallel accreditation as Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

In 2006, he was appointed Chargé d’ Affaires of the Republic of Cyprus to Lebanon and in 2009 he was accredited as Cyprus’ first resident Ambassador to the country. During his posting in Lebanon, he dealt with two major conflicts and the terrorism wave which affected the country between 2006-2008. In this respect, he facilitated the evacuation of thousands of Cypriot and other EU citizens, providing consular assistance to those in need under life threatening conditions. For his service during this time, he was awarded the National Medal of Cedar of the Government of Lebanon.

Other overseas postings included Athens and Geneva. He was also appointed Ministerial Envoy to Libya in July 2011 and served from 1998 to 2002 as a member of the Working Group for the Search of Missing Persons from the 1974 Turkish invasion.

Prior to joining the Foreign Ministry, he worked from 1990 as editor at the Cyprus News Agency and from 1994 as Lecturer at the Journalism Department of Frederick University of Cyprus.

He is a graduate of the Law Department of the University of Athens. He has a Master of Arts in International Journalism from the Journalism Department of City University of London and a PhD from the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences of Athens.

He speaks Greek (mother tongue), English, German and French.

High Commissioner Kouros was born in Nicosia in 1963. He is married and has an adult daughter.

CHRISTOS PASSAS

Christos Passas is an architect, educator, and design leader with over two decades at Zaha Hadid Architects, where he played a central role in the studio’s creative evolution, culture, and project leadership. A co-author of numerous iconic works, he contributed to seminal projects including the MAXXI Museum in Rome, the Phaeno Science Centre in Wolfsburg, the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, and the Rosenthal Center in Cincinnati. More recent works include the OPUS and Me Hotel in Dubai, Eleftheria Square in Cyprus, and the Dominion Tower in Moscow. He has led innovative designs for major institutions, cultural venues, and smart city masterplans across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East—including the Sberbank Technopark HQ, OPPO HQ in Shenzhen, and urban regeneration schemes in Moscow and Chongqing.

Christos holds a B.Arch with Honours from Pratt Institute as a Fulbright Scholar, and a Graduate Design Diploma from the Architectural Association in London. He taught parametric design and urbanism at the AA with Patrik Schumacher (2007–2010) and served as Guest Professor at the Bauhaus Dessau (2008–2012). He continues to lecture and participate in international juries, with a focus on the intersection of architecture, ecology, and technology. His work reflects a commitment to visionary design, innovation, and the formulation of future-forward habitats.

IRENE PIKI

Irene Piki is the Deputy Minister to the President since 1st March 2023. She studied Economics in the UK, (BSc Regional Science – Economics and Human Geography) at the University of Reading, followed by an MSc on Environmental and Natural Resources Economics at University College London (UCL). 

She was employed in the public service of the Republic of Cyprus as a career technocrat from 1997 to 2023, at various posts with a wide range portfolio, which includes issues relating to the economy, environment, regional policy, reforms and investments, as well as European issues. 

In September 2019 she took over as Head of the Strategy, Coordination and Communication Directorate at the Ministry of Finance. In March 2021 she was promoted to Director of Finance and in October 2022 she became the Director of Economic Policy and European Affairs. 

She has served as member of the Board of Directors of Invest Cyprus (CIPA), the Research and Innovation Foundation, the Cyprus Organization for Standardization, as well as the Cyprus Economy and Competitiveness Council. She has also represented Cyprus in various EU Committees relating to economic and cohesion policy issues.

PEDRO SERRANO

Chief of Staff to the European Union’s High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy and EC Vice President Josep Borrell Fontelles until October 2022, his previous roles include that of Deputy Secretary General for Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response at the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy.

Pedro Serrano was also the first EU Ambassador to the United Nations, in New York, after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.

Born in Madrid, Spain, Pedro Serrano is married and has two daughters.

CHRISTOS TUTON

Christos Tuton has been President of NEPOMAK (the World Organisation for Young Diaspora Cypriots) since 2018. His work with NEPOMAK is focussed on maintaining Cypriot culture and identity amongst young diaspora Cypriots, as well as raising awareness of the Cyprus issue. 

He works in public affairs, where he advocates for better housing standards as well as policy responses to the UK’s ageing population. 

He was born and raised in north London in the heart of the UK Cypriot community and studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of York.