Louwrens Langevoort
Louwrens Langevoort began his career in 1981 at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels. After working for Philips Classics, the Salzburg Festival and the Leipzig Opera, he moved to the Cologne Opera as Artistic Director in 1993. He then became Artistic and Managing Director of the National Rice Opera of the Netherlands.
In 2000, he took up his post as Artistic Director of the Hamburg State Opera. Since the 2005/2006 season, Louwrens Langevoort has been Artistic Director of the Kölner Philharmonie and Managing Director of KölnMusik GmbH and, since its foundation in 2011, Artistic Director of the festival ACHT BRÜCKEN | Musik für Köln. In 2018, Louwrens Langevoort’s contract as Artistic Director of the Kölner Philharmonie was extended for the third time, meaning that he will continue to accompany and help shape Cologne’s culture until the end of 2025.
Dr. Panagiotis Nomikos
Dr. Panagiotis (Panos) Nomikos is a senior executive in the global maritime technology sector, with a career spanning more than three decades at the intersection of information technology and shipping. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Sussex, UK, and a B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Athens, Greece.
He currently serves as Deputy Managing Director of one of the world’s leading providers of maritime software solutions, where he has held a C-level leadership role for over twenty years. Earlier, he founded and led a maritime ICT consultancy advising prominent shipping companies and multinational organizations, while also launching one of the first online chartering platforms.
He began his professional journey in research and industry roles in the United Kingdom before moving into the maritime sector, where he has since been actively engaged in digital transformation, innovation, and the development of large-scale enterprise software systems. Alongside his professional activities, Panos has maintained a long-standing commitment to volunteer initiatives focused on education, mentorship, and the maritime community. He has been actively involved in organizations such as YES (Young Executives in Shipping) Forum, where he serves on the Advisory Committee supporting youth engagement with the shipping industry, as well as the Adopt-a-Ship organization, contributing to initiatives that connect classrooms with seafarers worldwide. His participation in Mentoria and Allilonnet reflects a broader interest in educational development and career guidance for younger generations, through workshops, mentoring, and community-building activities.
In parallel, he has played a formative role in professional networking through the founding presidency of the Association of Maritime Managers of Information Technology and Communications (AMMITEC), fostering international collaboration and knowledge exchange. Through these engagements, he continues to support initiatives that promote learning, dialogue, and the connection between professional expertise and societal development.
Panos has also actively attracted sponsorships for the “MOIROLÓI | A Lament for the Living” project, conducted by Yorgos Ziavras in 2024, together with his Cologne-based orchestra CoGNiMUS. Panos has been very proud that his daughter, Marianna Nomikou, young soprano based in Detmold, Germany, has been a performer during these concerts.
Emmanouil Kakaras
Professor Emmanouil Kakaras is Executive Vice President, GX Solutions for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries EMEA Ltd. since April 2021. Prior to this role, he was Senior Vice President for New Products and Energy Solutions at MHI Group company Mitsubishi Power Europe since January 2018. Up until then, he served as Senior Vice President and Head of Innovation & New Products at Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Europe GmbH since September 2012.
His R&D activities mainly focus on flexible operation of thermal plants, on fuel cells and electrolysers, the development of large-scale energy storage and the utilization of CO2. Initially, holding a diploma in Mechanical Engineering at the National Technical University in Athens (NTUA), and PhD at the NTUA and at the Technical University Braunschweig in Germany, he continued his academic career in 1991 as a professor at NTUA until 2012, when he left on a sabbatical leave. Since 2014 until today, he serves on a part-time basis at the NTUA.
He has also been guest lecturer at the Universities of Warsaw and Tokyo while has also been awarded faculty membership rights at Energy Engineering Institute of the Engineering Faculty at the University Duisburg Essen. From 1999 to 2018, he has been the Director of the Centre of Research and Technology Hellas/Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CERTH/CPERI).
Next to his involvement in academia and research, he was professionally active as an advisor of the European Commission and he has been appointed Executive Director of the Hellenic Association of Independent Power Producers from 2010 till 2012.
He also has a keen interest in European affairs. From January 2013 to January 2018, he was President of the European Power Plant Suppliers Association (EPPSA). He represents Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at the Hydrogen Council and other Hydrogen-related initiatives. Since 2018 he is an independent non-executive member of the Bord of Directors of Mytilineos S.A.
Sofia Zouzeli
Born in Florina in 1970, she studied Journalism at the Center for Liberal Philosophical and Social Studies in Thessaloniki, from which she graduated in 1991. She has attended journalism seminars across Europe, including the Baltic and European Media Centers.
Since 1988, she has been active in cultural reporting, writing for Exostis magazine in Thessaloniki and completing an internship at the Avriani newspaper of Northern Greece. From 1991 to 1995, she worked in radio and television in Heraklion, Crete.
In 1996, she joined ERT Florina, where she served for many years as chief editor of the local radio station and worked as a radio producer. She coordinated regional radio stations (Florina, Korçë, Bitola) within the framework of ERT’s collaborations with public broadcasters in Albania and North Macedonia, and participated in cross-border seminars and meetings in the Balkans and Brussels.
In 2016, she received the European URTI Radio Documentary Award for her work on refugee issues. She has also worked as a correspondent for ERT TV in Kastoria and Prespa, covering events in neighboring countries.
She currently serves as Head of the Press Office for the Municipality of Prespa.
Since 2000, she has been living in Prespa, where she works on cross-border programs with the NGO “Prespa Cultural Triangle”, coordinating joint initiatives with Albania and North Macedonia.
Nalia Zikou
Nalia Zikou works in the Production Department of the Greek National Opera, focusing on the development, production, and execution of the Alternative Stage’s program.
She is a distinction graduate of the Department of Theatre Studies at the School of Fine Arts, University of the Peloponnese, and of the “Archi” Drama School of Nelli Karra. She completed her internship at the Greek Film Centre and has participated in three European continuing education programs in Ireland, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
She has extensive experience in theatre and film production management, having worked as an assistant director (at the Theatre of the New World and the Athens & Epidaurus Festival) and in production direction and management for Creative Europe cultural programs, involving theatre, music, and multimedia projection activities across the Balkans (Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Greece).
She also works on the production of short audiovisual projects for promotion and performance purposes (ERT, All of Greece, One Culture, and independent productions). Additionally, she is active in the creation of podcasts featuring original narration, sound design, and music composition, which have been presented at festivals in Greece and have received distinctions, including an honourable mention at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.