Cyprus Tourism Organisation - Board of Directors

Board of Directors - Cyprus Tourism Organisation

Mr. Alekos Orountiotis Chairman	Alekos Orountiotis was born in Ammochostos and now resides in Limassol. He studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. During his studies he was an active member of the ‘Agonas’ student party. He has been a registered advocate since 1982. He was the president of the refugee cultural association ‘Nea Genia Lemesou’ for several years and he also was as a member of the Limassol School Board as well as the Ammochostos School Board. He served as chairman of the Cyprus Bowling Federation Arbitration Committee and as a rapporteur for the Arbitration Committee of the Cyprus Football Association. He is currently the Assistant Secretary of the ‘Theotokos Foundation’ and the Secretary of the ‘The Center for Preventive Paediatrics’. He served as a member of the CTO Board of Directors during 1987-1993 and as a Vice Chairman during 2003-2006. Mr Orountiotis is an avid supporter of sports and athleticism and he is a keen winter swimmer.
Mr. George Mintis Vice-Chairman	George D. Mintis was born in Kato Varosia in the city of Ammochostos (Famagusta). In August 1974 due to the Turkish occupation, his family were forced to leave Ammochostos and relocated to Paralimni. He now resides in Paralimni and is married to Maria nee Hadjikonstanti from Paralimni, and they have four children. He studied law at the Aristotelion University in Thessaloniki, Greece, where he was an active member of the Democratic (Progressive) Cypriot Student Movement and has been established as a registered advocate with his own law firm in Paralimni since 1985. He has been a member of several governmental and semi-governmental organizations such as the Licensee Authority, the Licensee Review Authority, the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, of which he is now the Vice-Chairman, and the Committee of the Ammochostos (Famagusta) Bar Association. He is also an active member of various regional and local community organizations and associations. He has studied the violin and is an accomplished violinist, taking an active part in the cultural life of his University during his academic years and later participated in many musical events and concerts. He is an avid cyclist and loves walking along the Cyprus nature trails.
Mr. Nikos Grigoriou Member
Mr. Demetris N. Leventis Member	Demetris N. Leventis was born in Anaphotia Larnaca in 1955 and currently resides in Larnaca. He has studied economics and is employed at Cyprus Popular Bank PLC since 1977. He has worked at various branches and has been the manager of Commercial Banking in Larnaca for several years. He has been the president of the Larnaca School Committee, president of the American Academy Council, president of the American Academy Parents and Teachers Association, secretary of the Pancyprian Organisation of Large Families and an active member of Reservists Commandos Association. He is married to Chrystalla and they have 4 children.
Prof. Andreas Philokyprou Member	Hon. Professor Andreas Philokyprou studied architecture on a scholarship by the Government of Cyprus at the Institute of Civil Engineering in Kiev. Today he manages an architectural and consulting firm in Nicosia. He attended various educational and training courses in philosophy, public relations, personnel management,marketing, etc. He is a Doctor of Philosophy of the European Academy of Sciences and an Hon. Professor of the University of Hannover, representative and research fellow of La-Trobe University of Melbourne and a candidate member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Prof. Philokyprou is the Consul-General of the Republic of Seychelles in Cyprus and he served for a number of years as the Secretary of the Consular Corps of Cyprus. He had also been appointed as an advisor to the Government of Altai Region of the Russian Federation. Furthermore Prof. Philokyprou cooperates with the Church of Cyprus on a number of issues. He was been honoured with the medal and the award for Peace and Friendship of the Russian Federation, the Yuri Gagarin medal, the Goethe medal, the International Onassis Prize for his contribution to the promotion of Hellenism and the Australian Government for his contribution to the fight against vandalism in public settlements.
Mr. George Phokas Member	George Phokas was born in Katokopia and now resides in Nicosia. He studied Hotel and Restaurant Management at the International Institute of Tourism in Varna, Bulgaria. For the period of 21 years, he has been working as a General Manager predominantly for four and five star hotels, of Louis Hotels Ltd, among which it is noteworthy to mention Louis Apollonia Beach, Louis Nausicaa Beach and Louis Althea Hotel in Cyprus. It is notable that he was appointed as the General Manager at Forum Intercontinental, nowadays known as Hilton-Park, a step in his career, which enhanced his managerial skills as this hotel, being a part of the Intercontinental chain. Remarkably, his career expanded in Greece, since he accepted the challenge of becoming the General Manager of the biggest and luxurious hotel complex in Zakynthos, comprising of three hotels, namely Louis Palazzo Di Zante, Louis Royal Palace and Louis Imperial Zante totaling 2240 beds. His long-term presence in the field of hotel management (from 1986 until 2007), his participation in the most fundamental tourism and travel exhibitions, developing personal relationships with major tour operators and travel agents, his participation in meetings and seminars regarding hotel industry and tourist services have assisted in shaping an all-rounded character of a General Manager equipped with excellent managerial and organizational experience. A u-turn in his career was remarked when he occupied the position of Group General Manager of Orphanides Public Company, the largest supermarket chain in Cyprus. In 2008 until today, he is appointed as the Managing Director of Smartmove Management Company, which added a different touch to his career. The management, the supervision and the organization of companies and their subsidiaries, being the principal director in the board of directors of each company, are within the scope of his responsibility.
Mr. Christos Poutziouris Member
Dr. Alexis Saveriades Member	Dr. Alexis Saveriades is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT). He earned his PhD from Surrey University. He also holds an MSc degree in Tourism Planning and Development as well as a BSc degree in Hotel & Catering Management from the same University. Furthermore, he studied in the field of Strategic Management at Cornell University. Dr. Saveriades enjoys extensive teaching experience at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the fields of Hospitality and Tourism, in leading private and public tertiary education institutions in Cyprus as well as extensive experience in curriculum design, curriculum evaluation and in managing educational organisations. Moreover, in his capacity as Visiting Professor with the University of the Aegean, he teaches on the postgraduate programme in Tourism Policy, Management and Planning. Additional to his service on the CTO Board, Dr. Saveriades also serves on the Boards of the ‘Cyprus Hotel Managers Association’, the ‘Cyprus Association for Cultural and Special Interest Tourism’ and of ‘SKÅL Club’. He previously (2000-2003) served on the Board of the CTO from the position of Vice Chairman. His research activities and subsequently his publications focus on policy formulation and strategic planning for the development of tourism with emphasis on Island economies, the impacts emanating from tourism development with particular emphasis in the social dimension of these impacts, as well as in sustainable and alternative forms of tourism development, and tourism carrying capacity.
Mr. Adonis Velazis Member	Adonis Velazis was born in Limassol in 1954. He studied architecture in the Institute of Architecture and Planning “Ion Mincu” in Bucharest, Romania. In 1981 he was awarded the degree of Master of Arts in Architecture and Planning. As from 1982 he works in a property development and construction company in Paphos where he heads the Architecture and Design Office. In addition to his managerial duties he is actively involved in concept design and master planning, large mixed use projects, holiday home developments, shopping centers and land sub-divisions. His works stand out by their environmental and cultural sensitivity and emphasis on the protection of the natural and built environments. Adonis has been involved in public life from a young age. He is an active member of many associations and groups and has served as the President of the Cypriot Students Association of Romania and as the President of the Paphos Architects and Engineers Association. He is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Tourism Organization since 2007. He is married to Nina Pavlova-Velazi of Moscow with two children and two grandchildren.