Advisory Council

Eleni Andreadis is a sustainability specialist, educator, and writer. As Group ESG Senior Director at Sani/Ikos Group, a leading Mediterranean hospitality brand, she spearheaded the achievement of 100% renewable electricity use and led Sani Resort to become the first carbon-neutral resort in Greece, with a 2030 net zero goal. Eleni is also the award-winning author of twelve environmental children’s books, with rights sold internationally. She founded Planet Agents, a non-profit empowering children to take action on environmental issues, reaching over 100,000 children through experiential programs. Born in London, Eleni earned her Master’s focusing on environmental policy and media at Harvard University.

Elaine Bedell has been CEO of Southbank Centre since 2017. Southbank Centre is the largest arts centre in Europe and the UK’s 5th most visited attraction. Over 20 million people a year visit the 11 acre site, which houses 3 performing arts venues, including the Royal Festival Hall, as well as the Hayward Gallery and the National Poetry Library, 14 bars and restaurants, a food market and the Southbank skatepark. Before this, Elaine enjoyed a 25-year career in media, with roles including Controller of Entertainment at the BBC and ITV Director of Entertainment and Comedy. She was a Trustee of the V&A Museum and the Executive Chair of the Edinburgh International TV Festival.  She was awarded an OBE in the 2024 New Year’s Honours for Services to Business and the Arts.

Bill Bragin is the founding executive artistic director of The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, a “game-changer” (The National) since it began its programs in 2015. Under his leadership, The Arts Center is a winner of the 2018 and 2019 Pride of Abu Dhabi Award, and Bragin has been a finalist twice for Abu Dhabi AmCham’s Falcon Individual Award for Excellence. Bragin is a co-founder of globalFEST, 2018 winner of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals’ William Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence. As director of public programming of NY’s Lincoln Center from 2008-2014, he oversaw the Midsummer Night Swing and Lincoln Center Out of Doors festivals. As Director of Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater from 2001-2007, he presented thousands of performances and commissioned the Tony Award-winning musical Passing Strange. Previous activities include roles at Symphony Space, NYNO record label, Central Park Summer Stage, and George Wein’s Festival Productions, Inc.

Adrian is the founder of AEA Consulting (1990) and the Global Cultural Districts Network (2013). He has worked in senior management and as a board member in both museums and the performing arts and as a strategy consultant to leading clients in the cultural, public, and business sectors around the world. He is recognized as having contributed to the cultural sector’s deeper understanding of a number of areas including the development of successful cultural building projects, capitalization needs, impact assessment, cultural district planning, the creation of new business models and investment strategies for cultural infrastructure, and strategic responses to long-term societal changes in technology, philanthropy, demographics, and the use of leisure time.

Navy Pier President and CEO Marilynn Gardner oversees the complex operations, cultural and economic programming, long-term visioning, and fiscal wellbeing of one of Chicago’s greatest recreational assets and the Midwest’s most visited destination, Navy Pier. An enthusiastic ambassador and advocate for her native Chicago, Gardner has applied her passion for the Pier into a three-decade career, spanning several leadership roles. She is recognized as the driving force behind the ever-evolving landmark’s $400 million redevelopment and was instrumental in adapting the Pier into an independent nongovernmental nonprofit organization in 2011. Gardner’s insights on business and board development, tourism, placemaking, and programming are often sought after by peer institutions, media outlets, and such organizations as YPO Gold, City Club of Chicago, Global Cultural Districts Network, and the Urban Land Institute. She serves as Vice Chair of Choose Chicago and is an Executive Committee member of the Chicago Sports Commission and remains committed to her alma mater university and high school, previously serving on the board of St. Ignatius College Prep and the National Alumni Board of Marquette University, where she earned her B.A. in journalism.

Thanos Kokkiniotis is Co-founder and CEO of Smartify CIC, an award-winning cultural platform used by over three million people annually to access stories behind art and heritage. Under his leadership, Smartify works with over 700 institutions globally—including the Smithsonian, the Acropolis Museum, Tate and the National Gallery—and has received major accolades including four Webby Awards, a GLOMO Award, and recognition from MuseWeb and the American Alliance of Museums.

With a background in economics, technology, and strategy, Thanos began his career at PwC and later held senior roles at Shell, leading global mobile strategy and clean energy investments. He holds a BSc in Economics, an MSc in Accounting & Finance, and an MBA from London Business School.

His areas of expertise include digital transformation, cultural entrepreneurship, and corporate governance. He is passionate about helping cultural organisations engage audiences through innovative technologies and build resilient, sustainable business models. Originally from Piraeus, Greece, he has lived and worked in London for over 18 years.

Elina Kountouri is the Director of NEON | Organization for Culture and Development founded by contemporary art collector and entrepreneur Dimitris Daskalopoulos. She is responsible for the strategic development, artistic program and management of all initiatives related to public space, exhibitions, education, grants and outreach. She has worked as a corporate affairs and strategy consultant, with a focus on contemporary culture policy and business development. Her areas of expertise include issues management analysis, strategy and crisis communications, policy and planning development, and management of international large-scale projects for multinational companies and NGOs. She holds an LL.B. from Queen Mary & Westfield College. She was a graduate student at U.C.L. and L.S.E., where she received an LL.M in International Maritime Law and an M.Sc. in Political Theory. She lives and works in Athens.

Philippa Michali is Chairwoman of the Board & CEO of NN Hellas, with more than 25 years of experience both in private insurance and the broader financial sector.

She participates in significant business organizations in Greece, such as the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, where she is a Board member and Chairwoman of its Inclusion & Equality Committee, as well as at the Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies, as a member of the Board of Directors and Chairwoman of the Life & Pensions Committee. Additionally, she is independent Board member at Quest Holdings, the ALBA Executive Development & Applied Research in Business Administration association and the Hellenic-Dutch Association of Commerce & Industry. She holds a degree in Banking & Financial Management from the University of Piraeus and an MBA from ALBA Graduate Business School.

Eva is an experienced senior professional in the non-profit organizations’ and charitable foundations’ sector, in Greece and abroad, currently serving as the Managing Director of ActionAid Hellas, an organization working with vulnerable populations and youth in Greece and 16 other countries. Previously, she was the Co-Deputy Chief Programs Officer at the GNO Foundation and having been responsible for the design and implementation of some of the SNF’s major strategic initiatives, as well as the evaluation of funding applications, she has collaborated with hundreds of non-profits, worldwide, in a variety of fields. Her career path also includes a series of public and private organizations such as the General State Archives in Athens, Greece and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, UK.  Eva specializes in strategic planning, grant-making and organizational development. She is a member of the BMW Foundation’s Responsible Leaders Network, and she serves as Board and Advisory Board Member in selected non-profit organizations. She has studied Business Administration at the American College of Greece, Library Management and Information Systems at the University of West Attica and she holds a Master’s Degree in Cultural & Creative Industries from King’s College London.

In her 30 years with Τhe Museum of Modern Art, Francesca and her team have won national and international respect for MoMA’s efforts to make the museum accessible to all.  Most recently, MoMA received awards from the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Association of Museums, Museums and the Web, Ashoka’s Zero Project for social impact and scalability, and the Hearing Loss Association of America.  Francesca is a founding member of the Museum, Arts, and Culture Access Consortium (MAC). She is a former Board member of Studio in a School and DOROT. Francesca has contributed to countless scholarly publications and co-authored Meet Me: Making Art Accessible to People with Dementia and Making Art Accessible to Blind and Visually Impaired Individuals.

Costantza Sbokou-Constantakopoulou, born in Crete, is co-owner and Chairwoman of Phāea, a leading, privately-owned hotel company in Greece.

She is a Graduate of the School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and a Postgraduate of Harvard University, Graduate School of Design (GSD).

She is an Executive Architect and Head of the Architectural & Procurement Department of TEMES S.A., a leading investor, developer and operator of high-end tourism and real estate destinations in Greece.

Furthermore, Costantza has been serving as the Chairwoman of Endeavor Greece since March 2017. She is also a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Benaki Museum, Member of the Board of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Member of the Board of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), and of the Captain Vassilis & Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation (CVCC Foundation). Additionally, she is a Member of the Dean’s Leadership Council of GSD, Harvard University and a Member of the Advisory Board of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens MBA program. She also holds a position on the Board of Zeus + Δione S.A.

Other than Greek & English she speaks Turkish and Spanish.