Daria Krivonos is the CEO of the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS), specializing in strategic foresight and trend analysis. She holds a master’s in economics from the University of Copenhagen and previously worked at A.P. Møller-Mærsk as an economist and Head of Enterprise Risk Management. Since 2018, she has led CIFS, focusing on global dynamics, scenario planning, and megatrends. Daria is also an international keynote speaker and has coauthored reports on topics like geopolitics, the future of work, and sustainability.
We are living through a period of profound transformation—where technological breakthroughs, demographic shifts, and geopolitical realignments are not just changing industries but reshaping society itself. In this keynote, Daria Krivonos, CEO of the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, explores the megatrends and uncertainties that will define our future and challenge our traditional ways of thinking about the future and daily life.
Drawing on strategic foresight and scenario planning, Daria will examine:
Francis is an experienced HR and Organisation Development leader, with significant in-house and consulting roles in companies from 130,000 to 4 employees across sectors like hospitality, finance, tourism, health, arts, technology, and renewables. His career includes substantial time in financial services at Halifax-Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, and Virgin Money, navigating mergers, acquisitions, the financial crisis, and leading cultural and people initiatives. He’s dedicated himself to creating working practices fit for the present and future, rather than being stuck in the past. This includes focusing on mindfulness for leaders in 2012, creating continuous performance management approaches in 2016, identifying long-term mental health impacts of covid for working population and developing post-covid working strategies, and exploring the practical use of AI in work. He regularly speaks at conferences and lectures at universities. His work has won several awards, been the subject of a Gartner case study and most importantly improved companies performance and colleagues working lives. Outside consulting and people practice he’s continually working on his management and interpersonal skills through managing a tourism business in the Scottish Highlands with his wife. He enjoys long-distance running and cycling, and is preparing to welcome a new puppy.
The emergence of AI creates the potential for a huge increase in productivity. That could impact the shape of roles, of the working week, of careers and of almost every management action.
In this session Francis will talk about some very practical actions that HR teams can take to adapt to emerging AI. This is not a talk about technology, it is about how we can all use these new tools to help us work. We’ll consider the different stages of employee lifecycle and how these could change with AI. At every stage we’ll aim to identify one or two practical actions that HR teams can take.
The heart of the session is an encouragement to explore and experiment, building confidence and skills around using AI tools. By doing so, we as HR can help colleagues and organisations be more effective.
Tatiana is a Senior Manager at Deloitte Cyprus, specialising in learning and development. She offers Human Capital consulting services and is a key member of the Deloitte Academy team, designing and delivering impactful seminars across Cyprus, the Middle East, and Europe. Her mission is to upskill and reskill professionals of all levels and industries. Tatiana is also part of the faculty team at Deloitte University in Paris and is an HRDA Approved Facilitator – Level 5.
Tatiana has extensive experience in internal audits, compliance audits, and managing business risks in financial institutions. She has led numerous projects for financial institutions, insurance companies, and investment firms. Her expertise includes governance arrangements, strategy and implementation, executive coaching, customer experience, and more.
Tatiana is a qualified chartered accountant by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a Certified Internal Auditor by the Institute of Internal Auditors. She holds a BSc in Discrete Mathematics from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom.
Imagine growth as an adventure—like hiking a trail that challenges and rewards every step forward.
Gamification and innovative learning can be the map and compass that keep us motivated, even when the path gets steep. In this session Tatiana will talk about how organisations use these strategies to boost engagement and drive professional development.
Renowned internationally as one of the most productive psychologists in the world, Professor Adrian Furnham is an engaging and entertaining keynote speaker and a widely published journalist, as well as one of HR Magazine’s 20 Most Influential People in HR. Combining business with psychology, he is an expert on behavioral economics, covering topics such as the new economic mind, the psychology of behaviour at work and the psychology of money. Amongst many others, he can discuss fascinating subjects such as the psychology of theft and fraud, psychiatry literacy, personality disorders, leadership derailment, and counterwork behaviours. A graduate of the London School of Economics and Oxford University, Adrian has lectured widely at the UK’s top universities and has held scholarships and visiting professorships at many of the world’s elite learning institutions, including the University of Hong Kong, Henley Management College, Norwegian Business School and Birkbeck Business School.
As a consultant to many major international companies, Adrian specializes in team development; management change; performance management systems; psychometric testing and leadership derailment.
With vast amounts of publications under his belt, including newspaper columns for the Financial Times, Sunday Times and Daily Telegraph, Adrian expounds his knowledge in over 1300 scientific papers and over 100 books including The New Psychology (2025), The Psychology of Spies and Spying (2024), Leadership: No more Heroes (2023) and Twenty Ways to Assess Personnel (2021) Many have been translated into foreign languages including Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Portuguese, and Spanish.
He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and sits on the editorial board of a number of international journals. He was previously elected President of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences and founded psychological consultancy Applied Behavioural Research Associates. He is also a regular contributor to national and international radio and television stations, including the BBC, CNN, and ITV.
Adrian is unique. He is a (very) early riser (usually 0430); a self-confessed ‘well-adjusted workaholic’, he rides a bike to work and loves life’s simple pleasures – travelling, writing and arguing.
Nicolas Smyrnakis is an author, creator of the IslandofMan Philosophy, and founder of the IslandofMan Academy and IslandofMan Children Academy. He studied at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) and holds an MBA (International ΜΒΑ – AUEB). For several years, he taught the course “Strategy and Innovation” at a college level. He has been a TEDx speaker twice. Through his talks and workshops in Greece and abroad, he has addressed tens of thousands of people.
He has received awards in literary competitions (poetry, novel, short story) and has been honored with two e-awards (Best Article and Best Collective literary work). In 2024, he received the Public Book Award in the category Contemporary Greek Poetry for his work “The Letters of Love” (published by Dioptra).
Seven of his books are currently published by Dioptra Publications: “Success lay on my bedside table”, “Shall I be happy to succeed or succeed to be happy?” “Write your own Story”, “The Truth. (A fascinating trip in 8 Human Needs)”, “Tyrinos. The Fear Thief (fairy tale), “The letters of Love”, and “Lies They Taught Us as Truths”.
His vision is to help people around the world discover their purpose and equip them with the tools needed to fulfill it.
HR stands for Human Relationships. To lead, you must connect. You must build relationships—and sustain them. In the end, everything is relationships. And there’s nothing more demanding than that. Communication is more than the transfer of a message or a sequence of instructions. And the mistakes we make are so many. How important it is to recognize them. Awareness is the first step toward change. The “good” should be acknowledged, and the “difficult” should be expressed with care. Is there a right way to deliver even the hardest truth? Absolutely. And together, we’ll explore it. What’s even more fascinating is that the rules of relationships are often the same—whether we’re speaking to a colleague, a partner, or a child. Practicing our communication and empathy skills won’t just affect our professional success. It will shape our happiness. After all, every study shows that a balanced, fulfilled professional is also the most successful and productive one. So maybe it’s time… to bring out the human behind the role.
Kyriakos Andreou has held the position of Human Resources Manager at the Cyfield Group since 2019. With operations in Cyprus and abroad and a workforce of approximately 1,000 employees, the Cyfield Group is one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing business groups, primarily active in the construction sector and soon expanding into electricity generation. With a mission to maximize the potential of Human Capital, Kyriakos and his team design and implement innovative practices aimed, among other goals, at talent attraction and retention. Over the course of his 20-year career in Human Resources Management, he has served as an HR executive and external consultant for numerous organizations across Cyprus. Kyriakos holds a degree in Finance and Banking Administration from the University of Piraeus. He also holds two master’s degrees: one in Human Resources Management from the Cyprus International Institute of Management (now University of Limassol), and another in Business Administration (MBA) from the Open University of Cyprus. He actively participates in local and international conferences related to Business Administration and Economics and has contributed to both business and academic studies in the field of Organizational Behavior.
Christiana Christofi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public and Business Administration from the University of Cyprus and a Master’s degree in Management from the University of Surrey, UK. After a brief period in the market research field, she began her HR career in 1998 as an HR Advisor in the People Services Department at KPMG Greece, where she contributed to various projects. In 2000, she joined KPMG Cyprus as part of the Human Resources Advisory Department, eventually becoming the HR Director and leading the department’s activities for 10 years. Since July 2012, Christiana has been at the helm of Human Asset Ltd, a boutique HR firm with a mission to cultivate happier, more fulfilled professionals in the marketplace.
Her expertise spans a wide range of HR services, including Executive Search and Selection, where she has extensive experience in interviewing and candidate assessment. She is also highly skilled in the design and delivery of Learning and Development solutions, leveraging blended learning methods, and in creating innovative Performance Management Models. Additionally, she leads one of the largest Salary and Benefits Surveys focusing on the Cypriot market.
Monica has an extensive experience of over 15 years in HR and Operational roles in different industries, including an international experience of 7 years in an Oil & Gas Services Company headquartered in Norway. She is currently the Regional HR Manager of P&O Maritime Logistics Cyprus, an international company providing sea services at the Port of Limassol. Monica holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Middlesex University Business School London (UK) and a BA in Economics (Business Economics and Finance) from Athens University of Economics and Business (Greece). She is also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and a graduate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD London). In addition, Monica is sitting at the Board of WISTA Cyprus since 2018 holding the position of the Treasurer. She is an active member of different non-profit organisations including the Cyprus Human Resource Management Association (CyHRMA). Monica has executed several trainings on soft skills (i.e. Stress Management, Time Management, Interview Skills, CV writing, etc.). In addition, Monica is a Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner (NLP).
Charis Anastassiadou is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Human Resource Management Association (CyHRMA). Charis is a graduate of The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) with a postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management, and a graduate of Boston University (BU) with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. She worked at PwC, an «Investors in People Platinum» accredited employer, for 16 years before taking up her current role in 2020 as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF), an «Innovator of Inclusion» accredited employer. Over the course of her career, Charis has led numerous strategic projects on optimizing human capital so as to deliver maximum value to the business and holds a track record of outstanding performance, achieving global and national awards / accreditations for designing and implementing HR best practices. She is an accredited «Equality Ally» for women and LGBTQI+ in the workplace and an accredited «Chief Happiness Officer», promoting happiness at work.
Gold Sponsor
Deloitte Limited is among the leading professional services firms in Cyprus, providing audit & assurance, tax & legal and consulting, as well as a complete range of services to businesses operating from Cyprus. Deloitte Limited, is the sub-licensed affiliate of Deloitte NSE for Cyprus. For more information, please visit the Deloitte Cyprus’ website at www.deloitte.com/cy. As part of the Deloitte global network, with approximately 460,000 people in more than 150 countries and territories, Deloitte Limited has the advantage of global sharing of knowledge with local adaptation and personal approach, built on the solid foundations of over 65 years of successful operations on the island.
Silver Sponsor
For over 30 years, Great Place To Work’s Certification™, Best Workplaces™ Lists, and global benchmarks have become the industry standard—built on data, updated annually, from more than 20 million employees in 170 countries around the world. We are the global authority on workplace culture, providing leaders and organisations with the recognition and tools needed to foster a thriving workforce and robust employee engagement that ultimately leads to a healthier bottom line. Our employee sentiment data is captured directly and confidentially from employees, empowering employers to use their workplace culture insights to achieve tangible business gains and a clear return on investment through enhancing their employee experience.
Hello Cyprus, we’re Konnekt!
We’re excited to introduce ourselves to a market we’re so eager to serve!
Konnekt started in 2007 in Malta, and we’ve since expanded our operations to Greece, and Poland. What’s helped us grow? Staying true to what matters by building strong connections, having honest conversations, and earning trust. Now, we’re bringing that same approach to Cyprus. Ahead of our 2025 launch, we’ve taken time to understand the local landscape. We’ve looked into what job seekers value most and we’re keen to share these insights with you! You’ll find them in your conference pack, full of data that could help guide your next hiring decisions. Our team is made up of curious minds. We’re authentic in our interactions. We’re courageous enough to challenge what doesn’t work, and we focus on creating real impact with our clients. These values guide everything we do. Cyprus isn’t a side project for us. It’s a priority. We’re here for the long haul, to build real partnerships, support your growth, and match the right people to the right roles, every time!
We’d love to connect and hear what matters most to you as we get ready to launch.
The Learning Edge: Upskill, Reskill and Thrive
Learning Edge, powered by CARDET, delivers expert consultation, innovative training, and cutting-edge technology to drive real impact. With 20 years of experience, we craft personalized learning experiences that fuel growth and long-term success. With a proven track record of 500+ initiatives across 40 countries — in collaboration with partners like Microsoft, Google, the European Commission, and the UN Development Program — we deliver transformative, human-centered solutions.Whether you’re upskilling or reskilling, or leading a digital transformation, we are your strategic partner in navigating today’s evolving business landscape.
Bronze Sponsors
ALPHAMEGA’s story began in 1997 when the Charalambides Hypermarket in Nicosia was acquired by Mr Andreas Papaellinas. This store became known for offering the finest and most varied selection of local and imported goods to its customers. In 2002, the hypermarket was renamed to ‘ALPHAMEGA’ and the company expanded with the opening of its Acropolis store. 20 years onwards the Company is a Hypermarket chain, operating at 19 salespoints across the island of Cyprus and employing more than 2000 individuals, including its Head Office and Warehouse Facilities personnel, thus rendering the Hypermarkets as one of the largest employers in the country. Constantly striving for innovation, ALPHAMEGA became the first Company to introduce self-check-out tills and a full e-commerce shopping experience to their customers. At ALPHAMEGA, customer satisfaction is our number one goal. Our team works efficiently and collaboratively to make sure that everything, from product quality and variety to quality of service, lives up to our clients’ expectations. We take pride not only in offering the best to our customers, but also in offering the best to our personnel. Our front-line people are a vital part of our puzzle, as they are the ones who make our customers choose us for their shopping experience.
Established in 2005, Kratis is a boutique training and consulting firm specializing in Human Factors, Human Error, and Organizational Behavior. Our core services include Training, Consulting, and the exploitation of Research Projects and Initiatives, spanning diverse industries and business sectors.
At Kratis, we take a client-centered approach, conducting thorough needs analyses to tailor our services to each organization’s unique requirements. Our commitment to excellence has led to collaborations with numerous reputable international and regional organizations.
Since our inception, Kratis has actively participated in various European Union research projects, continuously expanding our expertise in our fields of specialization. We remain open to exploring innovative and groundbreaking ideas, ensuring we stay at the forefront of industry developments.
Εxperience Sponsor
Conferience is an innovative platform designed to enhance audience engagement and event management. It offers interactive tools such as live polling, Q&A, gamification, and networking features, ensuring a dynamic and immersive experience for attendees at conferences, summits, and corporate events. Additionally, it is an excellent solution for companies looking to foster daily fun and engagement among coworkers, creating a more interactive and connected workplace.
Merch Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Institutional Supporters
Supporters
