Filenews 22 June 2021
After several days of process, the new composition of the government was announced today, which nevertheless deviates from the President's original stated goal of a government of wide acceptance.
New faces enter the government scheme, coming from various professional branches.
Here are brief biographical information:
Michalis Hatzipandelas - Minister of Health
He is a Chartered Accountant and holds a degree in Economics holding the following degrees: FCA, AIA, MSc(Econ) and BA (Hons), a graduate of Thames Valley University of London and Queen Mary and Westfield College University of London.
He teaches Economics as a Special Scientist at the European University.
He has founded and manages HMI & Partners Ltd, Chartered Accountants and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
He was also a member of the Committee of the Audit Office of Cooperative Companies following the appointment by the Council of Ministers of the first government Nikos Anastasiades in 2013, as well as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus.
He served as president of Anorthosis.
Stefi Dragou - Minister of Justice
She served as Director General of the Cyprus Insurance Companies Association and was a member of the Executive Board of Insurance Europe in Brussels from 2007 to August 2018.
Previously she was elected President of the Association of Insurance Companies of Cyprus for two terms. She studied Law at Middle Temple in London and took the title of Barrister at Law. She began her career in the insurance industry by taking over the management of Sun Alliance/ Aeolos Insurance Cyprus and then as General Manager of Laiki Insurance until 2007.
She was a founding member of the Insurance Institute of Cyprus and President for two terms, a member of the Boards of Directors of the Insurers Fund, the Consortium of Public Vehicle Insurers and the Single Body for the Extrajudicial Resolution of Financial Disputes. She has active social participation, served as Municipal Councillor of Strovolos, member of the Board of Directors of RIK, Vice-President of Professional Women Entrepreneurs of Nicosia-Kyrenia and Vice-President of the Equal Rights-Equal Responsibilities Movement. She is married to lawyer Antonis Dragou and they also have a son, Marco Gregory Dragou.
Marios Pelekanos - Government Representative
Marios Pelekanos was born on 21/08 1979 in Nicosia and is a graduate of Pascal English School. He was elected and served as Strovolos Municipal Councillor from 2017 to 2019, when he resigned from the post to take over the chairmanship of the KOAG. He also served President of the DISY Young Scientists Organization from 2017.
He studied Science in Financial Services (BSc in Banking & Finance) at the University of Manchester & The London Institute of Banking and Finance and also holds the title of Certified Professional Manager from the Institute of Certified Professional Managers of the United States. He also deepened his knowledge of banking at the Piraeus Bank Group academy for three years.
He started his career from Bank of Cyprus in various posts from 1999 to 2007 where he switched to Piraeus Bank Cyprus. It remained in this bank until 2012. From 2012 to 2015 he was an executive of the senior management at Tirana Bank SA in Albania, a member bank at the time of the Piraeus Bank group. Since 2015 he has founded/co-founded and participates in M. PELEKANOS FINANCIAL ADVISORS AND INSOLVENCY PRACTITIONERS LTD, MDP FINANCE CONNECT LTD and Exit LEADCONSULT LTD.
He maintains his own office in finance. Most of his work concerns his status as an insolvency adviser. It is also active in the field of investment funds, since it is an executive of the leading pyramid in 3 investment funds based in Cyprus. He also participates as a representative of the CMO in Housing Europe.
Nivi Parissinos - Deputy Government Representative
Nivi Parissinos served as Head of Public Relations of the KEVE, with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and a Master's degree in Public Relations and Advertising, as well as in Human Resources Management.
She previously served as Chief Executive officer of the Nicosia Tourism Council for eight years, where she was responsible for promoting the capital as a tourist destination of special interests and helped organize cultural events, conferences and seminars in the city.
Anastasia Anthousi - State Secretary for Social Welfare
Anastasia Anthousi, Pharmacist and Senior Health Officer. She has been In charge of the Office of the Minister of Health since 2013 and stood by the two Ministers of Health, Giorgos Piboridis and Konstantinos Ioannou, both for the establishment of the GHS and during the crowning pandemic.
Andreas Joseph - Director of the President's Press Office
Andreas Joseph is a journalist. He studied Communication and Public Relations. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master's Degree in European Union Law. He also holds the professional title "Human Resource Management".
He has been working at RIK since 2006. At the same time, he performs the duties of Secretary and Spokesperson of the Board of Directors of the RIK. He edits and presents the show "Euro". He is the Officer – Liaison of the RIK with the Ministry of Justice and Public Order on anti-corruption issues. He is Secretary of the Association of Cypriot Tourism Writers & Journalists. From his student years, in 1996, he began working as a journalist at ANTENNA Cyprus.
He collaborated with ANTENNA Greece and ERT. Since 2011 he published the monthly regional newspaper "DALINEWS". His articles are published from time to time in the press.
He is a member of the Provincial Secretariat of DISY Nicosia. He's married and has a son.
Panagiotis Sedon - Citizen Commissioner
Panagiotis Sedon, who in this government served as deputy government representative, served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Youth Organisation and Head of the Erasmus + Youth Implementation Office, as well as of the European Solidarity Corps.
He worked at the University of Cyprus as a Human Resources Officer, and previously worked in the House of Representatives as a Parliamentary Associate.
He completed his undergraduate studies on a full scholarship from the Foundation of State Scholarships (IKY). He is a graduate of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Cyprus. He holds a master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) as well as a master's degree (MA) in Social and Political Theory.
He often participated in various conferences and seminars both in Cyprus and abroad on issues of youth policy, organization management, human capital management, corporate social responsibility, business ethics and more.
