Cyprus: The Tech and Innovation Gateway

Demetris Skourides is the Chief Scientist of the Republic of Cyprus and Chairman of the Research and Innovation Foundation, leading the country’s national strategy in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, research, and innovation. With senior international experience at companies including Oracle and Amazon Web Services, he is widely recognised for positioning Cyprus as a globally connected technology and innovation hub bridging Europe, the GCC, India, and emerging international markets.

Marios Tannousis is the CEO of Invest Cyprus. He has over 24 years of international corporate experience, including 12 in the international banking and financial services group Societe Generale, where he served in various key posts. He is a Member of the Boards of the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) and the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA) and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI). He holds a degree in Economics and an MBA. He regularly represents Cyprus at international conferences.

High Commissioner Mr. Manish is a senior career diplomat of the Indian Foreign Service with more than twenty-seven years of distinguished service. Since joining the Ministry of External Affairs in 1997, he has held progressively senior roles both in New Delhi and in Indian Missions abroad. His overseas assignments have taken him to Moscow, Tashkent, Prague, and Colombo, where he gained wide-ranging experience in political, economic, and cultural diplomacy. At the Ministry, he has contributed to several important divisions dealing with policy and international cooperation. He is currently the High Commissioner of India to Cyprus, promoting bilateral ties and engaging actively with the Indian community.

Avinash Mudaliar, Co-Founder and CEO of HT Labs, a digital innovation hub driving product development across content, tech, and consumer experiences. He has led HT Labs in launching platforms like OTTplay, Slurrp, HT School, Mint Genie, and Upublish, covering sectors from OTT and FoodTech to FinTech and digital publishing.

Pavan R. Chawla, Founder of mediabrief.com. Recipient of the prestigious award – ‘Best PR & Corp Comm Head Of The Year’ across all Media organisations in India. Has been with organisations like Adfactors Public Relations, Sony Entertainment Television, MAX, The Times of India Group, INX Media (9X, 9XM), Exchange4Media Group, Eros Multimedia’s B4U, Sahara One Media & Entertainment, Zee Telefilms, All India Radio, Times FM and DD.

Tariq Qureishy is a Harvard Business School alumnus, entrepreneur and global business leader with an extensive track record across media, innovation and transformational growth. Having held senior leadership roles with organisations including Dow Jones Markets, The Times & Sunday Times and Bloomberg Media, he is now the Founder & CEO of Xponential World and MAD Group. Tariq is widely recognised as a disruptive thinker and catalyst for innovation, having helped scale businesses from start-up stage to more than $100 million in annual revenue whilst leading organisations generating in excess of $350 million across international markets.

Prof Steyn Heckroodt is an internationally recognised thought leader in leadership and strategic thinking, known for guiding organisations and executives through transformation, innovation and complex global challenges. A Harvard Business School Publishing Moderator, Harvard Business Review author, Dean of Academic Affairs, and Founder & Chief Thought Leader of Platform for Connected Leadership, he is the creator of the Platform for Connected Leadership Framework™®. Prof Heckroodt is widely respected for empowering leaders to think differently, embrace disruption, fuse people with technology, and build future-focused organisations grounded in sustainability, accountability and long-term strategic growth.

Dr Waddah Ghanem Al Hashmi is a distinguished UAE business leader and internationally recognised authority in sustainability, governance, leadership, health and safety, and high reliability organisations. He currently serves as Senior Director for Logistics and Marine Assurance at ENOC Group and holds several prominent leadership positions, including Honorary Chairman of the Energy Institute Middle East and Chairman of Platform for Connected Leadership. Holding a Doctorate in Governance and Leadership from the University of Bradford, Dr Waddah is widely respected for advising boards, governments and organisations on strategic transformation, sustainability and operational excellence, and is also an accomplished author and Harvard Business Review Arabia contributor.

Dr. Fares K. Alaboud is Regional Director for the Central and Eastern Regions at Alfaris International Travel & Tourism, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading travel companies serving corporate, luxury, and leisure markets. Holding a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and bringing more than 15 years of leadership experience across innovation, technology, consulting, and business strategy, he is recognised for driving transformation at the intersection of travel and emerging technologies. Dr. Alaboud leads regional growth, operational excellence, and customer engagement initiatives, while championing the integration of AI, data, and digital innovation to shape the future of the travel and tourism industry.

Turki Fageera is a multidisciplinary strategic innovation consultant, service designer, trainer, and facilitator. He is the Founder and CEO of SIGMA Innovation Engine, a Riyadh-based innovation and design studio & venture builder. He is also a proud 2030 Leader SA and member of the Saudi Leadership Society and a member of multiple advisory boards and committees. Turki is a frequent speaker at conferences and events on innovation, design, and creativity. He is also the author of an upcoming book “Creating Innovators: A Guide to Helping People Be More Creative and Innovative.”

Dr. Usama Fayyad is a globally recognised leader in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science, serving as Executive Director of the Institute for Experiential AI at Northeastern University. Founder of Open Insights and the world’s first Chief Data Officer at Yahoo!, he has held senior leadership roles at Barclays, Microsoft, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. With over 100 publications, 30 patents, and fellowships from the ACM and AAAI, he is considered one of the pioneers of modern AI and big data innovation.