Speaker

Panagiotis (Peter) G. Mihalos Mr. Mihalos, Founder & President of the Georgios M, Mihalos Foundation | «Nisyros Dialogues»®, is an entrepreneur economist with broad and extensive experience in the business, investment and political arenas, united by one common objective: promoting economic growth, national development, business partnerships and investment, in Greece, the greater region of Southeast Europe, the Middle East, the Gulf States and beyond. Following his studies in Mathematics and Economics (B.Sc.) at The City College of New York (CCNY), then Finance and Business Administration (MBA) at Baruch College both of the City University of New York, he began his professional career in Finance and Marketing in the United States, spending 10 years with J.E. Seagram & Sons Inc. in New York. In 1987, settling back to Greece, he founded Frigo Food SA, a Frozen Foods Importing and Trading Co. In 1990, he joined the cabinet of Antonis K. Samaras, then Minister of Foreign Affairs and later Prime Minister of Greece, as political Chief-of-Staff. In 1993, in Athens, he founded DTZ Mihalos SA, later renamed the Southeast Real Estate Group, a pioneer real estate development, investment and services group, and in 2001 he founded Hellenic Land, a joint venture with the George Soros Real Estate Fund, for Real Estate investment in Greece and South East Europe. Mr Mihalos has been a pro-active real estate and investment professional in Greece and the region, encouraging the modernization of the industry through his efforts as a business catalyst, both in his own organizations and in trade associations. In 2007 and 2010 Mr. Mihalos was elected President of the Hellenic Entrepreneurs Association (EENE), resigning in 2012 to join the government, and elected Honorary President, playing a pivotal role in the institutional development and international networking of the Greek entrepreneurial community. In 2012 he was appointed, by Prime Minister Samaras, Secretary General for International Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (a political appointment equivalent to a State Minister), where he led global efforts to upgrade Economic Diplomacy for Greece. At the Ministry, he was responsible for reforming the Economic Diplomacy apparatus of Greece, the promotion of international trade, the attraction of investment, and was in charge of the successful campaign to have the Azeri natural gas flow to Europe through Greece, for which he negotiated and completed successfully the Tripartite Intergovernmental Agreement (Greece, Albania, Italy, in collaboration with Azerbaijan). In January 2015, upon the governing party losing the elections, Mr. Mihalos returned to the private sector and pursued his interests in Energy, Real Estate and Founding Orion Capital, a boutique investment firm, focused on creating, developing and facilitating transnational business and Investment in Greece, the Gulf States and S.E. Europe. In 2018, Mr. Mihalos launched Mihalos & Associates, a premier political lobbying and business consulting firm with an international practice. The firm serves political entities including sovereign governments, political movements and non-governmental organizations, Institutions and multinational corporations pursuing market development, investment and project participation. In 2020, the newly elected Greek Government appointed Mr. Mihalos as Special Envoy to the Arab World (MENA & Gulf Region) for the development of Bilateral Relations in the wider fields of Investments, Trade and the Economy. In 2021 he founded the «Georgios M. Mihalos Foundation – Sustainability of Nisyros» , an international center for the exchange of views and fruitful dialogue on issues of the Eastern Mediterranean, to contribute to the protection and promotion of the natural and cultural heritage of Nisyros, a small volcanic akritic island in the southeastern tip of the Aegean Sea, the crossroads of the Eastern Mediterranean, by placing it on the global narrative and turning it into an international symbol of sustainable development of the human and natural wealth, contributing to the opening of new avenues for Peace, Security and Growth in the Eastern Mediterranean. In 2022 he founded the «Nisyros Dialogues - Bridging the East Med»®, the Foundation’s model Think Tank|Forum for Dialogue, for the exchange of views and fruitful dialogue on issues of Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean, Energy and Security, Environment & Climate Change, Akritic Island Sustainable Development and Interculturalism of Eastern Mediterranean. Producing and advancing ideas and strategic initiatives to transform the Eastern Mediterranean into a region of Sustainable Prosperity, Mutual Intercultural Understanding and International Cooperation. Mr. Mihalos is Honorary President of the Hellenic Entrepreneurs Association (EENE), is Founder and Chairman of the Greece - Qatar and Greece - Kuwait Business Councils. Was founding member and Vice Chairman of the Greece-USA Business Council, former Member of the Board of the Hellenic Centre for European Studies, Member of the Commercial and Industrial Chamber of Commerce, Member and former Board Member of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, Member of RICS, Guest Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, USA, in International Real Estate, Masters of Science Department and Founding Member of the Board of the Greek Foundation for the Repatriation of Greeks Abroad. He is married to Christina Karantani and they have one daughter.