About the Forum
About the Lesvos Policy Forum
Why Lesvos
Lesvos is not a symbolic backdrop — it is a place where global challenges are lived daily. Migration flows, climate pressure, energy transition and regional security dynamics converge in a single geographic space. Its geographic position between Europe, the Middle East and North Africa further strengthens its role as a bridge for cross-regional cooperation and strategic engagement.
Organised by
Theophrastus Research Institute
The Lesvos Policy Forum is organised by the Theophrastus Research Institute (TheORI), under the leadership of Founder and Managing Director Dr. Dimitrios Kantemnidis.
TheORI is an independent, non-partisan research institute dedicated to advancing evidence-based policy dialogue at the intersection of geopolitics, governance and sustainable development. Based in Greece, the Institute fosters high-level collaboration between academia, government, the private sector and civil society, with a particular focus on how global challenges manifest at the regional and local level. Through its flagship initiatives — including the Lesvos Policy Forum — TheORI aims to bridge the gap between research and actionable policy, promoting inclusive dialogue that drives meaningful impact.
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board of the Lesvos Policy Forum 2027 is envisaged as a high-level body composed of distinguished personalities from public life, business sector, international organizations, academia, diplomacy, media, and civil society.
Margaritis Schinas
Former Vice-President of the European Commission; Greek Minister for Rural Development and Food
Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki
President of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Organizing Committee; Founder of the GAPSTI Program at the University of Cambridge
Louka Katseli
Professor Emeritus, NKUA; Former Minister of Economy
Sofia Voultepsi
MP; Former Deputy Minister of Migration
Asaf Hajiyev
Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC)
George Tsounis
Former U.S. Ambassador to Greece; Founder, Chairman and CEO of Chartwell Hotels
Maria-Clara Martin
Former Head of UNHCR Representation in Greece
Gianluca Rocco
Former Chief of Mission in Greece for the International Organization for Migration; Senior IOM Official based in Brussels
Theodoros Tryfon
Vice Chairman and Co-CEO of ELPEN Group; President of the Panhellenic Union of Pharmaceutical Industries
Lenio Myrivili
Global Chief Heat Officer for UN-Habitat and the Atlantic Council; Professor at the University of the Aegean
Spyridon Flogaitis
Director of the European Public Law Organization; Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Vasilis Chiotis
Journalist and Director of SKAI Radio 100.3
Antonia Moropoulou
Professor Emeritus, NTUA; Chief Scientific Supervisor of the Holy Sepulchre Restoration
Stratis Liarelis
Journalist and Executive Adviser to ANTENNA Group
Pavlos Vogiatzis
Former MP; Former Regional Governor & Mayor of Lesvos
George Pleios
Professor of Media Sociology, NKUA; Member of the National Council for Radio and Television
Maria Gavouneli
Professor of International Law, NKUA; Former Director General of ELIAMEP
Evangelos Apostolakis
Admiral (ret.); Former Minister of National Defence; Former Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff
George Xiradakis
Senior Maritime & Investment Banker; Founder of XRTC Business Consultants; President of Hellenic Shipping Financiers
Efstratios Karagiannis
Senior Physician; Head of Radiation Oncology at Kantonsspital Graubünden, Switzerland
Efstratios (Stratis) Gavves
Associate Professor of Computer Vision & Artificial Intelligence, University of Amsterdam; ERC Starting Grant Awardee
Vicky Kyriazi
Rheumatologist, Rheumatologische Praxis Wiesbaden, Germany
Stratis Karantanellis
Assistant Professor of Engineering Geology, Natural Hazards & Remote Sensing, California State University, Fullerton
Eleni Christofa
Professor of Transportation Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Specialist in Intelligent Transportation Systems and Sustainable Mobility