On Sunday, May 18th, 2025, at the Old Slaughterhouse of Thessaloniki, we will have the pleasure of welcoming to the stage distinguished individuals from the fields of art, science, sports, journalism, and social impact.
Our first six speakers are people with unique and remarkable journeys who will take us on a voyage through their own ENTELECHEIA, sharing words that spark thought, emotion, and change.
Ioanna Asimakopoulou
Ioanna Asimakopoulou does not shy away from challenges – on stage or in life. A graduate of the ‘Modern Theatre of Athens’ Drama School, she launched her career dynamically in 2006 and has been evolving ever since. We first saw her in ‘Deligianneion Parthenagogeion’ and fell in love with her in ‘Soi Sou’ (2014–2019), a series that became a cultural touchstone.
Successes followed, including ‘Peta ti Friteza’ (2018), ‘I FamilÃa’ (2020), and ‘Sose Me’ (2023), all while she was also building a strong theatre presence. In 2023, she took her most personal step yet – both as an actress and, for the first time, as a creator – with ‘Eimai I Jo’ (ANT1+), a series based on her own concept, which soared to the number one spot on Greek Netflix.
Beyond the spotlight, Ioanna stands in solidarity with modern women, giving voice to what truly matters. With passion, talent, and an unstoppable drive to create, she continues to shape her own unique path.
Ioannis Politis
Ioannis Politis is an Associate Professor of Transportation Planning at the Department of Civil Engineering of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH). His research focuses on various transportation issues, with an emphasis on urban mobility, public transportation, and transport economics. Ηe has been the Director of the Transport Engineering Laboratory within the Transport and Project Management of AUTH since 2019. He is the author of over 200 scientific papers published in international journals and conferences, which are highly recognized within the scientific community. He is also a member of scientific committees and organizations in Europe and the U.S.
Finally, he has participated in a significant number of research programs, both national and European, either as a coordinator or as the scientific supervisor, managing to attract funding of over 1 million euros during the last five years for the improvement and development of the country’s transportation infrastructure!
Nicholas Papachrysostomou
Nicholas Papachrysostomou is an individual that stands out. Following his studies in Economics in Canada, he began a promising career with a multinational company in the financial sector of early 2000s Athens. However, he seemed to have other plans; or rather, he had no plan at all when he chose to challenge the predetermined course of his life, in order to pursue his dream: embark on a journey around the world for a full 7 years.
Upon completing his odyssey, Nicholas has joined Doctors Without Borders, and has carried out missions with the organization across the globe: from the Mediterranean Sea, Yemen and the Sudan, to Bangladesh and the Peruvian Amazon. At the end of 2023, Nicholas was among the first to enter Gaza as coordinator of the Doctors Without Borders’ emergency response team, while as of recent he has come back from his last mission in the West Bank.
Maria Sgourou
Maria Sgourou is a psychologist at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), holder of a Master’s Degree in Developmental Psychopathology of Infancy and Early Childhood from the Medical School of AUTH, Gestalt Psychotherapist, and a PhD candidate at the University of Macedonia. She is originally from Veroia and has been living permanently in Thessaloniki since 2013.
In 2020, she founded her own Psychotherapy Centre, where she and her team work with adults, children, adolescents, families, and groups, providing individual and group psychotherapy, child and adolescent therapy, parental counselling, career guidance, and psychometric testing. In 2025, she founded the psychosocial non-profit organization ‘MAKE SymperiliPsy’, which offers free primary mental health prevention to the general population, free psychotherapy for vulnerable groups, and conducts research in the field of psychology. She is a woman with 92% motor disability and uses a wheelchair. Her favourite quote is: ‘There are many ways to climb a mountain’.
Marios Simopoulos
Marios Simopoulos has been a visual arts educator for 18 years in primary education and is actively involved in street art (urban art) as a muralist.
He was born and raised in Thessaloniki. He studied at the School of Fine and Applied Arts at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the workshop of Teta Makri, specializing in painting. He has become known for numerous murals created in primary schools as well as in high schools and secondary schools across Thessaloniki and beyond. Notable examples include the murals of Miltiadis ‘Miltos’ Tentoglou and Giannis Antetokounmpo at Pefki High School, as well as other prominent athletes like Paralympic gold medalist Antonis Tsapatakis and the late Alexandros Nikolaidis.
His goal is to convey social messages to students, the entire educational community, and society at large through his murals.
Dimitris Papazoglou
Dimitris Papazoglou is a visual communication designer and the founder of the branding & design DpS studio in Athens. Since 2023, he has been a member of AGI (Alliance Graphique International), one of the world’s most prestigious organisations for designers and art directors. In 2016, he was selected by Nike to join the creative team of Nike Global Football and in 2017, he led the redesign of the visual identity of the National Library of Greece. His work has received numerous accolades in both national and international competitions, including multiple Graphic Design Gold Awards. He has collaborated with leading brands such as Huawei, Nike, Vogue, MoMA and Fondazione Prada.Â
His work has been exhibited in museums like MOMus in Thessaloniki and the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Since 2022, he has been an honorary member-associate of the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece for his role as art director of the project commemorating the bicentennial anniversary of the Greek Revolution, as well as for the historical research, authorship and publication of the commemorative poem, titled “EPANACYSTASI ’21”.
