The Director of the Laboratory of Industrial and Energy Economics, Professor Yannis Kalogirou, represents the NTUA in the newly established Digital Council of Athens, which was established by the Mayor of Athens Mr. George Kamini.

The press release in detail:

The technology giants on the side of Athens – Athens Mayor George Kaminis established the Digital Council of Athens

The City of Athens is getting a Digital Council, an advisory body to strengthen the city’s digital technology, which met for the first time under the Mayor of Athens, George Kaminis, at Athens City Hall.

The Athens Digital Council is composed of nine CEOs of the largest IT and telecommunications companies in Greece and worldwide, as well as distinguished scientists from the city’s leading academic institutions.
“The Athens Digital Council will act in an advisory capacity to the mayor, in order to provide expertise and best practices,” said Athens Mayor George Kaminis, thanking the Council participants for their commitment to help develop the digital dynamics of Athens.

The heads of the largest IT, telecommunications, R&D and solution providers for the Digital Economy in the country – Accenture, IBM, Microsoft, Nokia, Oracle, OTE Group, SAP, Vodafone and WIND – participate in the Athens Digital Council.

“It is an honour and at the same time a great responsibility when such major companies contribute to the effort of the Municipality of Athens to improve the services it provides to the citizen,” said Mr. Kaminis, who, describing the objectives agreed by the members of the Athens Digital Council, pointed out: “The mission of the council is for its members to help the city with expertise and best practices, so that together we can contribute to the diffusion of digital technology in every neighbourhood and the creation of new jobs in Athens. A competitive smart city ensures a better quality of life for residents and visitors, faster service for citizens, more efficient public administration and of course transparency in the way decisions are made.” It is recalled that within the framework of the digital strategy of the Municipality of Athens, last April the Mayor of Athens proceeded to the establishment of the Chief Digital Officer for Athens, placing Mr. Konstantinos Hambidis in the position.

The Digital Council of Athens is composed of Ms. Peggy Antonakou, CEO of Microsoft, Mr. Kyriakos Sabatakakis, President and CEO of Accenture, Mr. Spyros Poulidas, President and CEO of IBM, Mr. Exarchos President and CEO of Nokia, Mr. Antonis Monokroussos President and CEO of Oracle, Mr. Andreas Xirokoostas President and CEO of SAP Greece, Mr. Syprias Syprias, Mr. Syprias Piscios President and CEO of SAP Greece, Mr. Syprias Piscios President and CEO of SAP Greece, Mr. Syprias Xirokostas President and CEO of SAP Greece, Mr. Syprias Xirokostas President and CEO of SAP Greece, Mr. Syprias Xirokostas President and CEO of SAP Greece, Mr. Mr. Michael Tsamaz President and CEO of OTE Group, Mr. Haris Broumidis President and CEO of Vodafone and Mr. Nasos Zarkalis President and CEO of WIND.

Also participating in the Athens Digital Council from the academic community are Professor Diomidis Spinellis from the Athens University of Economics and Business, Professor Ioannis Ioannidis from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Professors Ioannis Kalogirou and Nektarios Kozyris from the National Technical University of Athens.

The Mayor of Athens, Mr. George Kaminis, has committed to accelerate digital growth and harness technology to address the city’s biggest challenges. Since 2014, Innovathens, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship hub of Technopolis of the municipality of Athens, has been operating. Athens has secured the support of global institutions, including the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Bloomberg Associates and was selected to become part of the “100 Resilient Cities” Network, an initiative supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. Through the Digital Council, Athens is committed to working with leading educational institutions and key private sector partners to develop technological strategies to improve the lives of Athenians. The coordination for the formation of the Digital Council was coordinated by the Athens Partnership.