“Bringing young Cypriots together through stories, ideas and conversations for a day of keynote speeches, talks, panel discussions and networking”

A message from the #WeAreUKCypriots organising team:

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll, and we join the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and the world in mourning

“After careful consideration we have decided that our #WeAreUKCypriots event to be held next Saturday 17th September, is postponed. We plan to reinstate the event and are hopeful we can make an announcement in the days/weeks ahead.

“Thank you for all your support and we hope we can all regroup in the near future.”

Tom Toumazis and Christos Karaolis, Co-Founders of WeAreUKCypriots

About

#WeAreUKCypriots, an initiative to bring young Cypriots together through stories, ideas and conversations is launched today by Tom Toumazis MBE and the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK. The event has the support of the Government of Cyprus.

The event will host 200 young Cypriots featuring contributions from the Government of Cyprus and the UK Cypriot community, young and old, who have made a success working in business and trade, the arts, sciences, politics, and public service.

#WeAreUKCypriots will be held on Saturday 17th September at Bloomberg’s state-of-the-art European Headquarters, a prestigious City landmark, designed by Foster + Partners.

The event will run from 10am – 2pm, with registration open from 9:15am.

The day will combine various formats from keynote speeches, fireside chats, 3-minute open mics, Ted-style talks and panel discussions.

To be part of #WeAreUKCypriots, fill in the registration form on this page.

Commenting on the initiative, organising team member Emine Ibrahim said, “I’m delighted to be involved, and welcome days like this when we can focus on the things we have in common, and believe me, there are a great deal! It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring Cypriots of all backgrounds together.”

Tom Toumazis, Co-Founder and Event Chair, said, “This has been in the making for quite some time and, now that we can bring people together again, we want to use this day to nurture and support the Cypriots of tomorrow; create an environment for networking; and show the upcoming generation the art of the possible.”

Christos Karaolis, President of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, said “The full line-up of speakers will be announced over the weeks ahead. Trade, investment and people-to-people links between the UK and Cyprus are as important today as ever. I’m excited to see how new ideas that push this forward develop from the day.”

Venue

Bloomberg London

The Auditorium at Bloomberg’s European Headquarters in London. The building was opened in 2017 and was designed by Foster + Partners. The building sets new standards for sustainability and innovation, and raises the bar for future office buildings around the world.

Address: Bloomberg London, 3 Queen Victoria St, London, EC4N 4TQ

What to expect on the day

Registration will open at 9:15am and the event itself will run from 10am – 2pm.

The day will be jam-packed and include:

KEYNOTES from business heavyweights: John Christodoulou and Theo Paphitis

PANEL DISCUSSIONS themed around:

Cypriots in Public Life, with:

Kyri Pittalis (CHAIR)
Lord Adonis PC
Eleni Courea
Dame Janet Paraskeva DBE PC

Diversity LGBTQ+, with:

Dora Michail-Clendinnen (CHAIR)
Aran Cherkez
Andreas Pavlou
Harley Tsioupra-Lewis

Setting Yourself up for Future Success, with:

Gnosoulla Tsioupra-Lewis (CHAIR)
Ahmet Ahmet
Professor Kypros Nicolaides
Dr Linda Papadopoulos
Andria Zafirakou MBE

MEET THE ARTIST segments, with contributions from poet Anthony Anaxagorou and recording artist Kara Marni.

More guests to be announced.
All information is correct at time of posting but subject to change.

Register on this page for the last few places.

Speakers

More speakers will be announced over the coming weeks. Make sure to keep checking our website / social media platforms for more announcements and updates.

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Theo Paphitis

Theo Paphitis left school at the age of 16 with no qualifications due to his dyslexia. He quickly developed a strong entrepreneurial mind. Renowned for reviving the fortunes of several notable high street brands and for his appearances on Dragons’ Den, the Theo Paphitis Retail Group encompasses over 300 stores and 4,000 employees who serve millions of customers a year.

John Christodoulou

John Christodoulou is a Monaco-based British property developer and owner of Yianis Group. Born in Cyprus, Christodoulou was just a child when he came to London as a refugee in 1974. He founded the Yianis Christodoulou Foundation, which supports underprivileged children and their families in the UK, Cyprus, and beyond.

Dame Janet Paraskeva DBE PC

Dame Janet Paraskeva has served in an array of high-profile national organisations. She was Chief Executive of the Law Society from 2000 to 2006, First Civil Service Commissioner, and has held senior roles in the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and many other national organisations. Dame Janet is currently Chair of the Jersey Appointments Commission and a Trustee of Contemporary Applied Arts. She is also Chair of Primary Eye Care Services and Vice Chair if the Video Standards Commission. Dame Janet is a member of the Privy Council.

Dr Linda Papadopoulos

Dr Linda Papadopoulos is one of Britain’s best known psychologists and is frequently interviewed on national television about mental health and wellbeing. She has a prolific academic publication record and has provided professional commentary for numerous British television and radio programmes.

Lord Adonis PC

Lord Andrew Adonis is a member of the House of Lords who has held senior positions under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He became the first UK Cypriot to serve in the Cabinet following his appointment as Transport Secretary in 2009. Prior to that he was a Minister for Education (2005-08) and a key figure in the Number 10 Policy Unit (1997-05). He is currently the Chair of the European Movement.

Professor Kypros Nicolaides

Professor Kypros Nicolaides is a fetal medicine pioneer whose discoveries have revolutionised the field and improved the care of pregnant women worldwide. His work was recently featured in The Surgeon’s Cut on Netflix. He was elected to the US National Academy of Medicines in 2020, has been Professor of Fetal Medicine at King’s College London since 1992, and is Founder of the Fetal Medicine Foundation.

Eleni Courea is Deputy London Playbook Editor at POLITICO. Before joining POLITICO, she reported from Westminster for the Times, the New Statesman, and the Observer, and was a recipient of the Anthony Howard Award for young journalists.

Dora Michail-Clendinnen

Dora is the Chief Strategy Officer of The Ozone Project, the digital advertising platform created by The Guardian, The Telegraph, News UK & Reach plc. Prior to this Dora held senior positions at The Telegraph where she was MD of Digital, and Yahoo where she led automated media sales and commercial operations across Europe and the Middle East. Dora is a founding member and mentor for MEFA (Media For All) – the network set up to help Black, Asian and other ethnic talent thrive in the media industry – as well as a mentor for Outvertising, the LGBT+ advertising and marketing advocacy group. She lives in North London with her wife and daughter.

Andria Zafirakou MBE

Andria Zafirakou is a teacher at Alperton Community School in Brent who won the 2018 Global Teacher Prize. Using the prize money, Andria founded a charity called Artists in Residence with an aim to improve arts education in schools. Andria has been named in the top ten of The Evening Standard’s 1000 Londoners List, a list of the most influential people in London. She is also Culture Leader for the World Economic Forum.

Aran Cherkez

Aran Cherkez is a theatre director and DJ, and is the Artistic Director of Haringey Shed. Having studied at Rose Bruford College, now at the age of 24, Aran has been able to showcase their work within London’s West End, Fringe and regionally, at venues such as Southbank Centre, Alexandra Palace and The Fortune.  In 2022, they have been awarded an MGC Futures bursary and Associate Artist of The Kings Head Theatre.

Gnosoulla Tsioupra-Lewis

Soulla is The Economist Group’s Chief Talent Officer where she focuses on engaging and developing talent throughout the organisation. Prior to joining The Economist Group, Soulla was Chief People Officer at The Telegraph, Senior Vice-President HR Global at UBM plc and an Associate at Baker & McKenzie where she qualified as a lawyer. Soulla has also served as Chair of the nationwide homeless charity, Novas.

Kerry Kyriacos Michael MBE

Kerry Michael MBE was Artistic Director of Theatre Royal Stratford East for 13 years. In 2018, he was awarded OFF WEST END Artistic Director of the Year and an MBE for services to the arts. Kerry has directed award-winning theatre productions, musicals and operas and has pioneered the International Festival for Emerging Artists, Home Theatre UK, and OPEN STAGE.

Christos Karaolis

Christos Karaolis is the President of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK. He was first elected to the post in 2015 and is the first third-generation Cypriot to hold this position. Prior to that he served as President of NEPOMAK (World Organisation for Young Overseas Cypriots) from 2006-2014. He is also a Partner at Bain & Company, based in their London office. He has 15 years’ experience in Consulting and specialises in Financial Services and Performance Improvement consulting. He is Co-Founder of #weareukCypriots

Tom Toumazis MBE

After a 30-year career in the entertainment, media and technology the last 5 years have been investing in start-ups in technology, media, the arts and most recently in cannabis. He’s also Non-Executive Director of the PRS for Music and Directors UK. Tom is a public speaker, sharing his work/life experiences. He is a Trustee of the NSPCC and has helped raise over £22 million. He is Co-Founder and Event Chair of #weareukCypriots

Constantin Cotzias

is Global Head of External Relations at Bloomberg, a member of the senior management team and head of Bloomberg’s London Office. Prior to this role, he was Chief Executive of Bloomberg Law reporting directly to Bloomberg’s Chief Executive Officer. He is also a Member of the Mayor of London Advisory Board. He has competed in several full distance Ironman triathlons and marathons and was a member of Team Great Britain at the 2006 European Triathlon Championships.

Chris Toumazis

Chris Toumazis is the Director of Business Development for the UK and Ireland at Warner Bros. Discovery. Before that, he worked as Strategy Director at the global advertising agency Ogilvy, developing brand strategies for Mr Muscle, Vodafone, Amnesty International. Chris is also a public speaker, sharing practical tips and tricks with students for their roads ahead.

Anthony Anaxagorou

Anthony Anaxagorou is a British-born Cypriot poet, fiction writer, essayist, publisher and poetry educator. His poetry and fiction have appeared on BBC Newsnight, BBC Radio 4, ITV, Vice UK, Channel 4 and Sky Arts. His second poetry collection was shortlisted for the 2019 T.S Eliot Prize

Kyri Pittalis

Kyri Pittalis runs his own financial consultancy that assists companies with their short-term finance team needs, mainly around M&A transactions. He has worked in corporate finance and is a qualified accountant, working as a portfolio finance director for a number of companies. He co-founded and co-presents the Mind Field Podcast about the relationship between mental health and success and he also volunteers as a Metropolitan Police constable.

Kara Marni

Kara Mani is a singer-songwriter inspired by vocal powerhouses such as Aretha Franklin, Minnie Riperton and Lauren Hill. Kara is from London and of Greek Cypriot origin. She has toured with the likes of Rita Ora and Raye and will soon be the main support act of the Sugar Babes on their upcoming reunion tour. She has headlined the P’ Parlour stage at Glastonbury and played festivals such as Wireless, Reading, Leeds and the Isle of White. She has amassed over 20 million streams across her platforms and is soon to release her upcoming single FREETOWN with Big Zuu this October 21st.

Harley Tsioupra-Lewis

Harley Tsioupra-Lewis will be participating in the ‘Diversity LGBTQ+’ panel

Ahmet Ahmet

Ahmet began his career performing in theatre in West End productions like Mama Mia and Calamity Jane. Then transitioning into youth theatre directing and producing as well as training young actors. After a complete change into education and eventually becoming Head of School at School 21, he now works as the Director of the UK diversity charity, Get Into Theatre. He is also a theatre research lecturer the Royal Conservatoire of Trinity Laban and a PhD candidate at Central School of Speech and Drama

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