Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (born Ioanna Daskalaki, December 12, 1955) is a Greek businesswoman and Ambassador-at-Large for the Hellenic Republic.[1] She is best known for being the leader of the bidding and organizing committees for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. In July 2019, she was appointed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to lead Greece 2021, a year-long initiative to both commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution and to introduce to the world a new Greece of effort and optimism.[2]
Gianna Angelopoulos–Daskalaki | |
|---|---|
Γιάννα Αγγελοπούλου-Δασκαλάκη | |
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| President “Greece 2021” National Committee | |
| In office 31 July 2019 – 31 December 2021 | |
| President of the Athens Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games | |
| In office 1 October 2000 – 29 August 2004 | |
| IOC President | Juan Antonio Samaranch (2000–01) Jacques Rogge (2001–04) |
| Preceded by | Michael Knight |
| Succeeded by | Liu Qi |
| Chair of the Athens Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games | |
| In office 15 May 2000 – 8 July 2005 Chair of the Athens bid: 1996 – 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Panagiotis Thomopoulos |
| Succeeded by | Position dissolved |
| Convening Sponsor, Clinton Global Initiative Honorary Ambassador of the Greek State | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 December 1955 Heraklion, Greece |
She was named one of the 50 most powerful women by Forbes magazine and is the author of the New York Times Bestseller My Greek Drama.
Early life
editIoanna Daskalaki was born to a middle-class family in Heraklion, Crete. Daskalaki studied law in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.[3]
Personal life
editIn 1990, she married the Greek shipping and steel magnate Theodore Angelopoulos, and has since been involved in several aspects of Angelopoulos' business interests, mainly in shipping.[1]
She is the mother of three children, Panagiotis, Dimitris, and Carolina Angelopoulos, and the grandmother of three granddaughters.[4][5]
Political career
editIn the late 1980s, she became actively involved in politics in Athens. In 1986, she was elected to the Athens Municipal Council. In 1989, she was elected to the Greek Parliament, and won reelection the following year.
In 1998, she was appointed Ambassador at Large by the Greek government.[6][7] She was paid for this appointment and donates the sums to several Greek charities each year.[8]
In 2004 she was appointed Commander of the Order of Honour of the Hellenic Republic and in 2008, she was appointed Chevalier of the French Republic's National Order of the Legion of Honor.[citation needed]
Involvement in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games
editDisappointed over losing the bid for the centenary celebration of the revival of the Olympic Games in 1996, Greek officials decided to bid for the 2004 Summer bidding committee,[1] making her the first female president of any Olympic or Paralympíc organizing committee, and succeeded in bringing the games to Athens. She was however excluded from the initial organization committee that would prepare for the games.
When the International Olympic Committee questioned Greece's commitment to the games and its ability to complete all preparations prior to the opening ceremony, Angelopoulos-Daskalaki was asked to return and was named president of the Olympic Organizing Committee in May 2000.[6] She was the first woman to hold this position.[5] Under her watch, competition facilities were completed and security issues were taken care of. International Olympic Committee presidents Juan Antonio Samaranch[6] and Jacques Rogge both specifically credit Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki for the success of the games. In his speech at the Closing Ceremony, Rogge said, "These Games were unforgettable, dream Games."[9]
After the 2004 Olympic Games, Angelopoulos-Daskalaki bought the Eleftheros Typos newspaper ("Free Press”); the daily paper eventually was wound up, with its staff receiving on top of their severance pay the proceeds from the sale of the paper's title.[citation needed] She also attended the opening ceremony of the next Olympics, in Torino, Italy.
Involvement In Greece 2021
editGreece 2021 is a multidimensional initiative that will occur at the time of the 200th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution. While honoring Greece's past, Greece 2021 will primarily celebrate the skill and resilience of the Greek people and demonstrate its confidence in the future. Specific emphasis on entrepreneurship, science and innovation, will highlight the opportunities found in the modern Greece.
In 2019, the Greek Government appointed Mrs Angelopoulos as President of the "Greece 2021" National Committee.[10]
Post-political career
editIn 1994, she was appointed vice-chairman of the Dean's Council of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government,[11] where she continues to serve today.
In 1995, Angelopoulos-Daskalaki co-chaired, along with Kennedy School Professor Graham Allison, a Harvard Leadership Symposium titled The Greek Paradox: Promise vs. Performance,[12] which addressed the gap between Greece's potential and its performance in the realms of politics, economic growth, and regional leadership. Harvard published a book that followed the symposium with the same title. Angelopoulos-Daskalaki is the author of the book's preface.[13]
In 2008, Harvard University, in collaboration with the Kennedy School of Government Chan School of Public Health, established the Angelopoulos Chair for Public Health and International Development.[14]
In 2012, she created the Harvard Kennedy School-based Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellowship program as a part of a Commitment to Action for the Clinton Global Initiative.[15] The program was announced by Ambassador Angelopoulos, with Dean Ellwood and former U.S. President Bill Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in 2011. The program provides opportunities for high-profile leaders who are transitioning out of public office or other leadership positions to spend time in residence at Harvard for teaching, learning and research.[15]
In 2013, Angelopoulos-Daskalaki established the Angelopoulos Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) Fellowship program to recruit, select and sponsor Greek students with implementable entrepreneurial ideas. She has since sponsored over 75 students.[16] In 2016, she announced the evolution of the CGIU program into the Angelopoulos 100, a vehicle to sustain and support the alumni of the program and continue to empower Greek entrepreneurs.
In February 2019, Gianna Angelopoulos established an innovative program at Cambridge University that further reflects her commitment to education, entrepreneurship and economic growth.[17] The Gianna Angelopoulos Programme for Science, Technology and Innovation will be an internationally unique ecosystem of training, research and entrepreneurial activity. The Programme will support PhD students and four academic positions based at the university's Cavendish Laboratory in the fields of energy materials and devices and computational multiphysics.
Authored Books
editShe is the author of My Greek Drama: Life, Love, and One Woman's Olympic Effort to Bring Glory to Her Country. The book debuted at #18 on the New York Times Nonfiction Bestseller list for the June 2, 2013 print edition,[18] and entered the top 10 at #7 in the June 9, 2013 print edition of the paper.[19] The book was also a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller.[20][21]
TV Interviews
editMSNBC 5/6/13: Greece Is In a 'Bad Marriage With the European Union'[22]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Mrs. Gianna Angelopoulos - Daskalaki". Xapital Link. Archived from the original on 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ^ "Gianna the Return! To lead the "Greece 2021" fiesta committee". Keep Talking Greece. 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
- ^ "Gianna and Theodore Angelopoulos to Receive Lead100 Award for Excellence". Greek News. 2007-12-10. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
- ^ Gianna Angelopoulos (2013). My Greek Drama: Life, Love, and One Woman's Olympic Effort to Bring Glory to Her Country. Greenleaf Book Group Press. ISBN 978-1608325818.
- ^ a b Philip Hersh. "More than anyone else, she made these Olympics happen because iron-willed Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki is . . ". Retrieved 8 Feb 2016.
- ^ a b c "Mrs. A. saves Olympics, challenges patriarchy". NBC Sports. Associated Press. 2004-08-22. Archived from the original on 2012-01-12. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ^ Adam Reger. "Greek Ambassador-at-Large Gianna Angelopoulos to Give a Pitt Lecture March 28 About Her Country's Past and Future". Retrieved 6 May 2013.
- ^ "Former chief of Athens 2004 Olympics got paid for role as ambassador at large". Retrieved 6 May 2013.
- ^ "Rogge: Athens 'unforgettable, dream Games'". Associated Press. 2009-08-29. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ^ Newsroom (31 July 2019). "Η Γιάννα Αγγελοπούλου επικεφαλής της Επιτροπής για τα 200 χρόνια από την Επανάσταση | Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ". Retrieved 2020-10-10.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Doug Gavel. "Clinton, Angelopoulos, and Ellwood Discuss Leadership and Public Service". Retrieved 4 Feb 2016.
- ^ "Angelopoulos-Daskalaki Discusses 'Greek Paradox' In Harvard Speech". Retrieved 4 Feb 2016.
- ^ Miller, Steven E.; Lynn-Jones, Sean M. (1997). The Greek Paradox: Promise Vs. Performance. MIT Press. ISBN 9780262510929. Retrieved 4 Feb 2016.
- ^ Boston, 677 Huntington Avenue; Ma 02115 +1495‑1000. "Michelle A. Williams's Faculty Website". Michelle A. Williams's Faculty Website. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Ambassador Gianna Angelopoulos Announces Creation of the Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Program" (Press release). Retrieved 4 Feb 2016.
- ^ "Gianna Angelopoulos Announces Commitment to Support Greek Youth Entrepreneurs at Clinton Global Initiative" (Press release). Retrieved 4 Feb 2016.
- ^ "New programme to support academic and industrial links with Greece". University of Cambridge. 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
- ^ "New York Times Best Sellers: June 2, 2013". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 Feb 2016.
- ^ "New York Times Best Sellers: June 9, 2013". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 Feb 2016.
- ^ "WSJ: Best-Selling Books Week Ended May 26". WSJ. Retrieved 4 Feb 2016.
- ^ "USA TODAY Best-Selling Books". Retrieved 4 Feb 2016.
- ^ "Greece is in a 'bad marriage with the European Union'". MSNBC. Retrieved 8 Feb 2016.
