Leadership
Board of Directors
Group Management
Ioannis Karagiannis is Executive Chairman of the Olympia Group. During the course of his career, he has held senior executive roles at the Group and its investee companies and has been instrumental in the success of a number of investments, including in the launch of Play, the largest mobile company in Poland, where he was Chairman of the Board.
He currently also serves as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board at Public Group and as a member of the Board at Westnet.
A seasoned executive with a wealth of experience in Marketing, Sales and General Management, across the telecommunications, retail and FMCG sectors, Ioannis Karagiannis is also Board member of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises.
From 2002 to 2008 he held the role of Chief Executive Officer at Germanos S.A.
Mr. Karagiannis holds an MBA from Bradford Management School and a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens.
Carla Cico holds the role of Vice Chairwoman on the Olympia Group Board of Directors and Chair of the Governance Committee.
She joined the Board of Directors in 2019, bringing with her a wealth of experience in technology and telecommunications in both the public and private sectors, across major markets worldwide.
She also served as Chairman of the Board of Commify Group and as a Board Member of security business, Allegion Plc. Prior to this, she was a member of the Board of Directors at Alcatel-Lucent and E 2v technologies and served as Independent Director at EPTA S.p.A. and World Duty Free.
From 2010 to 2012, Ms. Cico held the position of CEO of Rivoli S.p.A., an infrastructure company and prior to this she served as CEO of Ambrosetti Consulting. She also held the position of CEO at Brazil Telecom between 2001 and 2005 and was ranked as ‘best CEO” in Latin America Telecommunications by Reuters.
Ms. Cico began her career with Italtel in 1987, in the Beijing office. Between 1993 and 1994, she was positioned as Chief Representative of IRI, a state-owned conglomerate with ownership of 100’s of companies with combined revenues in excess of $10 billion.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Oriental Languages from the University of Venice, an M.S.E. from the University of London and an M.B.A. from the London Business School, Sloan Program.
Robby Bourlas currently holds the role of Chief Executive Officer at Olympia Group. He also serves as Chairman of the Board at Sunlight Systems and Westnet – subsidiary companies of Olympia Group.
Before taking the role of group CEO in 2018, Mr. Bourlas was Chairman and CEO of Westnet, a technology distribution company and subsidiary of the Olympia Group. He joined Olympia Group in 2006 as Business Development Director of Public, another subsidiary of the Olympia Group. He took on the role of Managing Director of Public in 2008, before becoming the company’s CEO in 2012.
Mr. Bourlas began his career in 1999 as a Senior Analyst at First Manhattan Consulting Group, in New York. Between 2003 and 2006 he served as Commercial Director in Easy Group, London.
Robby Bourlas holds a BSc and an MSc from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Cornell University, New York, as well as an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston.
Muriel De Lathouwer has held the position of Independent Non-Executive Director for Olympia Group since 2019, in addition to Chair of the Renumeration Committee. She has over 25 years’ experience in the telecoms, technology, IT and broadcast industries.
Ms. De Lathouwer also serves as Board Member of European storage company Shurgard and computer program, Coderdojo Belgium. She is an Independent Board Member of industrial group CFE, technology company Amoobi and cooperative bank CPH.
Ms. De Lathouwer has also served as a CEO Independent Board Member at EVS Belgium, a broadcast digital video production system. Prior to this she founded engineering and environmental consulting firm Ariade Carbone, and was positioned as Chief Marketing Officer at Base, KPN Group Belgium.
She started her career as an IT Consultant at Accenture, then joined McKinsey & Company as an Associate Principal from 2001 to 2008, where she served clients internationally on issues in the media, telecom and high-tech sectors.
Ms. De Lathouwer holds a Master’s degree in Nuclear Physics Engineering from the University of Brussels and a MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau.
Tatiana Fafaliou serves as a member of the Olympia Group Board as a Non-Executive Director since 2013 and Chair of the Audit Committee. She also currently holds the role of CEO of Folloe Capital Investors and Director at the Folloe Fund VCIC, positions she has held since 2017.
Prior to this she held the position of Chief Investment Officer at Olympia Group (2007-2017). She also worked as Investor Relations Officer at Germanos SA between 2004 and 2007.
Ms. Fafaliou spent four years with JP Morgan in London working within the European Derivatives Trading and Asset Management departments(2000-2004).
Ms. Fafaliou holds a BSc Degree in International Economics and Finance from the Athens University of Economics & Business and a Postgraduate Degree in Economics of Transition for Eastern Europe and Russia from London School of Economics.
Georgios Xirouchakis is the General Counsel and Director of Legal Services of Olympia Group and he serves as Executive Director at the Olympia Group Board of Directors. He sits on several boards of various holding and operating companies within the group and he was also a Board Member of the Greek National Museum of Contemporary Art. (2014-2020).
Before taking the role of Group Legal Counsel in 2008, Mr. Xirouchakis, spent two years working as Head of Legal Services for Public (2006-2008), after working for five years within the legal services division of Germanos SA.
Before joining the group, he worked for several well-recognized law firms in Athens specializing in the sphere of corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and companies’ transformations, corporate financing, tax, and real estate projects.
He has been a member of the Athens Bar Association for the last 20 years. Since 2018 he has been regularly listed in the yearly “Legal 500 General Counsel Powerlist” for Greece and Cyprus.
George Xirouchakis holds a BSc in Economics and a BSc in Law as well as an M.B.A. (with a major in Finance) from the University of Leicester. In 2018 he completed an executive education program in Harvard Law School.
George Tsourapas serves as a member of the Olympia Group Board of Directors as an Independent Director. He previously served as a member of P&G’s Global Executive Leadership Council and a member of the Glad Joint Venture Board of Directors.
George Tsourapas served for 33 years in Procter & Gamble reaching the position of President Global Home Care and Professional Products. He has an extensive track record for leading superior business and organisational results across global organisations in developed and emerging markets. His expertise spans across product and business model innovation, brand creation, organizational transformation, retail strategy and execution, end to end supply chain reinvention, and strategic partnerships.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Technical University of Greece and a Master of Science in Management and Computer Sciences from Cranfield University, UK.
Ioannis Karagiannis is the Executive Chairman of the Olympia Group, a position that he has held since 2016. Mr. Karagiannis also serves as Chairman of Olympia Group’s Investment Committee and is a member of the Board at Westnet and Softone, subsidiary companies of the Olympia Group.
Mr. Karagiannis is also a member of the Board of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, as well as a non – executive member of the board of the listed company LAMDA DEVELOPMENT S.A..
Mr. Karagiannis has a wealth of experience in the telecommunications, retail and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, having worked within the private sector. Prior to his current role at Olympia Group he served as Management Advisor, a post he held since 2010. He spent the previous nine years positioned as Chief Executive Officer of Germanos S.A. Prior to that Mr. Karagiannis was appointed General Manager of Germanos SA (1997). He joined Germanos SA in 1994 as Commercial Director. Since the beginning of his career he has held high ranking positions in Marketing, Sales & General Management for multinational companies.
Mr. Karagiannis has a BSc from Greece’s National Technical University in Chemical Engineering and an MBA.
Robby Bourlas currently holds the role of Chief Executive Officer at Olympia Group. He also serves as Chairman of the Board at Sunlight Systems and Westnet – subsidiary companies of Olympia Group.
Before taking the role of group CEO in 2018, Mr. Bourlas was Chairman and CEO of Westnet, a technology distribution company and subsidiary of the Olympia Group. He joined Olympia Group in 2006 as Business Development Director of Public, another subsidiary of the Olympia Group. He took on the role of Managing Director of Public in 2008, before becoming the company’s CEO in 2012.
Mr. Bourlas began his career in 1999 as a Senior Analyst at First Manhattan Consulting Group, in New York. Between 2003 and 2006 he served as Commercial Director in Easy Group, London.
Robby Bourlas holds a BSc and an MSc from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Cornell University, New York, as well as an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston.
Ioannis Pantoleon holds the role of the Olympia Group’s Chief Financial Officer since 2017. He also serves as Executive Director at the Olympia Group Board of Directors.
Mr. Pantoleon has over 20 years’ experience in the fields of economics, international business and investments.
Prior to his current role, he held the position of CFO with Marinopoulos Group (2015 -2017). He spent 14 years with Intralot, a leading Greek gaming solutions and supplier, where he held the roles of CFO (1999-2013) and later as COO (2013-2015).
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the Athens University of Economics and Business and a postgraduate degree with an emphasis on Financial Management and Accounting from the University of Manchester.
Georgios Xirouchakis is the General Counsel and Director of Legal Services of Olympia Group and he serves as Executive Director at the Olympia Group Board of Directors. He sits on several boards of various holding and operating companies within the group and he was also a Board Member of the Greek National Museum of Contemporary Art. (2014-2020).
Before taking the role of Group Legal Counsel in 2008, Mr. Xirouchakis, spent two years working as Head of Legal Services for Public (2006-2008), after working for five years within the legal services division of Germanos SA.
Before joining the group, he worked for several well-recognized law firms in Athens specializing in the sphere of corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and companies’ transformations, corporate financing, tax, and real estate projects.
He has been a member of the Athens Bar Association for the last 20 years. Since 2018 he has been regularly listed in the yearly “Legal 500 General Counsel Powerlist” for Greece and Cyprus.
George Xirouchakis holds a BSc in Economics and a BSc in Law as well as an M.B.A. (with a major in Finance) from the University of Leicester. In 2018 he completed an executive education program in Harvard Law School.
Georgios joined Olympia Group in 2021. He leads and executes corporate finance and investment management activities.
Prior to joining Olympia Group, he spent several years at the investment banking department of Deutsche Bank in London, advising European corporates and financial sponsors on M&A, financing and equity capital market transactions.
He holds an MSc in Corporate Finance and Accounting from Bocconi University and a BSc in Economics from the University of Cyprus and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Georgios also completed an Executive Education program in Strategy & Finance from Columbia University.
Nicole joined Olympia Group in March 2021 as Director of Communications and Corporate Responsibility. She brings to the company more than 20 years of experience in corporate & public affairs, sustainability and social impact, having previously held the position of Head of Corporate Affairs at Vodafone Greece, where she championed purpose towards an inclusive digital society, gaining recognition for Vodafone as a purposeful technology company.
She was also responsible for the successful re-launch of the Vodafone Foundation, accelerating awareness and impact around its contribution in Greece. Prior to joining Vodafone, Nicole spent several years as General Manager and senior consultant at Advocate/ Burson-Marsteller, where she advised companies from diverse sectors on programs to build credibility and deliver sustainability, policy and reputation objectives.
Earlier, Nicole worked at Edelman in New York, where she contributed to the launch of Internet-based and technology companies. Nicole holds an M.A. in International Relations from Boston University and an LLB from the University of Athens School of Law.
Loukas Deligiannakis holds the role of Olympia Group’s Digital Operating Partner since Jan 2021. He has extensive international experience in software technologies having worked at an executive level in large corporations, both in Greece and abroad.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Deligiannakis spent more than 12 years (2008-2020) in Oracle, a world-renowned technology company, holding the role of Customer Experience Leader, Central Europe. During his time in Oracle he led the CX Solution Engineering across Central Europe, supporting enterprises and governments actualize their Digital Transformation Journeys and gain a competitive edge. Prior to that, he worked at CRM.COM for 10 years (1997-2008), serving almost 4 years as General Manager for Greece & VP of Product Design.
Mr. Deligiannakis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Software from The University of Manchester, a Master’s degree in Advanced Computer Science in Distributed Systems from the University of London and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Surrey.
Ioanna Christodoulopoulou joined Olympia in June 2021 as a Talent Director to drive initiatives that will enhance Olympia and investee companies’ professional capabilities, while enabling them to evolve as top-talent marketplaces.
She brings broad experience in the areas of people partnering, talent management and organizational development to the Group, stemming from her progressive record of HR management roles in large corporates and startups, coupled with strategic insights from her work in HR management consulting. She has partnered with international leaders from several business sectors to build conditions that enable people to work collaboratively and create value for themselves and their organizations.
Ioanna started her career at The Coca Cola Company and then moved to the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE Group). She worked for 7 years as a consultant for KornFerry and then joined Blueground as Head of People Operations contributing to the company’s scale up from a team of 10 people to more than 500 employees across 6 countries, in 3 continents.
Prior to joining Olympia, Ioanna was the Organizational Development and Employee Engagement Manager at Sunlight, an Olympia Group company, where she focused on the creation and implementation of talent development and employer branding programs aligned with the company’s strategy to grow as an international tech enabler in energy storage.
Ioanna holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology from The University of New Haven (CT) and a B.A. in History/International Affairs from the American College of Greece. She is also a Certified Agile People Coach.