Our Team
Andry Athanasiou is the Director of CiACt leading its operational activities. She is a financial expert with great experience in the field of accounting, economics and business development. Andry has graduated from Aristoteleio University of Thessaloniki Greece from the department of Finance and Law Studies with specialization in finance. Andry has been involved greatly in Limassol Nautical Association promoting sport and fitness for the mental health and well-being of teenagers. She has had an active role for many years in Parents’ Associations volunteering in various activities to support children in need with fund-raising events, organising charity initiatives etc. Apart from the management of the organization, Andry is involved, as a Senior Project Manager in the implementation of projects related to financial literacy, business and entrepreneurship.
Marilia Charalambide is the Founder of CitizensACT. She has set up this organisation with the vision to empower vulnerable citizens with life-skills and to promote active engagement of all fighting for their rights, as well as, supporting the younger generations to fight for their dreams. She is a well-educated musician with music qualifications from the University of Surrey, where she obtained the BMus degree. Marilia has been working for many years as a professional performer within the cultural and creative sectors, both in Greece and Cyprus. Throughout the years she has developed an active role in social, environmental, inclusion and cultural settings aiming to promote the EU values, inter-cultural awareness and gender-equality through the arts. She is currently a Project Manager focusing on the dissemination and visibility of CiACT.
David Tsentis is an IT expert with studies at Brunel University London in Computer Systems Engineering and Mechanical Engineering gaining essential skills by working on different projects such as Face Recognition using Machine Learning. David has great expertise in the development of e-learning platforms, in STEAM-education and the organisation of project-based experiential learning courses for young students. He has been working at the ICT Training Department for the last 3 years as a STEAM-trainer teaching robotics, coding, game design using AI and VR technologies, drones etc. He is also involved in the implementation of the digitally-oriented Erasmus+ project (School and VET sector) as a Project Manager.
Margarita Phylactou is an Environmental Scientist, holding a BSc in Environmental Science and an MSc in Environmental Management from the University of Reading, UK. She has also undertaken PhD studies focusing on the effects of climate change on harmful algal growth and toxin production presenting her work at academic conferences, including MMEE 2022 and UK Harmful Algae 2023.Through her research, she gained hands-on experience in laboratory work, data analysis, and environmental modelling, working with controlled experiments to better understand ecological responses to changing conditions. As an active educator, Margarita has been a Demonstrator at the University of Reading, assisting students with laboratory work and environmental data analysis, and providing guidance throughout their practical learning. Furthermore, she has worked also as a Secondary School Science Teacher in Cyprus, where she delivered lessons in biology and environmental science, guided students through lab-based activities, and helped develop their understanding of scientific concepts in a practical and engaging way. Margarita is interested in contributing to environmental and scientific work with practical applications, while continuing to develop her skills in both research and project-based environments. She is currently working as a Junior Project Manager, responsible for the implementation of environmentally related research projects, as well as, co-leading the Eco-Living Lab of the organisation.
Andreas Koufettas is a qualified Physical Education teacher with a wide range of teaching experience. He is also a Squash player with a specialisation in Squash Coaching. He has an undergraduate and post graduate degree (MSc) from Semmelweis University – Hungary from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport. Andreas is a certified Sports Trainer in Squash (Budai Sportoktato Akademia-Budapest). He has also acquired the Level 1 Coaching Diploma in Austria and Level 2 Coaching Diploma in Hungary from the European Squash Federation.
Andreas has been an active member of the Cyprus National team and through his competitive career he has won many awards and prizes, both in national and international tournaments. In his professional coaching career, he has cooperated with many organizations such as the Cyprus Squash Federation, the Nicosia and Limassol Squash Association, as well as the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. He was also a PE expert on pedagogical methodologies for initial primary school teachers studying at the European University of Cyprus. Since 2011 he is coaching squash as a special scientist at the Sports Department of the University of Cyprus.
Theodoros Antoniou is an ICT expert (Senior Advisor) with Computer Science studies from the University of Manchester. Theodoros is a born-programmer and a creative, project-driven developer with extensive experience in leading development teams. He has years of experience in FinTec, delivering high availability, real time, online trading platforms and client facing applications for banks, stock exchanges and other financial institutions in the UK, Singapore and internationally. He has extensive experience in Front-End development using web standard technologies such as Javascript, HTML5 and CSS, as well as popular frameworks such as React, Angular and others. His experience in working with mobile web applications is also noted, as well as his expertise in providing on-site training to clients and developers. He is currently a consultant offering services on a variety of topics such as Web Development, System Architecture, Digital Transformation and working with clients primarily from the Financial Industry such as Banks, and Brokers and other Financial Institutions.
