Organized by

ACG Institute for Hellenic Growth and Prosperity in collaboration with the ACG Institute of Global Affairs

 

When: Thursday, February 4, 2021 | 17:00 – 18:30

Where: Panel discussion and Q&A livestreamed from ACG Events Hall.
Free and open to the public (online). You may register here.

 

About the event

Politics and economics are inextricably tied together vis-à-vis diplomacy. Diplomats and heads of mission have a dual role in supporting political as well as other priorities of their home countries, i.e. economic and cultural.

This event aims to understand the role of diplomacy in economics through specific examples gained through conversations with and between heads of mission, public sector officials, and industry. Whereas our key target group is students and our focus their education, the event is open to the public, in particular to an audience including corporations, organizations, government and foreign missions.

The panel discussion will feature the Ambassadors of Sweden, Korea and Canada, who will share their unique perspectives on economic diplomacy covering vantage points from Europe, Asia, and North America. Companies from Sweden, Korea and Canada have a significant presence in key economic sectors in Greece such as technology, shipping, mining, automotive, financial services, and governments play a dynamic role in supporting and promoting the activities of companies under their flag. This interplay between economics and diplomacy will be highlighted through the experiences of the three featured countries. 

About ACG 150

In view of its 150th anniversary in 2025, The American College of Greece has launched ACG 150, a visionary strategic plan to leverage educational programs for economic and social impact, as well as to consolidate, support and expand ACG’s activities in performing research, creating technology and fostering innovation. To accomplish these goals, the ACG 150 plan has established Greece’s first Institute for Hellenic Growth and Prosperity (IHGP), which houses the Center of Excellence in Tourism & Leisure,  the Center of Excellence in Logistics, Shipping & Transportation, and the Research, Technology & Innovation Network (RTIN), and which complements the new Institute of Hellenic Culture and the Liberal Arts (IHCLA).

As the Greek economy struggles to overcome both a global pandemic and a continuing economic downturn, now more than a decade old, The American College of Greece has embarked on a set of initiatives designed to promote economic recovery. As a leading academic institution spanning three educational divisions, ACG will therefore be engaging in focused research and related projects and in creating new academic programs and initiatives that address the continuously changing landscape of the Greek and the global economies. The ACG 150 initiatives bring together the academic, private and public sectors to ignite innovation and spur growth, empowering ACG to continue to cultivate the necessary soft and hard skills for our students—the leaders of tomorrow—equipping them as effective agents of change.

 

Keynote speaker

The Hon. Kostas Fragkogiannis
Deputy Minister for Economic Diplomacy & Openness
Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 

Panelists

H.E. Charlotte Sammelin
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Hellenic Republic

H.E. Soosuk Lim
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Hellenic Republic

H.E. Mark Allen
Ambassador of Canada to the Hellenic Republic

 

Moderator

Dr. Michalis Psalidopoulos
Chair of the Advisory Board
Institute for Hellenic Growth and Prosperity
The American College of Greece

 

Speakers’ Bio

The Hon. Kostas Fragkogiannis
Deputy Minister for Economic Diplomacy & Openness
Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Kostas Fragogiannis was born in 1959, in Kavala, where he completed his basic education. After graduating from the British Institute of Marketing (HND), he continued his studies in the U.S., earning a BS in Business Administration and an MBA in International Management & Computer Systems from the University of San Francisco.

For over 30 years, he has held senior executive positions in major companies and groups, such as Emporiki Bank, Interbank, Delta, the Vasilakis Group, Ant1, the Viohalco Group, Vivartia, and the Chipita Group, where he was also a founding member of the Group’s international operations 24 years ago. Before assuming his duties as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Openness, he was the Development Manager of the Chipita Group, contributing significantly to the further growth and development of the Group’s international operations.

Having successfully handled development projects worth hundreds of millions of euros throughout the world, he has gained invaluable experience in negotiating with organizations in countries where he has overseen investments.  Through his role in the development and internationalization of companies, he has contributed to the creation of thousands of jobs, while also creating considerable added value in each country where he has been active. He has led a total of 18 productive investment projects in 16 countries, 9 investment consortiums, 5 buyouts and, finally, the founding of multiple commercial enterprises in dozens of countries.

Through his many years of international experience, he has gained a full and up-to-date perspective on what is required to effectively attract foreign investments and to promote exports and growth in the international economy.

H.E. Charlotte Sammelin
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Hellenic Republic

Charlotte Sammelin is serving since September 2017 as the Ambassador of Sweden to Greece. During her career at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs she has focused on particularly European Union policies and economic issues ranging from EU foreign policy, neighbourhood, accession negotiations, trade, the EU internal market and the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. Prior to arriving to Athens she was Deputy Director General at the Department for International Trade and EU Internal Market at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm during 2015-1017. Before that Ambassador Sammelin worked for 12 years in Brussels in various positions, such as Advisor in the Support Group for Ukraine in the European Commission (DG Near), Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of the European Council Herman van Rompuy and in the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU. She has also served at the Swedish Embassy in Madrid. Before joining the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs she worked as an economist at the OECD in Paris on territorial development and agriculture. Ambassador Sammelin holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science, European Law and Economics from the Ludwig Maximilian Universität in Munich, Germany.

H.E. Soosuk Lim
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Hellenic Republic

Mr. Lim was appointed as Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic in May 2018.  He is also accredited as Ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus and Republic of Albania. He is a career diplomat who joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991.  He has previously served overseas as Counsellor in the Korean Mission to Kingdom of Belgium and to the European Union; First Secretary in the United Kingdom; and Second Secretary in the Russian Federation.  In Seoul he has served as Deputy Director General and then Director General for European Affairs;  Director-General of Foreign Affairs and Security, Presidential Council for Future & Vision; Director of Inter-Korean Economic Relations in the Ministry of Strategy and Finance; and Director of Eurasia in the Foreign Ministry. Ambassador Lim holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Connecticut, U.S.A and BA in English literature from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.

H.E. Mark Allen
Ambassador of Canada to the Hellenic Republic

Mark Allen (BA Hons [Political Science and French], University of Western Ontario, 1993; PhD [International Relations], University of Cambridge, 1997) was Executive Director of Human Rights and Indigenous Affairs at Global Affairs Canada (the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development) between 2015 and 2018. Prior to that, he was Canada’s Permanent Representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal and, between 2007 and 2011, Director of International Relations at the Department of Transport. As a Canadian Foreign Service officer, he has served in Rwanda and the United Kingdom and has advised on Canada’s relations with the Middle East. He began his public service career as an officer at the Canadian International Development Agency.

Dr. Michalis Psalidopoulos
Chair of the Advisory Board
Institute for Hellenic Growth and Prosperity
The American College of Greece

Michalis Psalidopoulos is Chief Consultant and Chair of the Advisory Board, Institute for Hellenic Growth and Prosperity, American College of Greece (ACG) and Professor at Deree ACG. He is Professor Emeritus, Department of Economics, University of Athens, Greece.  He was holder of the Constantine Karamanlis Chair for Hellenic and European Studies at the Fletcher School, Tufts University (2010-2014) and Alternate Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (2015-2020).

His latest book “The loans of Greece: 200 years of growth and crises” (Athens, Papadopoulos, in Greek) came out in 2019.

 

For more information, please contact College Events-Office of Public Affairs, [email protected] or 210-6009800, ext. 1570 or 1370.