Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki
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Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (born Ioanna Daskalaki, December 12, 1955) is a
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
businesswoman and
Ambassador-at-Large An ambassador-at-large is a diplomat, a secretary of state, secretary, or a minister (government), minister of the highest rank who is accredited to represent a country and its people internationally. Unlike an ambassador-in-residence, who is us ...
for the Hellenic Republic. She is best known for being the leader of the bidding and organizing committees for the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
in Athens. In July 2019, she was appointed by
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Kyriakos Mitsotakis Kyriakos Mitsotakis (, ; born 4 March 1968) is a Greek politician currently serving as the prime minister of Greece since July 2019, except for a month between May and June 2023. Mitsotakis has been president of the New Democracy (Greece), New ...
, 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. She was named one of the 50 most powerful women by ''
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'' and is the author of the
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Bestseller ''My Greek Drama''.


Early life

Ioanna Daskalaki was born to a middle-class family in
Heraklion Heraklion or Herakleion ( ; , , ), sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in G ...
,
Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
. Daskalaki studied law in the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki ( AUTh; ), often called the University of Thessaloniki, is the second oldest tertiary education institution in Greece. Named after the philosopher Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, about east of Thessa ...
.


Personal life

In 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. She is the mother of three children, Panagiotis, Dimitris, and Carolina Angelopoulos, and the grandmother of five grandchildren.


Political career

In the late 1980s, she became actively involved in politics in
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
. In 1986, she was elected to the Athens Municipal Council. In 1989, she was elected to the
Greek Parliament The Parliament of the Hellenes (), commonly known as the Hellenic Parliament (), is the unicameral legislature of Greece, located in the Old Royal Palace, overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens. The parliament is the supreme democratic instit ...
, and won reelection the following year. In 1998, she was appointed Ambassador at Large by the Greek government. She was paid for this appointment and donates the sums to several Greek charities each year. 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.


Involvement in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games

Disappointed 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, 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 The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
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. She was the first woman to hold this position. Under her watch, competition facilities were completed and security issues were taken care of. International Olympic Committee presidents Juan Antonio Samaranch 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." 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. She also attended the
opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.
of the next Olympics, in
Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.


Involvement In Greece 2021

''Greece 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 Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Albania, Anatolia, parts of Italy and Egypt, and to a lesser extent, other countries surrounding the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea. They also f ...
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.


Post-political career

In 1994, she was appointed vice-chairman of the Dean's Council of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, 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'', 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 __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literature, literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a ''foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface o ...
. 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. In 2012, she created the
Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
-based Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellowship program as a part of a Commitment to Action for the Clinton Global Initiative. The program was announced by Ambassador Angelopoulos, with Dean Ellwood and former U.S. President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
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. 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. 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 The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
that further reflects her commitment to education, entrepreneurship and economic growth. 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
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in the fields of energy materials and devices and computational multiphysics.


Authored Books

She 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, and entered the top 10 at #7 in the June 9, 2013 print edition of the paper. The book was also a
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and
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
bestseller.


TV Interviews

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5/6/13: Greece Is In a 'Bad Marriage With the European Union'


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Gianna 1955 births Greek women in business Living people Businesspeople from Heraklion People from Heraklion Presidents of the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games Recipients of the Olympic Order Recipients of the Paralympic Order 21st-century Greek businesspeople 21st-century Greek businesswomen 20th-century Greek businesspeople 20th-century Greek businesswomen