The Future Makers Podcast: Women Building Cyprus

In politics, your work won’t speak for you. In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar sits down with Anna Koukkides-Procopiou, President of Politeia and former Minister of Justice and Public Order, to talk about what politics actually rewards, how media narratives get built (including the “empty chair” story), and why Cyprus can’t keep treating security and representa...

What happens when we build the innovation parks, but forget the innovation culture? In this episode, Annetta Benzar sits down with Artemis Kontou, researcher and entrepreneur, to talk about moving from academia into entrepreneurship, working on AI in healthcare, and what Cyprus needs to fix if it wants serious innovation, from procurement that rewards the lowest price to an ecosystem that still st...

This episode is about what builds an athlete: discipline, support, and the moments you almost quit. In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus , Annetta Benzar sits down with Elia Ioannou , a long-distance runner and two-time Limassol Marathon winner (sub-3 hours) , to talk about what her training actually looks like week to week, the reality of coming back after injury, and why safet...

What if the biggest thing holding people back isn’t lack of talent, but the habit of waiting to feel “ready”?  In this episode, Annetta Benzar sits down with Maria Lavithi , founder of Heroes Made , to talk about the curiosity that drives entrepreneurship, why schools resist change even when they want better tools, and what it really takes to build character education into a system. The Future Mak...

What happens when you leave Big Four advisory, spend five years retraining as a cosmetic chemist and aesthetic doctor, and then help build an AI that is trying to change how the world buys skincare... from Cyprus?  In this episode of The Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, host Annetta Benzar speaks with Dr Nadia Kapleva, Medical Director of skincare app Lóvi, about the belief that everything is...

What makes someone leave a secure corporate path and build something risky from scratch? In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus , Annetta Benzar speaks with Greta Skemaite , co-founder and CEO of V.G. Freyia Labs , about going off-script, building a deep tech company around fermentation, and why community, motherhood, and loyalty to your own values engineer the kind of leader you...

What happens when you stop waiting for permission, and start building your own table? In this episode, Annetta Benzar sits down with Raluca-Ioana Man , strategic business advisor and board consultant, to talk about reverse-engineering your life, setting non-negotiable values, and why “power” often comes down to boundaries and the ability to say no.  The Future Makers Podcast is a series of in-dept...

In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus , Annetta Benzar speaks with Alexia Solomou , Partner at Spencer West Cyprus , about her path from the International Court of Justice to asylum casework in Cyprus, and what power, justice, and human impact look like up close.  The Future Makers Podcast is a series of in-depth conversations about how future-makers are made, in Cyprus and beyon...

What does it take to build a three-decade career in a male-dominated firm, raise three children, and still push for inclusion, authenticity, and real change in Cyprus? In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, host Annetta Benzar speaks with Monica Ioannidou Polemitis , Partner at TKI.ai and President of ICC Cyprus Women , about why complacency is the real risk, how Cyprus shaped he...

“We have too many narcissist leaders today.” What does a 30-year career in a male-dominated firm, raising three children, and still pushing for inclusion, authenticity, and real change in Cyprus? Cleo Papadopoulou, the first female partner at PwC Cyprus, shares how she moved from aspiring ballerina in London to building a career in a partnership of more than 30 men. In this episode: ◽️ growing up...