Chef Maria Loi is an internationally acclaimed chef, restauranteur, entrepreneur and philanthropist with a passion for health and wellness. Loi shares many delicious recipes in the PBS TV series “The Life of Loi: Mediterranean Secrets”.
FWA Announces First Five International Business Conference Speakers for 2024
February 21, 2024
VIPs and experts will share insights into Greece’s transformation from debt crisis to success
The FWA’s annual International Business Conference (IBC) is an executive-level experience designed to raise your international business IQ while immersing your senses in a dynamic culture. This year, we’ll travel to Greece from May 11-18 to learn about Reinvention as a Path to Success while socializing, networking and enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of Athens and Santorini.
We’re excited to announce the following speakers, who will share their insights into the economic climate and innovative spirit that fueled Greece’s economic reinvention and path to success.
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Chef Maria Loi is an internationally renowned entrepreneur, author, television personality and philanthropist working to change the world - one healthy bite at a time. Known as the Julia Child of Greece, she is the founder and face of a lifestyle brand that nurtures a healthy body and soul, melds the inspiration of ancient Greece with a modern approach to the Mediterranean diet, cooks up a heaping dose of happiness, humor and joy and helps people boost their immunity and improve their health, wellness and longevity.
Chef Loi is known for her expertise in a variety of sectors including film and media; hospitality and entertainment; telecommunications; restaurants and food products, packaging, and marketing. Her government and media relations consulting and lobbying clients have included Net Med International (Film Net), Super Channel International, ITT Corporation (ITT Sheraton and ITT Caesars), and Nokia Telecommunications among many others.
Chef Loi is passionate about sharing the magic of all things Greek – especially the culinary treasures, recipes and practices passed down through the generations and from her grandfather. Deeply popular and beloved in Greece and a food superstar in the U.S., she exudes kindness, friendliness and warmth, makes a friend of everyone she meets and lights up rooms with her
bountiful energy, infectious smile and hearty laugh.
The founder of Loi Food Products, a specialty brand built on traditional ingredients from Greece; her frozen pies, pastas, beans, botanical herbs, refrigerated dips, honey and olive oil are sold on QVC, at Whole Foods Markets and in other stores.
The author of more than 36 cookbooks, she is also host of the award-winning show, THE LIFE OF LOI, on PBS, which debuted in December 2022, and has since saturated 98% of the top 50 television markets. Winner of the International Telly Award (44th Annual Telly Awards) in Online Series – Food & Beverage, and now winner of ‘Best Chef in a Series’ from the 15th Annual Taste Awards. The Life of Loi aims to build an inspirational and educational movement around the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle – from ancient to modern, food to culture and everything in between. Season 2 is scheduled to premiere April 27, 2024.
The namesake of Loi Estiatorio in Manhattan, Chef Loi has cooked for celebrities and Presidents. But she most enjoys gathering with a roomful of diners over a good meal filled with laughter and stories and passing out smiles and homemade cookies to children who visit her restaurant.
Named an official Ambassador of Greek Gastronomy by the Chef’s Club of Greece, Chef Loi is also a passionate and dedicated philanthropist who supports a wide variety of causes focused on children and the underserved.
Vassiliki Lazarakou is Chair of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC), Greece's markets regulator, where she oversees market intermediaries, listed companies and market surveillance. She sits on the board of the European Securities Markets Authority (ESMA) and is admitted to both the Athens and New York Bar.
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Vassiliki Lazarakou, JSD
Chair of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC)
Member of the Management Board of ESMA
Member of the Board of IOSCO
Chair of the ESAs Joint Sub-Committee on Securitizations
Member of the Bureau of the OECD Corporate Governance Committee.
Vassiliki Lazarakou is Chair of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) since September 2019. She is also a Member of the Board of Supervisors of European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and has been elected as Member of the Management Board of the ESMA. She is also chairing ESAs Joint Sub- Committee on Securitizations.
Vassiliki Lazarakou is a member of the IOSCO Board for a 2 year term (October 2022 –October 2024) since HCMC was elected by the European Regional Committee (ERC) as its Representative to the IOSCO Board.
She has also been re-elected as a member of the Bureau of the Corporate Governance Committee of the OECD for the year 2024.
Dr. Lazarakou has a Doctorate in Law (JSD) from New York University School of Law, New York, U.S.A. and an LLM in International Legal Studies from the same University as well as a Bachelor in Law from the Athens University, School of Law. She is a lawyer admitted at both the Athens Bar and the New York Bar Association with expertise on capital markets, M&As, privatizations, corporate and commercial law and other similar issues. She has worked for more than 20 years as a Partner at several law firms and for more than 10 years she was heading the relevant Banking, Capital Markets and Finance Department of such Firms. From 2012 -2015 she was also a First Vice-Chair of the HCMC.
Yianos Kontopoulos is CEO of Hellenic Exchanges, comprising the Athens Stock Exchange, Athens Exchange Clearing House and Hellenic Central Securities Depository. Prior to joining Hellenic Exchanges, he held senior strategist roles at CQS, UBS, Eurobank Group, Salomon Brothers and Merrill Lynch.
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Yianos Kontopoulos joined the Athens Exchange Group as CEO in 2022.
He has long and successful international experience in global capital markets. He was a Partner, Chief Macro Strategist at CQS Fund in London, with previous service at UBS and Merrill Lynch, and he was CEO at Eurobank Asset Management.
He has worked in senior management positions in capital markets in New York, London, and Athens.
He started his career on Wall Street at Salomon Brothers. He was Managing Director at two of the largest international investment banks, UBS, and Merrill Lynch, where he created and led large teams of leading analysts, building an extensive international network of contacts with major and significant investment firms around the world.
In Greece, he was Chief Investment Officer of Eurobank as well as CEO of Eurobank Asset Management, the largest mutual fund management company in the country. He has also worked in key positions in hedge funds abroad with billions in investments in global markets.
He is the Chairman of the Stock Markets Steering Committee, a Member of the Board of Directors of the American - Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, a Member of the Board of the Council on Competitiveness of Greece, and a Member of the Working Committee of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges (FEAS).
He was born and raised in Thessaloniki.
Yianos Kontopoulos holds a Ph.D., M.Phil., and M.A. in Economics from Columbia University and an A.B., also in Economics, from Harvard University.
Vasilis Tsaitas is the Group CFO of HELLENiQ ENERGY, a leading energy group in southeast Europe that is pioneering the energy transition in the region. With a keen focus on sustainable energy solutions, Vasilis is at the forefront of the company's transformation efforts to improve its carbon footprint by 50% by 2030.
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Vasilis Tsaitas is a graduate of Business Administration from University of Piraeus and MBA from INSEAD, as well as a Fellow at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, with over 20 years of experience in finance and strategy in the energy sector.
Vasilis started his career at Shell Hellas, where he held the role of Financial Controller. He worked for HSBC investment banking in London, focusing on M&A advisory for European Oil & Gas and utility companies. He also has professional experience in the development and financing of RES projects. He joined HellenIQ Energy Group in 2011 and has been responsible for Investor Relations and international capital markets. Since February 2022, he holds the position of Group CFO.
Dika Agapitidou is the Founder and Director of Athens Economics Ltd – JLL Alliance Partner, an economic and commercial real estate consultancy and agency. She is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a founding member of the Greek branch of the International Council of Shopping Centres and a member of Hellenic Valuation Institute.
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Dika Agapitidou is the Founder and Director of Athens Economics Ltd – JLL Alliance Partner, set up in 1993. She is a Member of the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), a founding member of the Greek branch of the ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centres) and a member of ELIE (Hellenic Valuation Institute).
Her background is in Economics, Planning & Econometrics and she has been professionally involved in commercial real estate since 1988, when she was appointed Head of Forecasting at Jones Lang Wootton in London.
Prior to that, she worked as a consultant for the Greek government (Home Office), international organizations (EU & OECD), and academic establishments (LSE) in Athens, Brussels, Paris, and London.
In her present role as director of Athens Economics Ltd – JLL Alliance Partner, and together with trusted colleagues from a multidisciplinary background, she provides commercial real estate and economic research/advice as well as valuation and agency services to domestic business and multinationals.
She is the co-author of one book (IOVE, 1995), has written numerous articles, which have appeared in Greek and English newspapers and specialist periodicals and is a frequent panelist in real estate conferences and seminars in Greece and abroad.
Dika speaks Greek (native), English, French & Spanish, is married and a mother of three.
Register now for this unique opportunity to expand your worldview and raise your professional profile!
Registration Deadline: April 1, 2024
Interns participating in the 2026 Wall Street Exchange (WSE) Program gathered virtually for the program’s second session, an interactive panel discussing “Networking Best Practices.” Sponsored by S&P Global, Northwestern Mutual, and Wells Fargo, the session brought together three financial services professionals to share how they have built and sustained meaningful relationships throughout their careers. The discussion was moderated by Dan Yu, Co-Founder of FutureProof You and Director of Partnerships at the talent development nonprofit Ascend Leadership . After a long career on Wall Street, Dan pivoted to recruiting and career coaching, work that has since taken him from coaching college students to C-level executives. He set an energetic, conversational tone for the panel, joined by Jena Angeliadis, Executive Director and Senior Lead Product Manager at Wells Fargo; Antonietta Gaudio, Recruiting Operations Manager at Northwestern Mutual; and Christina Siekierski, Senior Product Manager at S&P Global. Jena traced her own path across American Express, JPMorgan Chase, and now Wells Fargo, encouraging interns to think of networking less as a transaction and more as an ongoing practice built on curiosity and follow-through. She pointed to her own career transitions, including launching the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business card, as proof that relationships built early in a career often resurface in unexpected and valuable ways later on. Drawing on nearly 14 years in talent acquisition, Antonietta spoke about her “white glove” approach to building trust, urging interns to lead every interaction with empathy and authenticity rather than a polished pitch. She reminded the group that confidence in networking is built from within, and that the goal of any conversation should be genuine connection, not simply a foot in the door. Christina offered a product manager’s view of networking, describing how cross-functional relationships across product, commercial, and client teams at S&P Global have been just as important to her growth as relationships built outside the office. She encouraged interns to treat every colleague, not just senior leaders, as a connection worth investing in. To help interns put the panel’s advice into action, Dan closed the session with five “homework” assignments to complete in the weeks ahead: Update your LinkedIn profile Build a Linktree or dotcard Join or start a virtual networking group Reply to your three oldest unanswered text messages, using voice text Call someone you haven’t spoken with in a year A huge thank you to Dan Yu, Jena Angeliadis, Antonietta Gaudio, and Christina Siekierski, and to S&P Global, Northwestern Mutual, and Wells Fargo, for helping interns build the confidence and tools to network with purpose. At the conclusion of the session, the WSE Committee awarded a CFA Society New York student membership to Angela Lin. The WSE Co-Chairs and Committee extend their sincere thanks and appreciation to the President’s Circle Firms, the Partnership Circle Firms, and the Friends of FWA for their unwavering support and generosity to the interns and the Wall Street Exchange Program.
The 2026 Wall Street Exchange (WSE) Program celebrated the start of its landmark 50th year on June 7 with an o rientation and networking session hosted by the CFA Society New York at its Manhattan headquarters. This year, WSE brings together 45 students from 28 universities representing 18 diverse financial institutions, insurance companies, fintech firms, and other organizations across the financial services industry. The evening provided participants with an opportunity to meet their peers, engage with FWA volunteers and program leaders, and gain insight into the experiences and opportunities that will shape their summer journey. FWA President Albana Theka welcomed the 2026 cohort and shared words of encouragement as interns began this important chapter in their professional development. She emphasized the value of cultivating meaningful relationships, seeking out mentors, remaining open to new perspectives, and taking full advantage of the opportunities available through WSE. Elizabeth Park, CFA Society New York’s Director of Membership, then introduced participants to the Society’s mission, resources, and commitment to advancing professionalism within the investment industry. Joy Lowenwirth of th e CFA Institute continued, highlighting the importance of ethical leadership, continued education, and lifelong learning while providing attendees with valuable insight into the CFA designation and the evolving landscape of the financial profession.
Please join us in welcoming the new and returning Financial Women’s Association Board Members for the 2026-2027 term. We look forward to working with you to support and serve our community. Thank you for your leadership!
The FWA staff is excited to welcome Sanjay Kumar as our 2026 Database Management & Data Analysis Summer Intern. Sanjay is currently pursuing an MBA in Business Analytics at Adelphi University and also works as a data analyst at the university. Originally from India, he is passionate about using data, analytics, and business intelligence to turn complex information into actionable insights that support informed decision-making and organizational growth. Through his academic and professional experiences, Sanjay has developed strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills. Reflecting on his internship, Sanjay shared, "I am excited to be part of the FWA community and look forward to contributing to its mission while learning from and collaborating with such an inspiring network of professionals." We're pleased to have Sanjay supporting FWA's data management and analysis projects this summer and look forward to the contributions he will make!
