As part of our postgraduate program, we had the distinct honor of hosting Mr. Christos Giannakakis, Vice President of Venus Growers and ETHEAS, and President of COGREXPO S.A., one of the most experienced representatives of the Greek agri-food sector.

With many years of experience in the field of cooperatives and profound knowledge of both domestic and European agricultural policy, Mr. Giannakakis shared valuable insights with our students from his participation in decision-making centers in Greece and the European Union.

During his presentation entitled “Lobbying and Agri-Food”, he highlighted the role of lobbying as a tool for strategic communication and representation of the interests of the agricultural sector. Among the topics discussed during the session were:

• the role of negotiation in transforming producers’ demands into implementable policies,
• the importance of an active presence in Brussels for shaping European agricultural policy,
• the value of cooperation and strong cooperative structures,
• as well as crisis management strategies and resource advocacy for the agri-food sector.

Connecting our students with experienced market professionals is a key priority of our program, strengthening the link between academic knowledge and the real economy.

We warmly thank Mr. Giannakakis for his presence and for the valuable knowledge and experiences he shared with our academic community.