Sven Smit

Senior Partner @McKinsey & Company

Sven is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, and chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), McKinsey’s business and economics research arm. He is a member of McKinsey’s Shareholders Council as well as McKinsey’s executive committee, known as the Acceleration Team, overseeing insights and ecosystems.

Sven works with leading companies to develop strategies for growth, serving all industries. Analyzing the success factors required for business growth, examining the way megatrends influence it, and defining the lessons of diversified growth, he builds on the ideas in Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick (2018) and The Granularity of Growth (2008), two books he co-authored.

As chairman of MGI he leads research and authors MGI reports on global economic trends and topics such as productivity and growth, urbanization, innovation and technology, labor markets and the future of work, emerging markets, and Europe’s economic outlook.

He helps McKinsey to develop the firm’s point of view on core issues such as economic volatility, inflation, and uncertainty, and defines ways to help clients navigate the problems.

Previous roles Sven has held within McKinsey include leading the Firm’s Western Europe region and the global Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice.

Sven holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delft University of Technology & an MBA from INSEAD. Prior to joining McKinsey in 1992, Sven worked at Philips Research Laboratories (Measurement and Control) as an engineer/researcher. He contributes to society through NL2025, an initiative committed to a better future for the Netherlands.

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SPEAKERS

Penelope Anastasopoulou
Actress
Penelope Anastasopoulou is an actress, singer and radio producer. She studied at the School of Arts Theater in parallel with her studies in Management and Economics. She also studied directing at the Union of Greek Directors, dance and music and attended many seminars related to the art of theater with many notable teachers. Her career in theater began in 2001 and includes numerous performances and television productions. She is a mother of 2 daughters and is active in philanthropy and issues related to inclusion and human rights. Her dream is to work with people with a common vision and passion for a world that will communicate in truth and love and will eliminate all forms of violence and injustice.
Katerina Vrana
Stand Up Comedian
Katerina Vrana performs stand up comedy in both Greek and English all over the world. Her shows have sold out in Athens, London and at the Edinburgh Fringe and Melbourne comedy festivals. CNN has included her in its list of “Female Comedians you must see”. In December 2016 she came third in Laugh Factory’s international competition “Funniest Person in the World” which was aimed at countries which do not have a tradition in stand-up comedy. In April 2017, while on tour in Malaysia, she fell seriously ill and nearly died. Her show "Staying Alive (I Nearly Died, You Know)" in 2019, about her illness and recovery, sold out before it even started its run.  It remains the fastest-selling, most successful solo stand-up comedy show in Greece to this day.  In 2021-22 she starred as Florence Foster Jenkins in Peter Quilter’s theatre play “Glorious”, garnering rave reviews. Derbenderissa, Katerina’s 4th solo show that was presented in Athens and Thessaloniki had a great success. Katerina spends most of her time between shows and rehabilitation as she still faces issues with her movement, eyesight and speech.
Andreas Staios
Digital Director @UM
For 13 years I have been working as a Digital Director at UM, member of the IPG communication group with responsibility for the digital strategy and development of many different products and services. In the past I have worked for multinational communication agencies such as Ogilvy, Adel Saatchi and UpSet! Having studies starting from computer analysis and programming and ending in strategic marketing, I entered the field of communication in the distant 1995, almost before digital communication appeared in the foreground. All these new, strange terms, from the beginning, piqued my interest and became strategic development tools in the digital space, for many local and multinational brands. Some of them are PIRAEUS BANK, RECKITT, MATTEL and many others.
Margarita Gerouki
Educator | Member of the Sexuality Education Committee - World Association for Sexual Health
Margarita Gerouki has spent most of her life studying or teaching, or both! Her academic interest in sexuality education started almost thirty years ago. Literally, from the first year of her teaching career. To pursue her interest, she moved to Finland. There she worked as a mother tongue teacher for Greek students of diaspora and completed a Masters’ Diploma in Health Sciences (University of Jyväskylä) and a Doctoral Diploma in Education (University of Helsinki). In Greece, she has worked as a primary teacher and an Educational Advisor and completed a Masters’ degree in Political Theory and Human Rights (University of Crete). She teaches and researches sexuality, gender, and interpersonal relationships from the viewpoint of health, education, and politics. She has taught all educational levels and works to promote inclusive sexuality education. She is the head of the authoring team that received the award of Excellence and Innovation in Sexuality Education 2019, for their work “Play with Frixos”. Currently, she is teaching in Rethymno, she is the president of the NGO Safe Carefree Children Presently (AXEPT), as well as a member of the scientific committee for Sexuality Education in the World Association for Sexual Health.
Golfo Agapitou
Head of People Talents | Deputy General Manager @Eurobank
Golfo Agapitou is a business psychologist, coach, mentor and people and organizational change expert with experience both in management consulting, academia, and corporate roles with genuine passion for the future of work. In Eurobank, as Head of People Talents, she leads human capital development, culture change, workforce diversity and inclusion, new ways of work, learning, upskilling and talent development. She has worked extensively in designing systems for enhancing human performance, continuous learning, and development at work and in coaching senior leaders in leadership transformation. Employee value proposition and the new employer contact in the modern banking with emphasis in bringing different generations together in the new workplace is an area of focus for Golfo. She enjoys the hybrid way of work, loves travelling, exploring ChatGPT, her Pilates practice and learning interior design. She firmly believes that in a technology driven world people make the difference!
Dr. Anino Emuwa
Global D, E & I Expert | Founder of 100 Women @ Davos
Dr. Anino Emuwa is a global expert in the field of  D, E & I working at the intersection of women’s leadership, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies. She is the Managing Director of Avandis Consulting in France and the founder of 100 Women @ Davos. A former corporate banker with Citibank, Anino has over twenty years of international corporate governance experience and sits on the board of several organisations and institutions. An award-winning international key note speaker, Anino was  recently named one of the Top 100 Women of the Future: Metaverse and Web3, and a LinkedIn Top Voice in Gender Equity.  She is a member of the jury for Cartier Women’s Initiative and the Jack Ma Foundation’s Africa’s Business Heroes where she mentors impact entrepreneurs. Anino earned her Doctorate in Business Administration from Nottingham Business School, holds an MBA from Cranfield School of Management and a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics.  She is a global citizen who has travelled to over forty countries, lived in six and speaks English and French fluently.
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