Speaker Bio

Pantelis Tzortzakis, CEO, Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation Pantelis Tzortzakis is a seasoned entrepreneur, executive leader, and technology strategist with a track record of driving innovation, scaling businesses, and shaping national digital transformation initiatives for over three decades. Mr. Tzortzakis currently serves as CEO of the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation. A recognized trailblazer, early in his career Mr. Tzortzakis founded Forthnet SA, a groundbreaking telecom and media company that became Greece’s leading alternative fixed telephony and pay-TV operator. Under his leadership as CEO (1995–2010), Forthnet disrupted the market, went public on the Athens Stock Exchange, and acquired NOVA (2017), solidifying its dominance in the pay-TV sector. Mr. Tzortzakis has been a key player in Europe’s tech and telecom policy landscape. He served on the Supervisory Board of NETIA SA, led Greece’s national Tech & Communications Federation (SEPE) as Chairman, and played a pivotal role in public sector modernization. In 2012, he was appointed Deputy Minister of e-Government, spearheading Greece’s digital transformation efforts. He’s also served at the helm at Quest Holdings SA, as CEO, President of its subsidiaries, and Executive Vice President, and held a board member position at the Hellenic Exchanges of Athens (HELEX). Prior to his current role, Mr. Tzortzakis served as Executive Vice President (2019–2024) at the Hellenic Development Bank (HDB), fostering innovation and venture capital initiatives. His expertise was recognized in academia, where he was unanimously elected as an external member of the Board of Directors of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in 2023. He holds a Master’s in Computer Science from Brooklyn College in New York and a Business Administration degree from the University of Piraeus. Pantelis Tzortzakis, CEO, Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation Pantelis Tzortzakis is a seasoned entrepreneur, executive leader, and technology strategist with a track record of driving innovation, scaling businesses, and shaping national digital transformation initiatives for over three decades. Mr. Tzortzakis currently serves as CEO of the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation. A recognized trailblazer, early in his career Mr. Tzortzakis founded Forthnet SA, a groundbreaking telecom and media company that became Greece’s leading alternative fixed telephony and pay-TV operator. Under his leadership as CEO (1995–2010), Forthnet disrupted the market, went public on the Athens Stock Exchange, and acquired NOVA (2017), solidifying its dominance in the pay-TV sector. Mr. Tzortzakis has been a key player in Europe’s tech and telecom policy landscape. He served on the Supervisory Board of NETIA SA, led Greece’s national Tech & Communications Federation (SEPE) as Chairman, and played a pivotal role in public sector modernization. In 2012, he was appointed Deputy Minister of e-Government, spearheading Greece’s digital transformation efforts. He’s also served at the helm at Quest Holdings SA, as CEO, President of its subsidiaries, and Executive Vice President, and held a board member position at the Hellenic Exchanges of Athens (HELEX). Prior to his current role, Mr. Tzortzakis served as Executive Vice President (2019–2024) at the Hellenic Development Bank (HDB), fostering innovation and venture capital initiatives. His expertise was recognized in academia, where he was unanimously elected as an external member of the Board of Directors of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) in 2023. He holds a Master’s in Computer Science from Brooklyn College in New York and a Business Administration degree from the University of Piraeus.