The Future Makers Podcast: Women Building Cyprus

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 safety still shapes where and when women can run in Cyprus.The Future Makers Podcast is a series of in-depth conversations about how future-makers are made, in Cyprus and beyond. Host Annetta Benzar sits down with people who are a leading force in our shared future and looks past the titles. Together, they travel back to the people and moments that shaped them, walk through the choices and challenges they are living through now, and look ahead to the futures they are trying to build.The first season, Women Building Cyprus, follows women whose lives and decisions are changing what this island can be.A production of The Future Media.Links:The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/Annetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Elia Ioannou: https://www.instagram.com/elia.ioannou/

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 Makers Podcast is a series of in-depth conversations about how future-makers are made, in Cyprus and beyond. Host Annetta Benzar sits down with people who are a leading force in our shared future and looks past the titles. Together, they travel back to the people and moments that shaped them, walk through the choices and challenges they are living through now, and look ahead to the futures they are trying to build.The first season, Women Building Cyprus, follows women whose lives and decisions are changing what this island can be.A production of The Future Media.Links:The Future Media: www.thefuturemedia.euAnnetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Maria Lavithi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-lavithi-a616268b/ 

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 possible that has driven every decision she has made, why most skincare claims don't hold up to science, and what it takes to build a global product from a small island. Links:The Future Media: www.thefuturemedia.euAnnetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Nadia Kapleva: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiakapleva/ 

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 become.The Future Makers Podcast is a series of in-depth conversations about how future-makers are made, in Cyprus and beyond. Host Annetta Benzar sits down with people who are a leading force in our shared future and looks past the titles. Together, they travel back to the people and moments that shaped them, walk through the choices and challenges they are living through now, and look ahead to the futures they are trying to build.The first season, Women Building Cyprus, follows women whose lives and decisions are changing what this island can be. A production of The Future Media.Links:The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/Annetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Greta Skemaite: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greta-skemaite/

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-depth conversations about how future-makers are made, in Cyprus and beyond. Host Annetta Benzar sits down with people who are a leading force in our shared future and looks past the titles. Together, they travel back to the people and moments that shaped them, walk through the choices and challenges they are living through now, and look ahead to the futures they are trying to build.The first season, Women Building Cyprus, follows women whose lives and decisions are changing what this island can be. A production of The Future Media.Links:The Future Media: www.thefuturemedia.euAnnetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Raluca-Ioana Man: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralucaioanaman/ 

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 beyond. Host Annetta Benzar sits down with people who are a leading force in our shared future and looks past the titles. Together, they travel back to the people and moments that shaped them, walk through the choices and challenges they are living through now, and look ahead to the futures they are trying to build.The first season, Women Building Cyprus, follows women whose lives and decisions are changing what this island can be. Links:The Future Media: www.thefuturemedia.euAnnetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Alexia Solomou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexiasolomou/  

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 her drive, and what it takes for more women to reach decision-making roles, in Cyprus and beyond.The Future Makers Podcast is a series of in-depth conversations about how future-makers are made, in Cyprus and beyond. Host Annetta Benzar sits down with people who are a leading force in our shared future and looks past the titles. Together, they travel back to the people and moments that shaped them, walk through the choices and challenges they are living through now, and look ahead to the futures they are trying to build.The first season, Women Building Cyprus, follows women whose lives and decisions are changing what this island can be.A production of The Future Media.Links:The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/Annetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Monica Ioannidou Polemitis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-ioannidou-polemitis/ 

“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 in a family of teachers and the role of discipline◽️ pivoting from ballet to accountancy◽️ navigating bias and leadership as a woman◽️ balancing a senior career and raising three children◽️ exploring why authenticity, integrity, and vulnerability matter today A conversation about resilience, choices, and redefining leadership in Cyprus.Cleo Papadopoulou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cleo-papadopoulou-469b061/Follow us:Website: https://thefuturemedia.eu/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbes-cyprus-the-future-of-fintech-summit/?viewAsMember=true YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thefuture-media?si=Gpw89d8qm1Ct0Jqx