Speakers of the 1st SOKEE Conference
Kerstin Scheffler, Senior Manager Trade Fairs Germany, AUMA
Before joining AUMA in 2001 Kerstin Scheffler, MBA (TH Köln, Cologne), has worked in different sales positions in several publishing companies.
2001 she started at AUMA as Manager Trade Fairs Germany, a few years later she has been appointed Senior Manager. She is responsible for coordinating the participation of small- and medium-sized enterprises and young innovators in German trade fairs in close cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Additionally she is in charge of close market observation and gathering venue related figures of German trade fairs.
Chris Skeith OBE, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Event Organisers
Chris is the Chief Executive Officer of the AEO (Association of Event Organisers), the leading association for organisers of events in the UK and internationally.
Chris started his career in media auditing at the Audit Bureau of Circulations, where he later led on the development of their auditing products for the event sector. In 2006 Chris moved to the Events Industry Alliance (EIA), overseeing the merger of AEC & BECA to form ESSA (Event Supplier & Services Association) and the launch of the highly successful ‘Use an ESSA Member’ campaign. In 2010, he also became Director of ESSA’s sister association, AEV (Association of Event Venues), driving venue engagement through numerous special interest groups before moving on to AEO in 2014. He continues to be a Director of EIA, which represents the sector to government and regulators.
Chris holds a number of voluntary positions, and is Chair of the Ministerial appointed DCMS Events Industry Board which is part of the Tourism Industry Council, and is a member of the BEIS Professional Business Services Committee. He is Chair of UKEVENTS (formerly the Business Visits & Events’ Partnership), a partnership of all leading associations in the UK event industry, and is an UFI Board Member and chair of their associations committee. In the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021, he was awarded an OBE for services to the Events Industry.
Sebastian Witt, Senior Consultant, jwc GmbH
Sebastian Witt is a Senior Consultant at jwc GmbH, the world’s leading consultancy for the international exhibition and conference industry. Based in Cologne, Germany, jwc GmbH has offices in China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. Sebastian has worked on a number of significant masterplan and strategy projects around the world and also focuses on service portfolio optimization and the pricing strategies of services.
Sebastian has a background in international economics with a master’s degree from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam.
Joerg Zeissig, CEO, Holtmann GmbH + Co. KG
2019 enters Holtmann Group as the new CEO of the group. Joerg, born on May 11, 1973, has studied Tourism and International Management. His Diploma thesis on behalf of Leipziger Messe focused on intercultural communication formats for international trade shows in 1997.
Entering the Leipziger Messe in 1997, he took responsibility for the internationalization strategy of the group, establishing appropriate event formats outside of Germany and bringing in more international clients to German trade shows in Leipzig. From 2008 he took on an additional role as Managing Director of Leipzig Messe International Asia in Singapore. After 2010 he moved on to the Event Services Industry and Business Development for leading industry players such as Ambrosius or Expotechnik / E3 World in Frankfurt. In 2016 he started a journey into the Broadcasting and Media Industry taking on two CEO positions of Media City Atelier GmbH (MCA) and Media Mobil GmbH (MMG) in Leipzig. Both companies organize and transmit TV- and Broadcasting formats.
Today, Joerg is showing full commitment to transforming the role of the Holtmann Group within the events industry into a full service agency and community builder. Joerg is married and has two children.
Adonis Georgiadis, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Vice President of Nea Demokratia, Member of Parliament of the B1 Northern Sector of Athens
Adonis Georgiadis was born on November 6th, 1972, in Athens. He is married to Eugenia Manolidou and they have two children, Perseus and Alcaeus. He graduated from the Faculty of History & Archaeology of the School of Philosophy of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens.
In 1993, he took over the management of publications ‘GEORGIADIS-LIBRARY OF GREEK’. In 1994, he founded the Liberal Studies Center “GREEK EDUCATION”. Elected MP in Athens B region in the elections of 2007 and 2009 with the LAOS political party.
In February 2012, he joined the Nea Demokratia political party, having resigned from the parliamentary office. Elected with Nea Demokratia in Athens B in the national elections of 2012 and 2015. In 2011, he was Vice Minister of Shipping in the Government of Lucas Papademos and in 2013 he was appointed Minister of Health in the Government of Antonis Samaras. On July 9, 2019, Adonis Georgiadis was sworn in as Minister of Development and Investments in the Government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a position he held for 4 years.
Katerina Batzeli, Economist, Consultant for strategic planning and investment activities, Former Minister of Rural Development and Food
Political activity
Minister of Rural Development and Food (2009-2010)
Member of the National Parliament (2009-2012): Coordinator of PASOK in the Regional Development and Competitiveness, Parliamentary Sector
Member of the European Parliament (2004-2009):
Coordinator of the Socialist Group on Agriculture and Food policies
Chair of European Parliament’s Committee on Culture, Education and Youth
General Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture for European and International issues (1994-1996)
Member of Greek Commissioner’s Cabinet of European Union (1988-1993): Portfolio on agricultural and fisheries policy, structural funds, consumer protections and cultural issues.
Self-governing activity
Head of political regional party “my homeland is Sterea”, in the Region of Sterea (Central) Greece (2019-present)
Books – Special Reports/ Studies – Articles
- The new governance and development in the European Union: Food security as a major growth policy (Papazisis, 2011)
- Study on Aromatic Plants (in cooperation with the Agricultural University of Athens)
- The role of Euro and the Agricultural Sector (ISTAME, 2001)
- Euro and Small Businesses (ISTAME, 2001)
- Published series of articles regarding development, climate changes, European affairs.
Katerina Notopoulou, Member of Parliament Thessaloniki A SYRIZA
Born in Thessaloniki, 1988. Graduated from the 17 General High School of Thessaloniki. Studied Psychology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Holds a Master’s degree in European Youth Policy from the University of Macedonia. Specialized in Counseling Psychology.
A member of the new generation of SYRIZA, has been a member of the Central Committee of the party for many years. Having participated in solidarity movements and structures. Has implemented campaigns and solidarity actions all over Europe. Since November 2016, she has assigned as the Head of the Thessaloniki Office of the Prime Minister. In August 2018, she was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Interior of Macedonia and Thrace until February 2019.
During the municipal elections in May 2019, she was one of the candidates for the position of Mayor of Thessaloniki under the political party of “Thessaloniki Together”. In the July 2019 parliamentary elections, she was a candidate in the 1st District of Thessaloniki, during which she was elected as member of the Parliament.
On the 25 June Election was re elected.
