The Future Makers Podcast: Women Building Cyprus

Folgen

• 
  I Used to Get 15 Rejections Before Brushing My Teeth. Then Macmillan Said Yes 20.08.2026 1Std. 1Min.

  In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar speaks with Costantia Manoli, the award-winning author of Tomatoes in My Lunchbox and The Fig Tree.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.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/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefuturemedia.eu/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbes-cyprus-the-future-of-fintech-summit/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.future.mediaAnnetta Benzar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Costantia Manoli: https://www.costantiamanoli.com/
• 
  She Left A Stable Job With 3-Year-Old Twins To Build A Life By The Sea 20.08.2026 48Min.

  In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar speaks with Angie Iacovou, co-owner and manager of Kahuna Surfhouse.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.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/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefuturemedia.eu/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbes-cyprus-the-future-of-fintech-summit/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.future.mediaAnnetta Benzar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Kahuna Surfhouse: https://kahunasurfhouse.eu/
• 
  Women Were Expected To Work, Not Have Ambition | Dr Charis Xinari 20.08.2026 54Min.

  In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar sits down with Dr Charis Xinari, Associate Professor of Critical and Cultural Theory at the European University Cyprus, to talk about the social scripts that shaped women in Cyprus, leaving and returning, building an academic identity, feminist theory, football and belonging, technology-based gender violence, critical media literacy, and why young people need adaptability more than fixed life plans.Links:The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefuturemedia.eu/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbes-cyprus-the-future-of-fintech-summit/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.future.mediaAnnetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Dr. Charis Xinari: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charis-xinari-33bb6118/
• 
  They Said 30 Was Too Old To Start Running. Then She Won 20.08.2026 28Min.

  In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar speaks with Antonia Stelikou, an agronomist, teacher, doctoral researcher and long-distance runner.Antonia did not grow up in a sporting family. She started running seriously at 30, and the first reaction around her was that she was already too old. Then she entered her first race, a 10K in Ayia Napa, and won.What began on a treadmill and moved outside during Covid became a much bigger part of her life: long-distance training, marathon preparation through the Cyprus summer, podium finishes, brand partnerships, and the discipline of fitting running around teaching, doctoral studies and several demanding professional roles.The conversation also moves into the harder side of running: five-hour nights, limited balance, family expectations, women’s safety when training outside, serious injury, fear, recovery, and the people who helped her find confidence again after she ran nearly 8km with a broken foot.Links: The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefuturemedia.eu/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbes-cyprus-the-future-of-fintech-summit/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.future.mediaAnnetta Benzar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Antonia Stelikou: https://www.instagram.com/antwnia_stelikou/
• 
  The Cypriot Greek She Was Told Was Wrong | Effie Athanassiou 20.08.2026 35Min.

  In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar speaks with Iphigenia “Effie” Athanassiou, Founder and CEO of Cyprusays®, the mobile app teaching Kypriaka — Cypriot Greek — digitally.Raised in Australia in a Greek Cypriot family, Effie grew up hearing Kypriaka at home but learning standard Modern Greek at school. Years later, when she wanted to reconnect more deeply with the language of her family, she was told the only way to learn Kypriaka was to live in Cyprus and pick it up by ear. Coming from advertising, where ideas are built from nothing, she refused to accept that there was no other way.That question became Cyprusays®: a digital tool built to help people learn, hear, read and reconnect with Kypriaka wherever they are in the world. In this conversation, Effie reflects on her father’s influence, diaspora identity, language shame, entrepreneurship, technology, community, and why preserving the way people speak is also about dignity, belonging and memory.Follow us on: https://thefuturemedia.eu/ https://www.instagram.com/thefuturemedia.eu/https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbes-cyprus-the-future-of-fintech-summit/ https://x.com/ForbesCY_FOFS Annetta Benzar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/ Effie Athanassiou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/effie-athanassiou-iphigenia-athanassiou-93764218/
• 
  Stop Saying Women Need Empowerment | Anna Prodromou 07.08.2026 52Min.

  In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar speaks with Anna Prodromou, consultant, researcher and trainer in communication, diversity, equity and inclusion, and responsible AI. Anna is the founder of Anna Prodromou Inc., president of the WICZ+ Foundation, and is currently pursuing a PhD in human-computer interaction, focusing on AI governance, transparency and accountability in organisational settings.The conversation moves through post-war Cyprus, the women history made visible only through grief, her book Women in Conflict Zones, human rights, language, inclusive communication, DEI in the workplace, AI bias, online spaces, conformity, truthfulness and why saying “no” without apology is a form of respect.The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/Annetta Benzar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Anna Prodromou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaprodromou/
• 
  Dr Marianna Prokopi-Demetriades: The Cancer Researcher Who Turned Grief Into Her Life’s Mission 06.08.2026 54Min.

  Grief could have stopped her. Instead, it became the reason she built a career around helping cancer patients live with less pain.In this episode of Future Makers, Annetta Benzar speaks with cancer researcher and biotech entrepreneur Dr Marianna Prokopi-Demetriades about how grief, unemployment and repeated setbacks became the foundation of a life’s mission centred on reducing pain and improving quality of life.They discuss her decision to leave opportunities in the UK and move to Cyprus, the four years she spent registered as unemployed despite holding four degrees, and the journey to co-founding three biotech companies: Theramir, Promed Bioscience and RSL Revolutionary Labs. Marianna also explains how her work spans cancer therapeutics, medical-grade collagen and supportive skincare for oncology patients, all connected by one purpose: creating solutions that are useful to people when they need them most.Links: The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/ Annetta Benzar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Dr Marianna Prokopi-Demetriades: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-marianna-prokopi-demetriades-52436264/
• 
  Dr. Yiola Marcou: What Cancer Teaches Us About Life, Fear & Care 03.08.2026 47Min.

  Cancer changes the way we understand life, fear, family, and care. In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar sits down with Dr. Yiola Marcou, Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre, to talk about breast cancer, the human side of oncology, women in medicine, ethics, prevention, and what Cyprus needs to protect and improve in its healthcare system.Links:The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/Annetta Benzar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Dr. Yiola Marcou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yiola-marcou-91a626206/
• 
  Dr. Antigoni Komodiki: Cyprus Needs Doers, Not Just Talkers 02.08.2026 1Std. 6Min.

  Cyprus does not need more people waiting for change. It needs more people willing to do the work.In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar sits down with Dr. Antigoni Komodiki, CEO of Junior Achievement Cyprus and Chair of the Executive Board of JA Europe, to talk about education, social justice, women’s representation, and why young people need more than knowledge to build the future.Links:The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/Annetta Benzar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Dr. Antigoni Komodiki: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antigoni-komodiki-4639a6a9/
• 
  Sophia Papastavrou: “Identity Is Negotiated” on Power, Peace, and Motherhood 01.08.2026 56Min.

  What if the most important thing you learn early in life is that identity is negotiated, not given?In this episode, Annetta Benzar sits down with Sophia Papastavrou (World Vision Canada) to talk about power beyond titles, why she doesn’t accept symbolic gestures in place of real change, and what it means to raise a child while trying to end cycles of inherited trauma.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: https://thefuturemedia.eu/Annetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Sophia Papastavrou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-papastavrou-phd-66b67a51/
• 
  Don’t Play The Game. Lead With Transparency | Sara Gunnervik 31.07.2026 48Min.

  In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar speaks with Sara Gunnervik, Partner at KENDRIS Group and Managing Partner of KENDRIS Cyprus and Luxembourg. Born in Sweden and based in Cyprus for more than 25 years, Sara reflects on feminist upbringing, single motherhood, leadership, ethics, women in senior rooms, building the KENDRIS Cyprus office, and why transparency, kindness and courage guide the way she leads.The Future Makers Podcast is a series of in-depth conversations about how future-makers are made, in Cyprus and beyond. Host Annetta Benzar speaks 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.This series, Women Building Cyprus, follows women whose lives and decisions are changing what this island can be. A production of The Future Media.The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/https://www.instagram.com/thefuturemedia.eu/https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbes-cyprus-the-future-of-fintech-summit/?viewAsMember=trueAnnetta Benzar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Sara Gunnervik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-gunnervik-186a4b2/
• 
  Ideas Don’t Build Themselves | Maria Evgeniou 30.07.2026 56Min.

  Cyprus is full of ideas, but ideas do not survive without people, networks and the courage to build. In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar sits down with Maria Evgeniou, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer at IDEA Innovation Center, to talk about her path from history and archaeology into startups, the pressure placed on women to manage everything quietly, why founders need community, what Cyprus must change in education and entrepreneurship, and why failure should become part of how we learn, build and grow.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.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/Maria Evgeniou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariaevgeniou/ 
• 
  Maria Ioannou: “Failure Is Staying Too Long” on Confidence, Exposure, and Venture Capital 20.07.2026 47Min.

  If Cyprus has the talent, what’s missing: genius or exposure? In this episode, Annetta Benzar sits down with Maria Ioannou, Portfolio and Investor Relations Manager at Kinisis Ventures, to talk about moving from communications into venture capital, what it feels like to walk into rooms where you’re the only woman, and why founders need “flying hours” before they can sell their story with confidence.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.A production of The Future Media.Links:The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/Annetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Maria Ioannou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-ioannou-ba636216b/
• 
  Why “Fun Events” Don’t Fix Workplace Culture | Christiana Genie 15.07.2026 48Min.

  Most “culture problems” can’t be fixed with a fun night out.In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar sits down with Christiana Genie, a well-established behaviour specialist, parenting strategist, and founder of Inner Growth Academy, to discuss the culture inside a workplace: everyday behaviour, the way people speak to each other, and whether teams feel real connection in physical rooms.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 Benzar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Christiana Genie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiana-genie/
• 
  Dr. Asegul Hulus: “You’ll Distract the Men” on Tech Bias and Online Safety 15.07.2026 1Std. 5Min.

  What happens when a school tells a girl she can’t study computer science because she will “distract the men”?In this episode, Annetta Benzar sits down with Asegul Hulus, an Assistant Professor in Computing and founder of Metatech Feminism, to talk about the gender bias that still follows women into tech and what “online safety” really means in an AI era.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/Dr. Asegul Hulus: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asegulhulus/
• 
  Former Minister of Justice, Anna Koukkides-Procopiou: Why Your Work Won’t Speak for You in Politics 08.07.2026 1Std. 7Min.

  In politics, your work won’t speak for you.In this episode of Future Makers: Women Building Cyprus, Annetta Benzar sits down with Anna Koukkides-Procopiou, President of Politeia and former Minister of Justice and Public Order, to talk about what politics actually rewards, how media narratives get built (including the “empty chair” story), and why Cyprus can’t keep treating security and representation as side issues.Links:The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/ https://www.instagram.com/thefuturemedia.eu/https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbes-cyprus-the-future-of-fintech-summit/https://www.tiktok.com/@the.future.mediaAnnetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Anna Koukkides-Procopiou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-koukkides-procopiou-58570498/
• 
  Artemis Kontou: Build the Culture Before the Buildings 08.07.2026 1Std. 4Min.

  What happens when we build the innovation parks, but forget the innovation culture?In this episode, Annetta Benzar sits down with Artemis Kontou, researcher and entrepreneur, to talk about moving from academia into entrepreneurship, working on AI in healthcare, and what Cyprus needs to fix if it wants serious innovation, from procurement that rewards the lowest price to an ecosystem that still struggles with risk. Links:The Future Media: https://thefuturemedia.eu/ https://www.instagram.com/thefuturemedia.eu/https://www.linkedin.com/company/forbes-cyprus-the-future-of-fintech-summit/https://www.tiktok.com/@the.future.mediaAnnetta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetta-benzar-13645710a/Artemis Kontou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artemis-kontou/
• 
  Elia Ioannou: “Running Makes Me Feel Free” on Marathon Training, Motherhood, and Safety 20.05.2026 29Min.

  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/
• 
  Maria Lavithi: “Don’t Stay in the Waiting Place” on Courage, Kids, and Character Education 12.05.2026 56Min.

  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/ 
• 
  Nadia Kapleva: Lóvi Medical Director on AI Skincare, Transparency and Personalized Routines 11.05.2026 53Min.

  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/