MEET THE TEAM

Optimum white

Since 1999 our Optimum team of passionate experts has been consistently exceeding the expectations of the most demanding events making us the leading Destination Management Company in Greece.

Optimum is unrolling its fresh identity along with a broader portfolio of services that will bring us ahead of the curve in creating unique and successful events with an impact.

George Kiayaskiagias

George KIAYAS

George has 28+ years of experience in destination management services, conception and management of events, organization of conferences, incentives, product launches, corporate meetings, as well as corporate, public and sports events. He held senior management positions across operations, management and consulting roles in the hospitality and tourism industry.

He is the Founder and Managing Director of Optimum, proudly leading a top performing team delivering outstanding services to customers from all over the world and consistently resetting the bar of quality in DMC services in Greece.

In his (limited) free time he enjoys following car-racing and football.

Ioli Harmandaioli harmanda child

Ioli HARMANDA

Ioli studied Hotel Management in Switzerland and has more than 24 years experience in the Tourism Industry. During and after her studies, she worked in prestigious 5* Hotels in Switzerland, Cyprus and Greece in various positions. In 1999, driven by her passion for the hospitality industry, her zeal to always fulfill the clients highest expectations, her great love for Greece, and her devotion to top quality services, she joined George in the founding of Optimum Greece.

Being a partner, she is actively involved in many aspects of the company’s operations; however, her main focus is targeted towards the organization and supervision of the administrative and financial obligations of the company. Her attention to detail, planning and organizational skills have played a significant role in the smooth, prompt and effective operation of the company.

In her free time she enjoys photography, music, dancing and traveling.

PaolaBalassopaola balasso child

Paola BALASSO

Paola has been a valuable member of the Optimum team for 17 years now and in this time she has grown professionally, organizing and running many successful high-end events. Her positive can-do attitude, focused mind and ability to keep her cool in adversities, in addition to her multicultural background and bright smile are her key assets in delivering very high standards of service that have won her Clients and suppliers esteem.

She is passionate about the beauties and heritage of Greece and in her free time she enjoys discovering the secret and authentic corners of Athens.

Her daily fix includes a tight hug with her two children and a visit to the cooking & design blogs she follows.

Petros PrelorentzosPetros Prelorentzos old new

Petros PRELORENTZOS

Petros has 22 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Before and after the completion of his studies in the US, he worked in various positions in 5* hotels. In 2004 he decided to leave the hotel world and join the Optimum team. Since then, he has organized numerous successful events, conferences, incentives, and product launches. He is a customer oriented person with a positive attitude and excellent negotiation and presentation skills to all levels of hierarchy.

Having organized a number of automotive launches he has become the “car launch guru” of the company. At the same time he is an explorer of mainland Greece region trying to find new destinations for incentives and launches.

In his free time he is into photography, IT, mountain hiking and football.

Irene Kentrotas

Irene KENTROTAS

Irene has worked in the Conference and Incentive market for over two decades and has been with the company from its start. She has lived and worked in three countries; United Kingdom, Greece and South Africa and has worked in both inbound and outbound travel, in three different sectors of the industry namely agency, hotel and DMC.

Irene prides herself on her excellent communication and interpersonal skills as well as her tenacious negotiation skills and excels in building client loyalty.

In her free time she enjoys experimenting with new recipes and trying them out on friends and family. She is an avid tennis fan and fondly refers to her favourite players as “my boys”!

Karima Kadrikarima kadri child

Karima KADRI

With over 20 years of experience in the field, Karima has an in-depth knowledge of every aspect of the Tourism industry. Her experience includes working in both Inbound and Outbound travel and more specifically with Operations, Aviation chartering, FIT and Group travel, shipping and Destination Management.

She is known for her acclaimed creativity, team work, punctuality and her indubitable patience even in the most demanding circumstances. Karima’s intuitive ability of finding solutions combined with always providing attention to detail makes her an important asset to Optimum.

In her free time, Karima enjoys travelling and listening to music.

Marie Anne Le ResteMarie Anne Le Reste childhood

Marie Anne LE RESTE

With over 11 years experience in the DMC industry.

Tenacious and resourceful, she will manage to make a project work and meet clients’ expectations both for the program and for the budget thanks to her strong negotiations skills. Enthusiastic and dynamic, she is always looking for the special touch that will provide the winning added value program which will fit to the clients needs providing top quality services.

During her free time, she enjoys cooking with her kids.

stathis sapounas newstathis sapounas old new

Stathis SAPOUNAS

Stathis has been serving the hospitality industry for over 3 decades and has held various positions as a hotel employee at the start of his career. He pursued further his studies to become an accountant and has worked for a number of different companies in Greece and in the Netherlands.
He speaks Greek, English and Dutch. He loves off-road driving and is a keen handicraftsman.
sofia-georgiadisofia-georgiadi-child

Sofia GEORGIADI

With my master’s degree in International business of SMEs from the University of Montpellier and my 5 years of experience in France, I work in the French-speaking department of Optimum Greece company. Having specialized in event organization for my degree and due to my variety of experience, I am expertly placed to coordinate international events in different sectors such as digital economy, law, pharmaceutical, and medicine. In addition, I have experience managing the sales of venue meeting rooms.

Trilingual (French, English, and Greek), I am particularly motivated to meet your needs in order to contribute to the development and smooth running of your projects. Versatile, organized, and attentive, my goal is to inspire you to travel to Greece and encourage you to discover and create an innovative experience anywhere in Greece.