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Meet the team
J. Zeppos, FBCI CBCP CCRP

Mr. Zeppos Is the Founder and Group Managing Director of Resilience Guard and a two times winner of the BCI Global Business Continuity Awards – Manager of the Year 2012 & 2014.


He draws from more than 20 years of executive consulting experience on Business Resilience for global organizations, including Telecommunications, Finance, Technology, Government, International Policy Making and Olympic Games.


Throughout his career, he has been driven by a passion for excellence and innovation, impacting an organization's competitive advantage, as the leader of numerous ISO accreditations for a number of multinational companies and clients across Europe.


Further supporting the BCM industry, he actively participates in the BCI mentorship scheme, while being a member of the Judge's panel for the IRM Global Risk Management Awards since 2012 and the BCI Global Business Continuity Awards for 2013 and 2015.


Mr. Zeppos is an advocate for many social causes and a strong supporter of UNISDR activities towards enhancing organizational and community resilience across Europe and beyond.


He has studied Financial & Regional Growth, followed by a Business Administration Masters Degree and is based in Zug, Switzerland.

C. Demrovsky, MSc

Mrs. Demrovsky collaborates with Resilience Guard, acting as our International Resilience Ambassador.


She is an award-winning, purpose-driven global leader advising Fortune 100 companies, startups, consortia and the public sector in risk, resilience, and sustainability. She brings the future forward by understanding the market fundamentals of the present and driving transformation.

She is the inaugural Executive in Residence in International Business and Economy at NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs, is the Founder and CEO of Edgewood Insights, an advisory firm at the nexus of risk, resilience and sustainability, and a Senior Advisor with The Sustainability Board.

From 2017-2024, she served as the youngest and first female President and CEO of Disaster Recovery Institute International, the leading professional training company helping organizations to prepare for and recover from disasters and that serves 20,000+ certified operational and cyber resilience professionals in 110+ countries and at 95% of Fortune 100 companies.

She is a senior Forbes contributor, has appeared on CBS News, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox, Bloomberg, and Sky News, and has served as a source for The Associated Press, BBC, USA Today, The Financial Times, ABC News, and others.

She has presented at 150+ events across five continents and briefed government bodies including the US Congress, the European Commission, the UN and is a member of the FEMA National Advisory Council. She is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Crain’s New York 2023 Notable Leader in Sustainability, a US-Japan Foundation Scott M. Johnson Fellow, a French-American Foundation 2019-22 Young Leader, a British-American Project Fellow, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) ARISE-US Founding Vice-Chair and Global Board Member 2020-23, and a Board Director for Bard College at Simon's Rock Board (Vice-Chair), the French-American Foundation and OPmobility (EPA: POM).

She speaks four languages, has traveled to 50+ countries and lives in New York with her husband and son.

A. Demiridis, BSc
Mr. Demiridis heads the finance and procurement function of Resilience Guard. With more than 15 years' experience as a Financial and Business Advisor, he is implementing and managing numerous entrepreneurial projects. He leads financial analysis to identify trends, flags potential issues and recommends actions to be taken.

A specialist in financial risk management, risk modelling and core enterprise risk management, Alex provides financial expertise, critical thinking and quality control for sound financial management. His prior experience includes working with companies in the food manufacturing, retail and construction sectors to help them expand globally.

He has studied Accounting and Financial Administration and holds professional certifications in finance, international accounting and project management.
F. Markou, MSc
Mr. Markou joined the Resilience Guard team as a Technology Officer. He is responsible for the management of the company's research and development (R&D), as well as its technological needs.

He is a professional software engineer specialising in a wide variety of business applications, particularly the design and integration of large, scaled .NET and ASP.NET applications. He has more than ten years' team-based commercial .NET experience and 15+ years' Microsoft development expertise.

Extremely organised, flexible and efficient, he reliably meets deadlines without compromising on quality of work. His strong interpersonal skills make him an excellent team member and he is known for meeting even the most demanding of challenges.

His experience includes positions as IT Manager for leading destination management company (DMC) Meli Tours, Senior Software Engineer for the ICAP Group and Epsilon NET, where he provided technical expertise in business applications.

To further his knowledge, Fanis attended a series of seminars in VB.NET, C#, ASP.NET and SQL Server. He received his Master of Science - with distinction - in Information Technology from Middlesex University, England.
D. Vamvatsikos, MSc PhD CEng
Associate Professor Mr. Vamvatsikos joined Resilience Guard as Senior Resilience Engineer to strengthen the company's resilience consulting expertise.

He studied civil engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (Diploma, 1997) and at Stanford University (MSc 1998, PhD 2002). His research interests are focused on integrating structural modelling, computational techniques, probabilistic concepts and experimental results into a coherent framework for the performance evaluation of structures and infrastructure under man-made and natural hazards.

His seminal work in risk assessment via Incremental Dynamic Analysis has received wide attention leading to more than 3700 citations (Scopus, August/2020), making him one of the top-cited earthquake engineers worldwide.

He has collaborated with leading structural engineering firms (ARUP, Halcrow/CH2M/Jacobs), the oil & gas industry (Shell, ExxonMobil), catastrophe risk modelers (AIR Worldwide, RED Srl) and insurance/reinsurance companies (AXA Insurance). Highly respected, he has worked on standards for the USA and EU (CEN-CENELEC), while his research has been funded by the Applied Technology Council (ATC), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the World Bank, the European Commission and the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation.
D. Cook, MBE CSyP FSyL
Mr. Cook has more than 35 years' hands-on security experience, in both the military and business world. A well-regarded industry figure, most recently he was International Security Vice President for Deutsche Telekom and before that was responsible for security at network provider T-Mobile UK.

He has been described as "One of those rare Heads of Security who have been recognised as having excellent business skills, an individual who speaks the language of the business and has become trusted to deliver results that impact on the bottom line."

A Chartered Security Professional and Fellow of the UK Security Institute, Doug's extensive global experience spans Europe, the Far East, USA, Australia, Central America, South Africa and the UK.

He is also founder of SCARA – Security Convergence and Resilience Alliance, which has brought together global expertise in one alliance to offer clients a more holistic and converged set of quality risk mitigation solutions.
E. Gouvelis, MBA
Mr. Gouvelis is a dynamic executive reliable and a results-oriented, self-starter, with 20+ years of experience in directing sales teams that have realized sustainable and robust revenue gains.

Proven success identifying and capture market opportunities through effective business planning, consultative selling and appropriate partner engagement. Careful in P&L management with core competencies in problem-solving and in finding creative ways to overcome obstacles to accomplish goals. In-depth knowledge and experience in CME (Communication Media Entertainment) and FSI (Financial Services Industry) vertical markets.

Strong leadership with extensive international experience in team management and development with excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Always maintain composure and professional manner when communicating with people, even when difficulties arise.

He has held various sales and business development positions in international organisations such as Hewlett Packard and holds a Master's in Business Administration Degree from Robert Morris University, PA, USA.
X. Tamasi, BSc
Mrs. Tamasi is a former Administrative assistant and service industry professional, who has adopted a confident and open-minded personality in order to meet the demand of high expectation customers during her previous workplaces. Now she is the Executive Assistant to the Group MD & Group Admin Supervisor for Resilience Guard.

She is a determined, confident, and well-organized administrative assistant, with extensive experience in supporting mid and senior-level managers by providing them with consistent clerical support.

She has graduated from Budapest Business School (Hungary) and holds a BSc in Economics, specialized in Hotel Management. After her studies, she started gaining experience in a five-star hotel, first in the Guest Relations Department, then as a Concierge, where she built up her excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills. She is committed to excellence in service.

She is a real team player, her strength in administration and organization makes her experience more tailored for Resilience Guard's approaches. Enthusiastic and personable, with excellent interpersonal skills. She predicts needs and always practices personal accountability in the workplace.
D. Tsarpalis, MSc PhD CEng
Mr. Tsarpalis joined Resilience Guard as a Risk Engineer, specializing in technical and operational risk assessment and risk mitigation strategies.

He holds a Diploma in Civil Engineering (2016) and an MSc in Structural Engineering (2018) from the National Technical University of Athens. In the middle of 2022, he concluded his PhD at the Institute of Steel Structures in NTUA, which focused on the risk assessment, structural modelling, and design of automated rack-supported warehouses.

He is a Chartered Engineer since 2017 (member of the Technical Chamber of Greece) participating in the design of various reinforced concrete and steel structures worldwide. He is well-versed in software development using C/C++ and MATLAB, while being an avid fan of open-source software.

He also has a passion for high-fidelity computer graphics, being an active contributor to various 3D rendering engines. His ambition is to combine his knowledge on structural, computational and risk analysis and develop cross-platform applications that can assist engineers in their academic and professional career.

D. Skoulidou, MSc PhD CEng
Mrs. Skoulidou joined Resilience Guard as an Operational Resilience Engineer, to strengthen the capacity of the company in delivering systems that adapt, response and recover from several kind of natural and man-made hazards.

She holds a degree in Civil Engineering (2011) and an MSc in Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures (2012) from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a PhD (2020) from the University of Porto. She had worked in the past in academia as well as for a renowned engineering consulting firm.

Her research background and main interests focus on performance-based analysis of buildings as well as on risk and loss assessment applications. Throughout her research career, she has published and presented her work in various peer-reviewed journals as well as in national and international conferences. She is a Chartered Engineer since 2013 (member of the Technical Chamber of Greece).
A. Chatzidaki, MSc PhD CEng
Mrs. Chatzidaki joined the Resilience Guard team as a Critical Infrastructure Engineer, specializing in multi-hazard risk and resilience assessment.

She holds a degree in Civil Engineering and MSc in Structural Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and she is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Steel Structures in the same university, focusing on multi-hazard resilience assessment of interconnected highway systems and infrastructure.

She is a Chartered Engineer since 2017 (member of the Technical Chamber of Greece). Her research interest is mainly focused on integrating structural modelling, computational techniques and probabilistic concepts in a coherent framework suitable for the performance and risk assessment of critical infrastructure.

Her research is co-funded by the Eugenides Foundation and she is also participating in EU-funded research projects. She has also published papers in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences.
V. Bellos, MSc PhD CEng
Dr Vasilis Bellos is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Environmental Engineering of Democritus University of Thrace. He joined Resilience Guard GmbH as Climate & Environmental Risk Engineer to help expand its core consulting capabilities to the management of water resources and hydraulic works, as well as the assessment of environmental risk under climate change.

He studied civil engineering at the Democritus University of Thrace (Diploma, 2009) and completed his postgraduate studies at the National Technical University of Athens (MSc 2011, PhD 2015).

His main research interest is in numerical modelling of environmental related problems, using mechanistic simulators or data-driven approaches. He has more than ten years of experience in that field. He has participated in more than ten research programs as a Principal Investigator or as a research team member and he has written more than 20 articles published in international peer reviewed journals, while he has participated in numerous international conferences related to environmental sciences.
E. Vourlakou, MSc
Mrs Vourlakou is the Online Dissemination Expert of Resilience Guard GmbH, undertaking website design, graphic design, video production, social media, and integrated dissemination activities.

She holds a Diploma (5-year program, integrated master) in Architecture from the University of Patras (2012) and a MSc in Investigating Architectural Knowledge in relation to the broader social production from the National Technical University of Athens (2015).
Her research interest is focused on urban public space design and performance in ways that new possibilities of perception and inhabitation emerge. She has participated in research projects funded by the European Union focused on protection of historical areas from natural hazards. She is a licensed architect as a member of the Technical Chamber of Greece since 2013.
P. Pantousa, MSc PhD CEng
Mrs. Pantousa is an adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Civil Engineering of University of Thessaly. She joined Resilience Guard team as Societal Resilience Engineer.

She holds a Diploma in Civil Engineering , an MSc in Civil Engineering, and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering . She obtained her PhD degree from the University of Thessaly by defending a thesis on post-earthquake fire performance of steel moment resisting frames.

After her PhD, she worked as an Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Civil Engineering of University of Thessaly for two years. In 2017 she joined the University of Southampton to work on her Marie-Curie Fellowship (Resilient steel structures under fire and seismic actions). As part of her Marie-Curie Contract at the University of Southampton, Dafni served as Lecturer and Laboratory instructor on topics related to Structural Engineering. In 2019 she joined the Steel Structures Research and Design Group at the University of Patras to work on fracture of steel at elevated temperatures and on an externally funded project on post-fire seismic performance of steel structures.

Her research expertise is related to the response of structures to extreme loads; focusing on the areas of structural fire engineering and structural earthquake engineering. Her research vision focuses on integrating structural modelling, computational methods, and experimental findings into a strategic framework for the performance evaluation and design of structures serving the urgent needs of modern societies for resilience and sustainability.
K. Kapasakalis, MSc PhD CEng
Mr. Kapasakalis joined the Resilience Guard team as a Geohazards Engineer, specializing in technical and operational risk assessment and risk mitigation strategies.

He holds a degree in Civil Engineering (2015) from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), an MSc in Analysis and Design of Earthquake Resistant Structures (2017) from the same university, and a PhD (2020) from the Institute of Structural Analysis and Antiseismic Research at NTUA. His PhD focused on the development of vibration absorbers in civil engineering structures and was awarded the 1st prize for the Best PhD Thesis in the field of antiseismic research by the Hellenic Association for Earthquake Engineering (HAEE) in 2021.

After his PhD, he received a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Bodossaki Foundation in 2021 to conduct research on wind turbine vibration mitigation at NTUA in collaboration with ETH Zurich, Switzerland. During the academic year 2022-2023 he was an external instructor at the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Patras. He is a Chartered Engineer since 2019 (member of the Technical Chamber of Greece).

His research expertise is related to the mitigation of environmental loading, such as earthquakes and wind loads, in civil engineering structures, focusing on the seismic protection of structures from both vertical and horizontal earthquake components with the development of innovative seismic absorption devices and retrofit strategies, as well as on the design of vibration control configurations for wind turbine towers.

P. Gouvelis
Mr. Gouvelis is a Risk Engineer at Resilience Guard GmbH, responsible for evaluating and mitigating risks in various sectors. His role involves crafting risk management strategies that ensure organizational resilience against potential threats.

In addition to his risk engineering work, he is an accomplished Forensics Coach, mentoring students in debate and public speaking. Currently pursuing a Computer Science and Telecommunications degree at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, he is committed to combining his technical expertise with his passion for risk management and effective communication.

Fluent in both English and Greek, he brings a diverse skill set to his professional endeavors.
A. Gerontati, MSc PhD CEng
Mrs. Gerontati joined the Resilience Guard team as a Junior Integrated Risk Analyst, specializing in multi-hazard risk and resilience assessment.

She holds a degree in Civil Engineering and MSc in Structural Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and she is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Steel Structures in the same university, focusing on the risk assessment of power plants under seismic actions.

She is a Chartered Engineer since 2020 (member of the Technical Chamber of Greece). Her research interest is mainly focused on integrating structural modelling, computational techniques and probabilistic concepts in a coherent framework suitable for the performance and risk assessment of critical industrial infrastructure.

She has participated in EU-funded research projects and has published several papers in international conferences.
N. Gaik-Hoang, Lawyer PhD candidate
Mrs. Gaik - Hoang is a dynamic legal professional with a comprehensive background in EU and Swiss law, particularly in emerging technology sectors such as artificial intelligence and fintech. She has a strong track record in business law, labor law, and customs law, managing client matters with efficiency and expertise.

She holds a Master of Law from Jagiellonian University, where she excelled in corporate and trade law, culminating in a master's thesis on blockchain legal issues. She is currently a PhD candidate, writing her doctoral thesis on corporate law and trade law while balancing her professional commitments.

With experience in both private practice and non-profit sectors, she has provided legal assistance to marginalized communities and has actively participated in human rights initiatives. She has also played a significant role in establishing and managing GmbHs and AGs in Switzerland.

A proficient communicator, she is fluent in Polish, English, German, and Spanish, which enhances her ability to liaise with diverse clients and authorities. Her interpersonal skills, diligence, and familiarity with AI tools further equip her to deliver quality legal solutions.