ZENO STOIC CENTRE
Board of Directors
Edward is an Honorary Associate at the Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney and Charles Sturt University in Australia, and a Senior Research Fellow at the 4TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology, Netherlands. Edward was born in Egypt to Greek Cypriot and Irish parents. He was raised in Larnaca where he studied at the American Academy. He is the founder and director of the Philosophy Plays project whose aim is the communication of public philosophy through drama performance and audience participation through discussion.
Roverto has a PhD on Stoic Physics, and has taught across the University of London, receiving numerous teaching awards from King’s College London. He now resides in Kition, Zeno’s birthplace, conducting research, in affiliation with the University of Cyprus, on the reconstruction of lost Stoic theories from the fragmentary evidence and their survival through fringe sciences.
Dr Edward H Spence
President
Dr Roverto Heller
Vice President
Iacovos Iacovides
Treasurer
Iacovos is a Mathimatician (Teaching for 34 years) με Μεταπτυχιακό στην ειδική διδακτική των Μαθηματικών. He lives in Larnaca.
Dr Charalambos Louca
Secretary
Charalambos has a PhD in economics and is the Head of the Business Department and Director of Research at the American College, Nicosia, Cyprus. He has been the research coordinator for conducting the grant research projects financed by the Research and Innovation Foundation, Reforming the Social Insurance System in Cyprus and Reforming the Public Pension Scheme in Cyprus. He has gained an in-depth experience in the fields of public economics, management and pension reforms.
Dr Louca is the Editor of, The Cyprus Journal of Sciences, the academic journal publication of American College.
In 2023, Dr Louca organised the international conference, Zenon of Kition, the Legacy of Stoicism in Turbulent Times: Addressing Issues of Sustainability, Globalization, Inclusion and Democracy.
Meletis Apostolides
Director at Large
Meletis holds a BA (Hons) in Architecture, a Diploma in Architecture, and an HND in Civil Engineering. Born in Lapithos, Kyrenia, he studied in London, where he also explored various visual arts. He served as Senior Architect at the Cyprus Tourism Organisation for 29 years, focusing on architectural heritage, agrotourism, and exhibition design. He was a long-standing member of architectural and artistic competition juries and served for nine years on the Committee for Contemporary Monuments, appointed by the Council of Ministers. An active visual artist, Meletis has exhibited in Cyprus, Greece, Russia, and the UK, including three solo shows. He is a member of multiple professional bodies (ARCUK, RIBA, ETEK, IAA) and has served on various national and international boards.
Tasoula Kallenou
Events Manager
Tasoula has a Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication (University of Technology, Sydney, a Masters of Arts in Media, Performance & Education (University of New South Wales) and is currently completing a PhD in Philosophy at Charles Sturt University. She has worked as a graphic designer and content producer for many projects using graphic and interactive communication skills. She is interested in performance philosophy. Tasoula lives in Ayia Napa, Cyprus.
Vasiliki has a Degree in Business Administration from the University of Cyprus. Diploma and Master in Career Guidance and Counselling Nottingham Trent University and Sunderland University. She has been working for many years as a Career Guidance and Counselling Teacher for the Ministry of Education in Cyprus. Has written many articles about Guidance and Counselling. She is an active member in many social and volunteering activities, loves books and especially Greek philosophers.
Vasiliki Nicoulau
Social media & Communication
Alper Riza KC
Op-Ed Editor
Alper was born in Cyprus and educated at The American Academy 1959-65 and The English School Nicosia 1965-67. He was called to the Bar in England 1973 and was appointed Queen Counsel in 1991 and part-time Judge in 1992.
Alper is a practicing barrister and weekly columnist with the Cyprus Mail newspaper.
Founding Members
Andreas was born in Cyprus, his family moved to Australia in 1971 after his father died in 1965. Whilst at University he worked in a bookshop that his brother and cousin had opened in 1976 and then decided to leave his studies in 1979 and operate a bookshop in the heart of Melbourne’s university community. It was a very successful operation and after 12 years in 1990, decided to move to Cyprus with his wife and two children. He has operated the bookshop in Larnaca,Cyprus since 1990 serving both Greek and English-speaking people with quality Academic, scientific, and general books. He still loves reading and selling books.
Andreas Christodoulou
Dr Christos Kyriacou
Christos has received his PhD from the University of Edinburgh and he is an assistant professor in Philosophy at the University of Cyprus. His main research interests lie in epistemology, metaethics, and their intersection. He has published in many journals. He has also coedited the several volumes (Palgrave, 20 l 8) and (Routledge, 2021) and wrote entries for Internet Encyclopedia Philosophy, and Deford Bibliographies in Philosophy. He has also written in Greek the textbook 'Doing the Right Thing. An introduction to Moral Philosophy which is expected to be published in 2023.
Bambos Orphanides
Bambos was born in Lapithos, Cyprus. He was educated at the Greek Gymnasium of Lapithos 1963-1966 and Commercial and Vocational School, Kyrenia 1966-1969. He studied in England 1970-1976 Business Studies and BA Social Sciences (Economics) Central London Polytechnic. From 1979-1989 he worked as Commercial Attache at the Cyprus High Commission Trade Centre in London. From 1990-2013 he worked as Senior Commercial and Industrial Officer at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Energy of Cyprus.
Christos Skopelitis
Christos was born in Cyprus and graduated from the Nicosia professional school in 1968. He went to England and studied business management. Christos is married with three children and returned to Cyprus in 1990.He worked as an import manager for four years with Spinneys Imports Co. Until his retirement Christos worked as manager of METRO supermarkets. He brings business skills to the Zeno Stoic Centre.
Nakis is a High-Performance Coach, HR strategist, and founder of Greatnoûss and Fitnoûss—programs that bridge leadership, mindset, and physical excellence. With academic grounding in Business and HR, and a background spanning fitness, sales, and corporate leadership, he helps individuals and organizations grow through Stoic-inspired principles and structured development. Based in Larnaca, he is also the author of Fitnoûss The Book and an active speaker and trainer across Europe.
Dr Christos Hadjioannou
Christos Hadjioannou is an Associate Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Nicosia and a researcher in the DIGITS group (Digital Transitions & Society). He earned his PhD from the University of Sussex in 2015 with a dissertation on Heidegger’s phenomenology. He has held fellowships from the Irish Research Council and DAAD and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Cyprus and Sofia University. He has taught at various institutions, including Sussex, UCD, and Freie Universität Berlin. His research focuses on phenomenology, affect, and emotions, and he is writing a monograph on Stoicism and Heidegger.
Born and raised in Nicosia, Cyprus, Christos has lived and worked in the USA, UK, Germany, and Ireland before returning to Cyprus in 2017.
George Nicolettos
George was born in Famagusta, Cyprus, and was forced to leave his hometown following the 1974 Turkish invasion. Upon completing secondary school in 1983, he continued his education in Cyprus, where he graduated from the Higher Technical Institute of Nicosia with a diploma in Electrical Engineering. He dedicated 36 years of my professional life to CYTA, the Cyprus Telecommunication Authority, working in the field of telecommunications, contributing to the development and modernization of Cyprus telecommunication infrastructure. He is married and has one son. Now retired, he continues to value Knowledge, family and the resilience that shaped his life journey. Stoic philosophy with an emphasis on inner peace for the attainment of eudaimonia has contributed to his life’s philosophy.
Dr Sotos Shiakides
Sotos has a B.Sc in Philosophy with Sociology (1976) from City University, London, UK, a M.Sc in Sociology with Politics (1977) from Birkbeck College, University of London, UK, and a Ph.D in Philosophy (2011) from Cardiff University, UK. A version of his doctoral thesis has been published as the book ‘‘Rationality as a Guide to Human Action – A Revised Habermasian Conception’’ (2014, University of Nicosia Press). He has worked in the field of training and development at the Cyprus Academy of Public Administration (1992 - 2013), and taught also at several other academic and professional institutions in Cyprus and abroad.
Dr Stephan Stephanides
Stephan began his academic journey in 2014 as an undergraduate student in Classics at University College London. Upon completing his Bachelor’s Degree in 2017, he took up an MPhil in Classics (Ancient Philosophy) at the University of Cambridge. Stephan graduated as a Doctor of Philosophy in the summer of 2023. His PhD thesis, entitled "From Conflict to Unity: Plato on Well-Ordered Wholes", re-examined the subject of parts and wholes in Platonic philosophy and argues that Plato’s conceptual apparatus for elucidating the coherence of complex wholes comprised of disparate parts (pertinent examples of which include the soul, the human animal composed of body and soul, the city, and the world) improves over time from dialogues such as Gorgias and Republic and culminates in dialogues from Plato’s later period such as Statesman, Timaeus, Philebus and Laws.
Marina Savvides
Richard Spence
Theodoros Dimitriadis
Nakis Theocharides
Dr Zeno Stravrinides (1946-2025) was born in Cyprus, where he received his primary and secondary schooling. His university studies took place in Great Britain. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Leeds. Dissertation title: The Question ‘What is Knowledge?’. In 2018, he retired to his home country, where he has developed his interests in philosophical psychology. Zenon was a staunch supporter of the establishment of the Zeno Stoic Centre. Sadly he did not live to see it approved.
International Honorary Members
Zoe Booth
Zoe has a B Arts and, a B Laws (Hons) from the University of Newcastle, Australia. Zoe works as the community engagement officer for Quilette. She cares about promoting open discussion, free thought, and free artistic expression. She is host of the Quillette Cetera podcast.
Emily Hulme is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at University of Sydney, Australia. She specialises in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy. Her research interests include Plato’s epistemology and ethics, philosophy of language from Parmenides to the Stoics, and arguments concerning the status of women in the ancient world.
Dr Emily Hulme
Kathryn Koromillas
Kathryn is a Scotland-based writer, ghostwriter, educator and coach. Rooted in Stoicism, her writing programmes and coaching combine ancient wisdom and contemporary therapeutics to help curious humans flourish. Kathryn is a board member of Modern Stoicism and has spoken on topics of death, transience, creativity and storytelling at Stoicon, Plato’s Academy Centre and Aurelius Foundation. She is a member of Lapidus International, the Society of Authors, and is Head of Community at the London Writers’ Salon. She is the author of Palimpsest, holds a Master of Philosophy degree in Creative Writing and is currently enrolled in Metanoia Institute’s Master of Science degree in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes with a research interest in therapeutic autofiction. Kathryn writes the newsletter Metanoia Road on Substack.
Helen lives in Melbourne Australia where she has held teaching and educational leadership positions for 38 years in a variety of P-12 schools.
She has a master in education and currently uses her expertise to support the Australian Classical Education Society in the renewal of Classical Education.
She is currently involved in a project where she is researching and designing curriculum embodying the principles of Classical Education, consisting of the Greek conception of education which is encapsulated in the term paideia.
Helen Koutroulis
Werrdan Khoury
Werrdan is a Lawyer and the Managing Partner of Daniel Jude Lawyers in Sydney, Australia. Possessing both extensive knowledge and over a decade’s experience within the legal field dealing with sensitive and complex matters, Werrdan understands the importance of upholding ethical responsibilities within society. With an embracing and passionate spirit, he is committed to building a society that is self-aware and in the pursuit of that which is good, right, and just! Werrdan has a strong love for Mediterranean philosophy and the ancient dramatic arts. The establishment of the Stoic Centre will leave an important legacy for the spiritual health of humankind, and he is very proud to be a founding member.
Antonino (Nino) lives in Sydney, Australia and holds a First Class Honours in Ancient History, focusing on the relationship between Hellenistic philosophy and Roman Republican Politics. He subsequently obtained a Master of Science in Coaching Psychology, also from the University of Sydney, and regularly draws on Stoicism in his work and practice. Nino is also an actor, writer, and director and has collaborated over decades with Edward Spence on Philosophy Nights, bringing philosophers like Socrates and Zeno to life and presenting a unique experience for audiences passionate about philosophy in general, and Stoicism in particular.
Antonino Lo Giudice
Professor Seamus Miller
Seumas is a Professor of Philosophy at the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security at Charles Sturt University and a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford. He is the author or co-author of 22 books and over 250 academic articles. His most recent authored book is Cybersecurity, Ethics and Collective Responsibility (with T Bossomaier) published in 2024 with Oxford University Press.
Anastasiia is working on her dissertation on the relationship between Stoic physics and ethics in Seneca’s prose works at the University of Southern California. She has an MA in Classics from USC and a BA in Liberal Arts from King’s College London. She is interested in Greek and Roman cosmological ideas and questions of individual and collective progress and corruption.
Dr Thanasis Rinotas
Thanasis is a Research Fellow at KU Leuven Belgium and a Post-doctoral researcher at the University of Cyprus. He holds degrees in Classical Philology and History and Philosophy of Science (University of Athens), and a PhD in Philosophy (KU Leuven). During his PhD studies he was an FWO Fellow and a visiting researcher at the Albertus Magnus Institut in Bonn and the Warburg Institute in London.
His research has focused on ancient Greek and Medieval natural philosophy and their connection with magic and alchemy, on which he has published a series of articles.