Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 25th Anniversary Gala

NEW YORK – The Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce celebrated its twenty fifth anniversary on Might 12 at its annual Gala held on the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park. The well-attended occasion introduced collectively the members and supporters to honor the group and the Distinguished Benefit Award recipients Anthoula Katsimatides and Lyons Mortgage Providers in addition to Cyprus-U.S. Chamber Younger Professionals (CYP) Award recipient New York State Assemblymember Michael Tannousis.

Despina Axiotakis, Govt Director of the Chamber, gave the welcoming remarks, noting how good it was to see everybody in-person after two years and declaring that in that point, the Chamber “shattered” the glass ceiling by electing the primary girl president of the group Maria Pappas and congratulated the honorees. Axiotakis then launched the Grasp of Ceremonies Demetrios Comodromos, the Chamber’s Vice President, who famous that she has been the guts and soul of the group because it began and thanked her for all her efforts. Having attended neighborhood occasions since he was a younger little one, Comodromos noticed that the difficulty of justice for Cyprus has been the battle for over 40 years. He then acknowledged the presence of the numerous distinguished friends and the honorees.

Chamber President Maria Pappas welcomed everybody and thanked them for his or her assist and famous that the Chamber was one of many first to maneuver from in-person occasions to Zoom occasions in the course of the pandemic, beginning with the informative on-line occasion on how one can reopen a enterprise with the protection protocols that had simply begun been carried out, directed by Chamber Vice President Comodromos, and continued with occasions on investing and different matters addressing the wants and curiosity of the members. She talked about that an upcoming initiative with Cyprus Commerce Commissioner Aristos Constantine to introduce tech and start-up corporations from Cyprus to U.S. traders. Pappas thanked the sponsors for his or her generosity and their assist, the Board of Administrators, and the Gala committee- Despina Axiotakis, Nicolas Nicolaou, Demetrios Comodromos, Theodore Kakoyiannis, Laura Neroulias, Petroula Lambrou, Jovanna Tannousis, Vickie Savvides, Christina Missoulis, and Christina Shailas.

The awards presentation included the honorees sharing their gratitude and heartfelt appreciation for the popularity from the Chamber. Comodromos introduced the CYP Award to Assemblyman Michael Tannousis, recalling a gathering 9 years in the past on the Cyprus Home when Tannousis was simply out of regulation college and dealing within the Bronx District Legal professional’s workplace and now he represents elements of Brooklyn and Staten Island within the New York State Meeting. “As the primary Cypriot-American elected to state-level workplace in New York and because the son of Cypriot refugees, I’m proud to obtain this honor,” mentioned Tannousis. “I’d prefer to thank the Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce for presenting me with this esteemed award as they proceed to work diligently to keep up a profitable financial relationship between Cyprus and the USA. This award may be very significant to me and I hope that the Cyprus Younger Professionals have continued success for years to come back.”

“I’m additionally proud to come back from a household in public service,” Tannousis mentioned. “My grandfather was within the Parliament of Cyprus for 30 years, and my uncle is now in his twelfth yr within the Cyprus Parliament, and I’m proud to hold that custom of public service ahead.”

Lyons Mortgage Providers was represented by Nicos Tziazas, George Sophocleous, and Edith O’Donnell. Comodromos famous in his introduction that the corporate has been serving the neighborhood for 25 years and has supported the neighborhood’s soccer staff the Eleftheria Pancyprians, working with kids by taking part in soccer. Tziazas, President and one of many Founders of Lyons Mortgage Providers, congratulated his fellow honorees, and thanked President Mary Pappas and the Chamber for the efforts to advertise and prolong the industrial, industrial, and financial relations between the Republic of Cyprus and the USA and for the particular honor for Lyons.

Comodromos then launched Anthoula Katsimatides, actor, author, producer, and voice-over artist, noting that she was additionally the Neighborhood Affairs assistant for Governor George Pataki and it was then that she discovered about Cyprus and have become one of many staunchest defenders of the Cyprus trigger.

Katsimatides mentioned that though her roots should not from Cyprus, the island nation holds a particular place in her coronary heart from her days at Queens School the place she made many associates who have been from Cyprus, amongst them Nikos Christodoulides, who went on to turn out to be Minister of Overseas Affairs of Cyprus and is now operating for president. She famous that from her associates she discovered not solely about the fantastic thing about Cyprus, but in addition about its historical past and the injustices it suffered and continues to undergo. In her time working for Gov. Pataki, Katsimatides mentioned, “I did all the pieces in my energy to get him to acknowledge all of the injustices [of Cyprus] and to ascertain a good relationship with the Cypriot neighborhood.”

She talked about that she had the chance to carry out in a Cypriot play, however was involved in regards to the accent, and that whereas she has the accent from her dad and mom’ birthplace, Nisyros, she was frightened she wouldn’t get the Cypriot accent proper, however the director assured her she could be advantageous. Katsimatides shared a few of her favourite Cypriot expressions and phrases, to the delight of the viewers, including that she grew to become a godmother and koumera in Platres, Cyprus. She concluded by saying how humbled and honored she was to obtain the award and thanked everybody “for the chance to permit me to specific how grateful I’m to this neighborhood for all of the great souls I’ve come throughout in my life, you will have supported me by my troublesome occasions, you will have celebrated me by my comfortable occasions, helped educate me, helped me develop and expertise true empathy and assist and love.”

Amongst these current have been Consul Normal of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras, Consul Normal of Cyprus Michalis Firillas, Consul of Greece Dimitris Papageorgiou, Commerce Commissioner of Cyprus Aristos Constantine, PSEKA President Philip Christopher, Federation of Cypriot American Organizations President Kyriacos Papastylianou, Andreas Comodromos, Peter Kakoyiannis, Theoharis David, Maria Hadjidemetriou, Evis Savvides, Nicholas A. Karacostas, Nancy Papaioannou, Laura Neroulias, Phyto Stratis and plenty of different members of the Chamber, the CYP, and the neighborhood.

The occasion concluded with music by Mylos Leisure and dancing.