Who we are

This page presents Insuleur’s mission, structure, and member Chambers of Commerce and Industry from across Europe’s islands. Visitors can explore the network’s members, their geographic representation, and their role in strengthening insular economies through cooperation and advocacy.

Board of Directors

President: Giannis Roussos, President, INSULEUR & Cyclades Chamber of Commerce (Greece)

Giannis Roussos was born in April 1961, in Syros. He studied Electronics Engineering and holds a postgraduate degree in Business Organization and Management.

Since 1983, he has developed entrepreneurial activity in the fields of Electrical Engineering – Lighting, Telecommunications, Green Energy, and the Circular Economy.
His involvement in both regional and nationwide trade and business organizations, as well as his experience in international business missions, has been extensive and significant.

Throughout his business career and his uninterrupted public engagement over 34 consecutive years, he has attended numerous educational programs in Greece and abroad, primarily in the fields of Marketing, Technical Sales, Tourism, Telecommunication Systems, and Green Energy. Additionally, he has participated in a substantial number of seminars on Self-Improvement, Coaching, Emotional Intelligence, among others.

From 1988 to 2002, he served as President of the Syros Commercial Association. From 1995 to 2004, he was a member of the Board of the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE), and for three years he held the position of General Secretary of the ESEE’s Centre for the Development of Greek Commerce and Entrepreneurship.

Since 2003, he has been serving as President of the Cyclades Chamber of Commerce, which, fully digitalized since 2008, is recognized for the advanced services it provides to its members and for its modern technological infrastructure, which supports Cycladic businesses and eliminate the challenges of insularity.

Giannis Roussos is married, a father of two children, and speaks Greek and English.

President: Giannis Roussos, President, INSULEUR & Cyclades Chamber of Commerce (Greece)

First Vice- President: Luis Padrón, President, Chamber of Commerce, Gran Canarias (Spain)

Luis Padrón was born in 1957 in Gran Canaria, Spain. He holds a degree in Law from the University of La Laguna. He has been President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Gran Canaria since 2022, having previously served as Secretary General and Director General. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the World Trade Point Federation and First Vice President of the Network of Insular Chambers of Commerce of the European Union (INSULEUR). He also serves as Director of Institutional Relations at ATH BIOENERGY, a company dedicated to renewable energy and the circular economy.

He stands out for his extensive experience in the field of international relations, particularly in Africa. From 2014 to 2019, he served as Director General of Casa África, appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Casa África is a consortium made up of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Government of the Canary Islands, and the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

First Vice- President: Luis Padrón, President, Chamber of Commerce, Gran Canarias (Spain)

Second Vice- President: Antonio Jardim Fernandes, President of the ACIF-CCM - Madeira's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Portugal)

Antonio Jardim Fernandes is graduated in Computer Engineering and has also completed postgraduate degrees in Operational Research and Enterprise Engineering. Currently, he is a PhD student in the Doctoral Program in Computer Engineering at UMA (Madeira University).

He has over 25 years of experience in the tourism industry and information technologies (IT) industry. He started his professional career in the IT sector, where he has been a programmer, project manager, and entrepreneur of technological companies. Later he joined the Dorisol Hotel group as Commercial Development Director, leading this group’s internationalization process to Brazil. In 2012, with the sale of the Dorisol Group’s operations in Brazil, he returned to Madeira, having joined the Dorisol’s Group’s Board of Directors since 2013. From 2019 to 2024, served as Vice President of ACIF – Mdeira Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and was elected President of the organization for the new term starting in 2025. Since 2019, has also held the position of Vice President of Madeira Promotion Bureau. n Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Government of the Canary Islands, and the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Second Vice- President: Antonio Jardim Fernandes, President of the ACIF-CCM - Madeira's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Portugal)

Third Vice-President:Gaetano Attilio Nastasi, Chamber of Commerce of Cagliari and Oristano (Italy)

Gaetano Nastasi is an engineer with extensive experience in design and technological innovation. He currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Cagliari and Oristano, where he actively contributes to the development of the local economic and business ecosystem.

He is also a member of the Board of the Order of Engineers of the Province of Cagliari, a role through which he helps define strategies and guidelines for the engineering profession, with a particular focus on quality, continuous training, and ethical responsibility.

On the entrepreneurial side, Nastasi is the Founder and CEO of Artech Studio Ltd, a company specialized in advanced engineering services, and Founder and Vice President of Officine 18 Cooperative Engineering Company Ltd, an innovative enterprise that brings together multidisciplinary expertise and a collaborative approach to address complex projects.

Third Vice-President: Gaetano Attilio Nastasi, Chamber of Commerce of Cagliari and Oristano (Italy)

Fourth Vice- President: Joseph Borg, Vice-President of Gozo Business Chamber (Malta)

Joseph Borg was a member of the council and secretary of the Gozo Business Chamber from 1999 to 2005. He was again elected to the Council of the same Chamber in January 2010. From January 2012 till October 2018 he held the post of Vice-President of the same Chamber.

From October 2018 to 2024 he became President of the Gozo Business Chamber and in December 2018 to April 2025 he also held the position of President of INSULEUR (Insular Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the European Union). Mr Borg serves in a number of voluntary organisations in Gozo amongst others as director of the OASI Foundation (Foundation for Drug and Alcohol rehabilitation) since its inception. He is also a member of the Fondazione Centesimus Annus pro Pontifice since 2009.

Fourth Vice- President: Joseph Borg, Vice-President of Gozo Business Chamber (Malta)

Treasurer: Andreas Pantelios, Chamber of Commerce of Kefalonia & Ithaka (Greece)

Secretary General: Antonio Grimalt, Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca (Spain)

Technical Commitee

TC Member: Daniel Borg, Gozo Business Chamber (Malta)

Daniel Borg worked for over 14 years in the Maltese public sector. He held a number of positions in research and policy formulation in the Management Efficiency Unit (Office of the Prime Minister), the Malta Communications Authority, and the Ministry for Gozo. He worked in strategic projects such as the eurochangeover programme for the public sector, postal and electronic communications regulation, and tourism and economic development.

For a number of years he was also visiting lecturer within the Department of Public Policy at the University of Malta, where he taught ‘Public Management’ and ‘Policy for Business’. He also participated in international seminars, and wrote scholarly articles on the potential of culture as a tourism niche on the island of Gozo. He has also coordinated international, and national conferences and events. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Gozo Business Chamber, which represents the business community operating from and in the island of Gozo. He is responsible for formulating the policy papers, positions and responses of the Chamber in various areas, and coordinating its activities and events. He also presently forms part of the technical committee of INSULEUR, and is also a board member in the newly set up Gozo Regional Development Authority.

TC Member: Daniel Borg, Gozo Business Chamber (Malta)

TC Member: Alicia Bueno, Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Mallorca (Spain)

TC Member: George Assonitis, Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce (Greece)

George Assonitis is a member of the Technical Committee of INSULEUR since its establishment in 2000 appointed with a decision of the General Assembly of all shareholders. He holds the position of the Advisor of the Union of Hellenic Chambers since 1991, whereas he served in the Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU for 7 years in Internal Market Consumer Affairs and Tourism “Attaché”.
He has also been an Assistant Professor – Lecturer in Ionian University the University of Crete and University of Aegean. He holds a post-doctoral research from Tufts University (Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy), a Phd in International Law from Geneva University, Graduate Institute of International Studies and aB.A. in Public Law and Political Science from University of Athens.

Over his career Dr. George Assonitis has extensively engaged in European projects especially in the areas of SME, Tourism, Innovation and Island Development, Investment and Development expert, EU programs expert (in I,II,III and ESPA Structural Framework Programs, Interreg I,II, III Adriatic, Adrion, INTERREG MED, ENPI MED, EU Initiatives Funds. Dr. George Asonitis has researched, planned and implemented EU programs and taught in seminars and developed special skills and accumulated knowledge and experiences in topics such as sustainable tourism, especially in islands, Island and Insular development, Innovation and SMEs, Consumer protection, Balkan and European Integration and Chambers role in EU integration and expansion.Joseph Borg was a member of the council and secretary of the Gozo Business Chamber from 1999 to 2005. He was again elected to the Council of the same Chamber in January 2010. From January 2012 till October 2018 he held the post of Vice-President of the same Chamber.

TC Member: George Assonitis, Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce (Greece)

Staff

Expert / EU Projects Manager: Irene Mikelis, INSULEUR

Irene MIKELIS has obtained a Licence in Law, a DU in Commercial and Juridical English and a Maitrise de Science Politique from the University of Montpellier I, France. She holds a M.A. in European Studies from the University of Siena, Italy, in cooperation with the Universities of Coimbra, Portugal and the IHEE of Strasbourg, France.

She is experienced in the management and implementation of large scale EU-funded projects and has successfully delivered more than 30 projects in countries like Syria, Serbia, Turkey, BiH, Lebanon, the Dominican Republic etc. across a wide range of thematic areas including education, health, VET, employment/labor market, agriculture, events management, environment, social inclusion, etc. She counts 17+ years extensive experience in managing multinational and multidisciplinary teams and in ensuring effective project implementation/delivery in alignment with EU regulations and priorities.

She has a deep knowledge and understanding of the EU Acquis for having worked at the European Parliament. She is bilingual in French and Greek. She is fluent in English and has a working knowledge of Italian.

Expert / EU Projects Manager: Irene Mikelis, INSULEUR

Expert / EU Project Manager: Sofia Sotiriou, INSULEUR

Sofia Sotiriou holds an MSc in Law & Policy of Environment & Energy and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences & International Relations. She is an EU Project Manager specializing in sustainability, sustainable tourism strategy, and EU policy communication. With over 15 years of experience in the field, she has successfully designed and implemented numerous EU-funded projects. She also coordinated and led the implementation of major EU campaigns across the North Aegean islands including the European Elections 2019, the Juncker Plan, Europe in Citizens’ Daily Lives and the European Green Deal.

As holder of the certification from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) her work focuses on empowering island regions, municipalities, and SMEs in their green and digital transitions-developing destination management strategies aligned with GSTC standards and EU climate priorities. Sofia has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement, strategic communication, and multi-level governance, bridging local action with the European Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

She is fluent in English and German and brings a collaborative, impact-driven approach to every initiative.