Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus


Yiannis Panayiotou was born in Lefkosia in 1981.

He graduated from Archbishop Makarios III Lyceum and served his military service as a Reserve Infantry Lieutenant.

He studied at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and he is a graduate of Philosophy, Pedagogy and Psychology. He continued his studies at King’s College London of the University of London, where he was awarded postgraduate degrees in Educational Policy (MA) and Educational Research (MSc). He specialised in the field of professional learning and development (Diploma on Learning & Development) at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

He worked at the House of Representatives as a Scientific Associate, where, through the monitoring of parliamentary work, he was responsible for the study of state budgets and for analysing the economic, social and political implications of legislative work.

He worked at the Ministry of Finance, in the Department of Public Administration and Personnel, as a Training Officer of the Cyprus Academy of Public Administration, and was responsible for the support of changes and reforms through learning, for the design, the implementation and the evaluation of programs, as well as for the training of public service executives in the field of strategic planning.

He worked at Ernst & Young (EY) as Senior Director of Consulting Services and Head of the Ernst & Young Academy of Learning & Development. He managed major projects in the public and private sectors, served as advisor to organisations, businesses and governments, and was awarded by EY with the international award of Learning Innovation in consulting services for the development of innovative services.

He actively engaged in public affairs as a young person and student, having served as President of the National Student Union of Cypriots (EFEK) Athens, Secretary for International Relations of the Pancyprian Federation of Students Associations (POFEN), representative to the European Student Association (ESU), President of the Mediterranean Student Network (MedNet), General Secretary of the Cyprus Youth Council (CYC), member of the Board of the Cyprus Youth Organisation (ONEK) and President of the Youth of the Democratic Party (NEDHK).

He is the father of an eight-year-old daughter.