Dr. Nikolaos Angelopoulos receives the Lifetime Achievements Award

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17/12/2025

In a celebratory atmosphere, the award ceremony of the successful MANAGER OF THE YEAR institution, bringing together all sectors of the market and all business functions, took place on December 17, 2025. The event was attended by approximately 700 senior executives from across the market, government representatives, and distinguished leaders. A particularly honorable moment was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievements – Manager of the Year 2025 award to Dr. Nikolaos Angelopoulos.

The award was presented to the Founder and President of Aldemar Resorts and co-founder of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) by Mr. Christian Hadjiminas, Founder of EFA Group and Theon Group, and Chairman of the Board of the Hellenic Entrepreneurs Association (EENE), in the presence of EENE members. Dr. Nikolaos Angelopoulos was accompanied at the ceremony by his son, Mr. Alexandros Angelopoulos, Vice President of EENE.

This distinction seals the long-standing and significant contribution of Dr. Nikolaos Angelopoulos to the tourism sector, his academic career, and his multifaceted professional and social work.

With a core vision of upgrading and promoting high-quality Greek tourism—regardless of categories or star ratings—Dr. Nikolaos Angelopoulos was a co-founder of SETE, contributing decisively to the unification and representation of more than 13 tourism associations. During his presidency, SETE was established as a social partner, strengthening its institutional role and its contribution to the national dialogue on tourism development.

His personal journey is a source of inspiration: starting from the small village of Ambeliona in Messinia, which he continues to visit and actively support, he moved to Athens to study at the Athens University of Economics and Business. With consistency and dedication to his goals, he received a scholarship and pursued his studies in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he obtained his doctoral degree. With a strong sense of responsibility and service to his homeland, and deep commitment to his family, he returned to Greece to actively contribute to the country’s economic development. His doctoral thesis, “The Contribution of Foreign Capital to the Building of Modern Greece,” remains as relevant as ever.

From 1989 onwards, he became active in the development, construction, and operation of luxury hotel facilities, founding ALDEMAR S.A., which led to the creation of the hotels Cretan Village, Knossos Royal, and Royal Mare.

In 1997, as Chairman and CEO of EPTEA S.A., he played a key role in the creation of Olympian Village. At the same time, he inaugurated in Crete the first—and to this day the largest—thalassotherapy center in Greece, at a time when the concept of “wellness” was virtually unknown.

In 2023, he developed and inaugurated the Ilis Congress Center, the largest conference center in Western Greece and one of the largest in the country, located within the Olympian Village facilities, opening new prospects for the development of conference tourism in the region.

In 2024, Dr. Nikolaos Angelopoulos was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Department of Tourism Studies of the University of Piraeus, confirming the broad recognition of his work and contribution in both the academic and business communities.

This award represents a top honorary distinction not only for Dr. Nikolaos Angelopoulos personally, but also for Greek tourism as a whole, highlighting the power of vision, consistency, and enduring contribution.