Mentor In Culture

Team

Panos Giokas Founder & CEO

Panos Giokas was born in 1984 and grew up in Eleusis. He graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in 2007, continued his postgraduate studies in Marketing (University of Leicester) and Cultural Facilities Management (Hellenic Open University), while in 2017 he received a scholarship from the Hellenic Initiative to participate in the StartMIT program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2014, he started MENTOR, which is active in the fields of cultural organisation management, strategic planning of tourism development in areas with a strong cultural character, as well as inbound cultural (archaeological/ educational) tourism. The company has been distinguished as one of the most innovative Greek companies through Eurobank's youth entrepreneurship program/ competition "egg", while its portfolio includes some of the largest cultural organisations, institutions and festivals in Greece. MENTOR is also active in the organisation and management of NGOs aiming to promote Greece's cultural heritage abroad. As part of his involvement with culture as a whole, Panos writes scripts and lyrics, drafts proposals, finds solutions, and somehow manages to expand time.

Martha Stroumpou Executive director

Martha was born in 1988, grew up in Athens and lived in Corfu for a while. She graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), and continued her postgraduate studies in Museology (Ionian University), and Religious Tourism (NKUA). She has been working as a museologist and cultural heritage manager since 2015, designing and curating permanent and temporary exhibitions, implementing educational programmes and participating in the writing of research proposals. At MENTOR, where she found herself by (a stroke of) good fortune in 2022, she works as a project manager, in charge of cultural heritage projects, museums, and finding literature on any topic.

Myrto Staratzi Project manager

Myrto is a Museum Studies graduate from University College London (UCL) with expertise in the intersection of technology and museums, as well as digital strategy for cultural organisations. Her MA’s dissertation explored the application and related ethical dilemmas of ChatGPT within the museum’s digital practice while investigating the opportunities this technology could bring for the purposes of facilitating the production of museum content. She has a proven experience in collections curation, digital curation and event coordination, complemented by a solid foundation in science and technology studies as she also holds a BSc in History and Philosophy of Science from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA).

Ian Christidis Project Coordinator

Ian is a Cultural Manager with an academic background in Anthropology, Archaeology, and History. He studied History and Ethnology at the Democritus University of Thrace and completed his postgraduate studies in Cultural Management at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens with distinction. His thesis, which focused on the management of ongoing archaeological projects and the use of new technologies, was awarded the prestigious Kaftanzogleio Prize. Throughout his academic journey, he was a scholar of the Baggeion Foundation. From 2017 to 2025, he served as sector coordinator and excavation specialist at the ancient Tenea excavation, also overseeing the project’s visual communication. He has collaborated with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports on projects related to cultural management, technology, and education, and he has presented in conferences and published his work in scientific journals. He also has experience in European projects, Erasmus+ programmes, and the identification of suitable funding opportunities for cultural, educational, and research initiatives. At MENTOR, he brings his genuine passion for culture, his keen interest in new technologies, and his experience in visual communication.

Celia Farantaki Project Assistant

Celia studied Music Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, specialising in Historical and Systematic Musicology, and holds a piano diploma from the National Conservatory. She later completed a Master’s degree in Arts and Culture at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where she focused on the relationship between audiences and cultural institutions, with her thesis exploring the challenges of transitioning toward participatory models in Dutch museums. Alongside her academic background, she has gained experience in education, administrative organisation, and creative production, working on the coordination of educational programmes, conferences, and cultural events. Her interests centre on sustainable and participatory approaches to culture, as well as the ways in which cultural institutions engage with and respond to their communities.

Angelos Pliakos Communication Manager

Angelos is a graduate of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, specializing in article writing, digital content management, copywriting, and communication strategy. He has professional experience in online content review and evaluation, as well as in creating texts tailored to the needs of each project. He has worked as a communications and social media manager, with significant involvement in managing social media accounts and drafting publications for sports and cultural events. With strong communication skills, creativity, and social awareness, he actively contributes to the promotion of quality content and the connection between audiences and creators. He is the Communication Manager at MENTOR.

Partners

Scientific Collaborators

UNIVERSIDAD DE SALAMANCA USAL

THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

INSTITUT PASTEUR

ISCTE-CVTT

UNIVERSITY OF KENT

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

HASKOLI ISLANDS UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

FUNDACION IBERCIVIS

OAPEN

CENTER FOR THE PROMOTION OF SCIENCE CPN

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF THESSALONIKI

UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN

FUNDACION CARTIF

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN

ARDUINO AB

CERN

YONSEI UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITAT WIEN

YUSNELKIS MILANÉS GUISADO UNIVERSITY

CLARIVATE

COURSERA

LUISS GUIDO CARLI UNIVERSITY

ALTMETRIC

KING'S COLLEGE LONDON

UNIVERSITY OF TURKU

LUBLIN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

ANCON GLOBAL

UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPT.

UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS ARCHITECTURE DEPT.

INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED ARCHITECTURE OF CATALONIA

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

THINGS

STEFANO BOERI ARCHITETTI

LAND ITALIA SRL

MUNICIPALITY OF ELEFSINA

ACT (ACCELERATING CHANGE TOGETHER)

COMUNE DI MILANO

MAYO COUNTY COUNCIL

IDEAS FOR CHANGE

UNIVERSITY OF THE AEGEAN

EUROPEAN NETWORK OF CULTURAL CENTRES

Clients

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF THESSALONIKI

GREEK DIRECTORS GUILD

MUNICIPALITY OF ELEFSINA

HOLY METROPOLIS OF MESSENIA

SYNTHESIS

Back

An abandoned and dilapidated soap factory is a coffer of human experience and an opportunity to restore a way of life; the summit of a windswept, rocky hill is the abode of ancient gods and nymphs, a sacred place where fables demand to be told; a suburban backstreet is a map for a journey to the cataclysmic struggles of uprooted communities; a neoclassical train station is the ideal venue for tracing the evolution of cities and entire countries; a pile of shattered stones and marble is a symbol of something magical, which endures in the spirit and the words of people eager to share their history, culture, and heritage.

Our ambition is to become the conduit through which these awesome stories will find their audience and the means by which local communities will discover the formidable wealth that lies in their midst.

MENTOR was created by a team of young professionals active in the field of culture, entrepreneurship, new technologies and digital communication, with the aim to contribute to the sustainable development of local communities, through the promotion and capitalization of tangible and intangible cultural assets, and contemporary artistic creation. The key tools we employ to realize this vision is the use of innovative strategies and applications in the context of cultural management.

MENTOR has been recognized as one of the most innovative Greek companies in the “egg” entrepreneurship competition powered by Eurobank. Our portfolio includes projects for some of the largest cultural organizations, institutions and festivals in Greece.

MENTOR aims to support and strengthen communities with untapped cultural assets, with the ultimate goal of assisting them to become self-sufficient through the proper identification, management and utilization of their comparative advantages.

Our team members have backgrounds in cultural and heritage management, academic program development, marketing and communication, social media management, interpretation and translation, web design and development, entrepreneurship and business development. They are supported by a wide network of collaborating academics, cultural managers, artists, etc.

MENTOR has established important partnerships that include Eleusis 2021: European Capital of Culture, the Hellenic American University & College, the Athena Research Center, the Attica School of Ancient Drama, the Heritage Management Organization (HERITAGE), the Animasyros: International Animation Festival, the Municipality of Elefsina and the Athens Tourism Development and Promotion Company (EATA) through “This is Athens”.