A few words about me
I was born on 5 July 1976 in Nicosia, Cyprus, and grew up in Dasoupoli, in the Municipality of Strovolos. After completing secondary school and military service, I moved to Thessaloniki in 1995 to study. I graduated in 2002 from the Department of Civil Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In 2021, I completed an MBA at the Open University of Cyprus.
I married in 2003 and became the father of two daughters in 2004 and 2005. I began my career in the private sector in Thessaloniki in 2002 and remained there until April 2009. In May 2009, during the economic crisis in Greece, my family and I returned to Cyprus. Following a short period in the private sector, I joined the public service.
Professional background
From 2010 to 2019, I was part of the team coordinating nautical-tourism development projects at the Ministry responsible for energy, commerce, industry and tourism. These public-private partnership and DBFOT marina projects had a combined value of approximately €1 billion.
Since 2019, I have worked in the Ministry's Trade Service, in the branch responsible for managing the Cyprus State Fair site. Since February 2026, I have served as the Ministry's Chief Health and Safety Officer.
My professional experience spans more than twenty years, mainly in infrastructure. My core role has been project coordination and project management. In the private sector, I focused on coordinating large teams and strategic planning. In the public sector, my work has included preparing and managing procurement procedures, drafting and managing major contracts, and addressing health and safety matters in large construction projects and office environments.
Interests and continuing exploration
Chess is a lifelong passion. I am particularly interested in classical games, blindfold chess and the strategic ideas behind every position. Among the players I study and admire are Aron Nimzowitsch, Akiba Rubinstein, Anatoly Karpov, Magnus Carlsen, Harry Pillsbury, Miguel Najdorf and Paul Morphy.
I am also interested in writing, memory and mnemonic techniques, meditation, and the continuing search for balance and truth. These interests connect many of the blogs, applications and websites collected in Markellos Ecosystem.
The purpose behind the ecosystem
This ecosystem brings together spaces for personal expression, learning and the synthesis of ideas arising from daily experience, study and reflection. I do not write as someone claiming final answers, but as someone seeking meaning, balance and truth. When an idea, tool or reflection is useful to another person, the ecosystem has fulfilled part of its purpose.