Home is where the heart is. It may be as humble as a shepherd’s hut or as stately as a Bronze Age palace in Greece. Sometimes, though, it can be packed with greedy suitors keen on squandering someone else’s fortune. What are we supposed to do then? Travel in search of adventure, and wisdom! The voyage may be long but full of palaces, old temples, new friends, and a country you thought you knew but had never truly experienced with your own senses. And since you may feel lost or timid or unsure as to your itinerary and destination, why not place your trust in a mentor who can support, teach, and inspire you? After all, Telemachus, the son of King Odysseus, did it and had by his side the invaluable assistance of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, in the form of Mentor.
Mentor in Greece specializes in sustainable cultural tourism. Our mission lies in the research and promotion of ancient, Byzantine, and contemporary Greek history, culture, and philosophy through the design and implementation of experiential routes specially designed for inquisitive travelers and lifelong learners from all over the world. Our comprehensive portfolio of authentic routes encourages participants to experience Greece’s tangible and intangible cultural assets and heritage through innovative thematic trails. These cutting-edge programs are designed and implemented by experienced academics, artists, and tour guides, who become your mentors as you explore the preeminent archaeological sites, museums, historic monuments, and cultural venues of our beloved Greece.
Panos Gkiokas
Co-founder & CEO
Panos was born in 1984, and raised in Eleusis. He graduated from the Kapodistrian University of Athens in 2007, and went on to do a postgraduate course in Marketing at the University of Leicester, and Heritage Management at the Hellenic Open University. In 2017 he received a scholarship from the Hellenic Initiative to participate in the StartMIT program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since 2008, he has worked in various B2B companies in the private sector as a Sales and Marketing Director. Currently, he is active in the organization and management of NGOs, with the goal of protecting and promoting the rich cultural heritage of Greece abroad.
Yannis Pappas
Co-founder & COO
Yannis studied Italian Language & Literature at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and holds a Master's degree in Conference Interpreting & Translation (EN/FR>GR) from the University of Strasbourg. In 2014, he co-founded and is the chief operations officer at Mentor, specializing in digital communications. As he himself acknowledges, he is an introvert, typo crusader, wanderlust-filled, allergic to animal abuse/racism/bullying/stereotypes, philhellene from Chios island, Greece.
Kostas Vrouvas
Chief Web Officer
Kostas was born and raised in Eleusis. He is a web developer with almost a decade of experience on WordPress development, and a space enthusiast. After co-founding his own web development company, and working as a freelancer for others, he ended up being the architect behind Mentor’s web operations. He is actively involved in the WordPress community by organizing WordPress Meetups and WordCamp Athens but also as a WordPress Core Contributor.
Leonidas Argyros
Lecturer/Academic Content Editor
Leonidas is a Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies of Memorial University of Newfoundland and holds a PhD in Maritime History from Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. He has a Master’s Degree from the University of Greenwich in Maritime History and a Bachelor’s degree in History and Archaeology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. His areas of interest and expertise include maritime history, urban history, nationalism and the development of the modern state.
Virginia Vassilakou
Project Manager
With a multi faceted experience in several industries such as tourism, fashion and retail, banking and business development, and electronic music production, Virginia has built on having a diverse background and considers herself to be an entrepreneurial persona. She holds a BSc in Physics, a degree in Interior Design and a Masters degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Lund University. She recently joined the Mentor team as a Project Manager, coordinating the projects and the talented minds that constitute Mentor.