Georgios Kanakis, Chairman of the Board of Directors

Georgios Kanakis was born in Heraklion, Crete in 1964. He is Police Brigadier General rd and in this capacity served as Director of Technical Services of the European Union in Police Missions in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. At the same time, he served for a number of years in critical positions, mainly in special units, such as Drug Prosecution and Juvenile Protection.

He is a qualified UEFA football coach and has been involved in amateur and children's football for many years. He remains the coach of the Heraklion Firefighters football team.

As retired, he now deals with jewelry design and volunteerism, which he believes is a unique way for a human being to complete his personality.

He had a great time from 2016 to 2020 as a radio producer at the station "The light" of the Holy Archdiocese of Crete, where he edited and presented sports news, on the show "Light in Sport".

He has been an active member since 2013 in the voluntary organization OASIS (Heraklion Juvenile Support Group) for the protection and care of abused and neglected children, holding the position of chairman of the Board of Directors. During this period, the "child at risk" actions are active, which concerns the awakening of parents to children's extracurricular activities, and "road culture" to change behavior on the road. Both are done in an experiential and pleasant way and above all not only with theory but with the participation of everyone, children, parents, teachers, coaches.

His volunteer duties coincide with his participation in Maria Svoliantopoulou's film "Remind me", a film about Alzheimer's, about the disease that plagues our time like never before, in the role of Giannis, who is the husband and father of the protagonists, Vasilia (Amalia Zargianaki) and Eleni (Andriani Angelidaki). The film is directed by Antonis Renieris and the actors Giorgos Chraniotis, Kostas Apostolakis, Yiannis Zouganelis, Tania Rokka, Giorgos Kimoulis, Carmen Rouggeris and others also participate.

In 2012, together with a group of friends, he founded the sports association IRA (Heraklion Rhythm Athlesis), which cultivates the sport of rhythmic gymnastics and is based at Pankritios Stadium, while in 2020 he created the Academy of Rhythmic IRA in Heraklion, Asiton 12.

He is married, father of three children and enjoying the adolescence of the third age in the company of his partner Ellie Valla and his two wonderful grandchildren, George and Minoa.