Marieke van Hal (President) is an art historian and founding Director of Biennial Foundation. She worked as Curator at the Netherlands Media Art Institute (1997-2001) after which she became General Coordinator of Manifesta Foundation – European Biennial of Contemporary Art as well as Managing Editor for “Manifesta Journal, Journal of Curatorial Practices” (2001-2006). In 2007 she was Director of the first Athens Biennial, for which she initiated the European Biennial Network, supported by the European Commission. Drawing from her experiences, van Hal founded Biennial Foundation (2009), an independent platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience for biennial organizations worldwide. Together with curators Elena Filipovic and Solveig Øvstebø, van Hal conceived and organized the Bergen Biennial Conference (Bergen Kunsthall, 2009), and co-edited The Biennial Reader, the first theoretical anthology on large-scale perennial exhibitions of contemporary art (Hatje Cantz, 2010). Marieke van Hal has organized and moderated numerous discussion platforms on the topic of biennials. She is an MPhil research graduate at the CCA-Curating Contemporary Art Department of the Royal College of Art, London (2011). She served as a member of Jury for the curatorial selection of the 9th Gwangju Biennial in South-Korea (2012). She is Board Member of The Bergen Assembly, Bergen, Norway, and Advisory Board Member for Aegeanale, Athens, Greece. Marieke van Hal currently lives and works in Bern, Switzerland.
Nikos Ververidis (Treasurer) is an entrepreneur and owner of several media production and communications companies. He is Founding and Managing Director of ArtnSports, a multi-faceted digital branding agency providing solutions for integrated digital campaigns, innovative communications strategies and content for Internet platforms and TV. ArtnSports’ products such as the culture magazine elculture.gr and the web-based television channel elctv reflect the company’s interest in art and culture at large. He is a member of the organising committee of Athens Tedx Academy (GR), as well as a member of the Pecha Kucha network with city of interest Thessaloniki (GR). Nikos Ververidis is initiator of shoot_it – mobile film and photo festival, and initiator of Aegeanale. He lives and works in Athens, Greece.
Victor N. de Vries is an international marketing and hospitality business development specialist. He has been working in Sales and Marketing for Hilton Worldwide in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. He was Director of Business Development at the Hilton Athens and occupied the same position at the Hilton in Shanghai. Currently he is Director of Regional Marketing Canada for Hilton Worldwide. De Vries opened the offices of Expedia.com in Amsterdam, and has many years of experience in matters concerning international marketing, sponsoring and e-commerce. He holds a BA in Management and an MA in International Marketing and Advertising (Solvay Business School, Brussels). He currently lives and works in New York, USA.
Venetia Giannisi is attorney at law specialized in commercial and corporate law to international and domestic clients operating in various industries. She has been working as a legal consultant for Greek and international companies, her field of expertise being mainly commercial and intellectual property law agreements. During the Athens’ Olympic Games she was lawyer for the production team of the opening and closing ceremonies. Having been a lawyer and associate at two law firms in Athens, Venetia Giannisi is currently Legal Manager of a major international shopping centers’ management company. She holds a LLB and an MA in Business Administration. She currently lives and works in New York, USA.
Maria Ververidou is Founding Director of Locomotiva, creative arts production and management company based in Athens, Greece. Locomotiva is specialized in the planning and implementation of artistic events and provides fundraising, (media) sponsorship and communication services for cultural organizations and corporate clients. Maria Ververidou was Coordinating Producer of the Opening Ceremony for the Athens 2004 Olympics. She graduated in Business Administration and European Audiovisual Management from the Media Business School in Madrid, Spain. She currently lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa.