Evangelos Karkanakis was born in Heraklion, Crete in 1961. He is a graduate of the School of Accountants and Tax Consultants and has completed studies in the field of Economics and Business Administration at the Centre for Vocational Education (K.E.P.E.) of Athens. Further he holds a degree from the School of Social Sciences of the Hellenic Open University, specializing in Public Administration. From 1983 to 1993 he worked as an accountant - tax consultant, supervising many accounting departments of businesses in Heraklion. In 1994 he founded, and since then co-manages, the publishing company "Itanos Publications SA" in the Industrial Area of Heraklion. This company, with emphasis on books and albums of historical and cultural content, employs 12 people and is an important pillar in the publishing sector of Crete. Participation in Chamber Events Since 2006, he is continuously active in the administrative bodies of the Chamber of Heraklion. As an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Heraklion, he served as: • Secretary General and Personnel Manager (2006 – 2011) • Responsible for the operation of the General Commercial Registry (G.E.MI.) and the One-Stop Shop for establishing businesses (2006 – 2011) • Representative at the Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce (2006 -2017) • First Vice-President of “Anaptixiaki Crete”, which is managing body of EU programs EPAN & NSRF (2020 to date) • First Vice-President of the INTERMEDIATE BODY OF THE OPERATIONAL PROGRAM "COMPETITIVENESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP - EFEPAE (2020 to date). Participation in Bodies & Organizations As a founding member of the Business Association of the Heraklion Industrial Area he has served in the positions of Treasurer, Secretary and Chairman of the Audit Committee. He was a founding member of the Pan-Cretan Cooperative Bank, which contributed actively to the economic growth of Crete. Social action He was a member of the Board of Directors of the local branch of the Hellenic Red Cross from 2007 to 2009 Political Action In 2016 he assumed the position of Deputy President and Director of NODE Heraklion, and in 2018 he was elected President. In the context of these positions, he developed significant activity in the political arena, promoting the interests of the local community and entrepreneurship. Personal life Evangelos Karkanakis is the father of two daughters: Maria-Evangelia is a graduate of the School of Journalism of the Aristotle University and works at FORTH of Crete, Georgia is a graduate of the Medical School of the University of Crete and works as a resident doctor at the Psychiatric Clinic of P.G.N.I. He speaks English fluently and French fluently. EPAN Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship ESPA Partnership Agreement for Regional Development NODE Heraklion Prefecture Administrative Committee of Nea Dimokratia