Panagiotis Papanikolas
Dr. Panayiotis Papanikolas is a distinguished scientist in the field of Structural
Engineering, and General Manager in Greece for the concessions division of VINCI
Group, while he manages two large concession project companies, namely OLYMPIA
ODOS S.A. and GEFYRA S.Α.
After receiving his BSc in Civil Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens
(Greece), he received his Master’s degree and then his PhD in Structural Engineering
from the University of Alberta, Canada.
Between an academic career and the construction of major infrastructure projects, he
chose the second, since in the very year he was elected Associate Professor in the Civil
Engineering department of the University of Alberta he was proposed the position of
Chief Technical Officer for the Design and Construction of the Rion-Antirion Bridge in
Greece, an innovative project, at the late ‘90s.
In early 2014, he undertook the completion of one of the most difficult projects in
Greece, in both managerial and technical terms, i.e. Olympia Odos Motorway.
He has been awarded with the Legion of Honor by the French Republic, with the rank of
Chevalier of the Ordre National du Mérite.
He was born in Congo, Africa, and has two nationalities: Greek and Canadian.