ABOUT US

The Syndicate was founded in 2004 by people who saw the need for an agile,
lateral-thinking, independent advertising agency in a market rife with stale
ideas.

Who we are

We’re people bursting with ideas. Not only on how to sell your product—almost anyone can do that—but on how to turn it into an inspiring, constantly evolving, sustainable brand that becomes part of our everyday culture. We believe that big things usually come from small teams. We love freedom and, at the same time, we’re highly disciplined. And, if you have to ask, we’re an advertising agency based in Athens

What we do

We believe that people may listen to a speech but are really drawn to a well-told story. That’s why our game has never been to tell & sell but to engage & inspire. We walk brands through everyday life, weaving them into our culture, transforming them into engaging personalities that not only fulfill people’s needs but also enrich their experiences.

How we work

First, we set out to discover the most inspiring consumer insight based on simple human truths. Then we dig into a brand’s being and extract its essence. And, finally, we construct this intricate bridge between the two. We like to think of it as solid engineering that leads to great advertising.

Lest you visit this section to indulge in some voyeurism a-la-Facebook, we’ve decided not to include personal photos.  Rest assured we’re all halfway presentable.

Ava Kyriazi – Partner/ Managing Director
Ava studied Mathematics at the University of Athens and Applied Statistics at Oxford’s Wolfson College.  She started her professional career at the marketing department of Johnson & Johnson, following which she joined the BBDO Group.  While there, she co-founded and managed TEAM Athens.  In 2002, she became the managing director of Bates/ Greece and at the beginning of 2004 she co-founded The Syndicate.  Ava is a member of the Hellenic Union of Advertising Agencies and the Institute of Communication. She’s married and has two kids.  Apart from being an art lover and an accomplished photographer, she’s also an avid swimmer who takes a dip 365 days/year, come rain or shine, hail or snow.
Nicholas Koligiannis – Partner/Creative Director
Nicholas studied Advertising & Psychology at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications in New York. He remained overseas for 13 years, working as a copywriter at Lowe and Saatchi & Saatchi in New York, Ketchum, DDB and Saatchi & Saatchi in Singapore and TBWA and Leo Burnett in Amsterdam. He returned to Greece in 1998, where he worked at DDB, Fortune and Bates Greece.  At the beginning of 2004, he and Ava founded The Syndicate.  Nicholas is a dyed-in-the-wool bachelor, has two dogs, and is in a constant state of euphoria—mostly due to fumes from yacht paints and varnishes.
Nikos Pechlivanidis - Creative Director
Nikos studied advertising at Doncaster College of Arts & Design in the U.K., one of the precious few schools where aspiring creatives are being prepared for the real world of advertising by ad gurus.  He followed his studies with work placements at Ammirati Puris Lintas and HHCL in London, before returning to Greece to work for Fortune/BDDP where he remained for seven years. 
He joined The Syndicate in 2007 and helped to create some of the agency’s best work. In 2009, he went to work for Cream and in early 2011 re-joined The Syndicate.  Clearly, this place suits him.
He’s a brilliant thinker, eloquent presenter and, when all else fails, a Ninjutsu black belt.
Melina Topaka – Group Account Director
Melina studied Business Administration & Marketing at Deree College and Strategic Marketing Communications at the University of Greenwich in London. She started off at Bold/ Ogilvy working primarily on Kodak, Mattel and Kimberly-Clark, moving later to JWT /London to work on HSBC and Unilever. In 2007, she returned to Greece and joined Cream as a Group Account Director on major Greek and international accounts, such Eurobank, Ouzo Plomariou, Old Holborn, Pitsos, Neff and Sara Lee . She joined The Syndicate in November 2009.   Melina speaks English, French and Spanish—all of which she practices during her frequent travelling.  Also, please beware:  her quiet demeanor successfully veils a true party animal.
Timos Polychroniadis – Account Director
Timos studied Industrial Management and Technology at the University of Piraeus. He joined the world of advertising at the account service department of Bates Greece in 2000.  Very soon he was entrusted with handling the pan-European campaign of Superfast Ferries, one of the agency’s largest clients. He has been with The Syndicate right from the start and, among other accounts, has handled Jaguar, TGI Friday’s, Mark Aalen optical stores and Sklavenitis Supermarkets.  He‘s a movie buff, a Tom Waits fan and a huge supporter of  Olympiakos.
Xaviera Kouvara – Account Supervisor
Xaviera studied International and European Financing at the University of Athens and  Organizational and Social Psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science.  She joined the Syndicate as an Account Executive in 2007 and quickly rose to her current position, handling various clients in the FMCG και Services categories, such as Kallimanis Frozen Fish & Seafood, JP Avax, Wella Styling and others. She speaks both English and French and finds peace in travelling and practicing yoga.
Katerina Liga – Senior Art Director
Katerina studied Freehand Drawing at Rigas and Graphic Arts at AKTO. She has worked as an art director at Bold/Ogilvy and Fortune—two of Greece’s largest agencies— on accounts as diverse as  Tag Heuer, Nissan, Carouzos fashion stores, Hyundai, National Bank of Greece, Panafon (Vodafone), Kodak, UDV, Canon, OTE, Yamaha, Olympic Volunteers 2004 and Novabank. She’s been at the Syndicate since 2006 and speaks fluent Spanish and English. A true athletic type, she loves to swim, snow ski and scuba dive.  She also likes to read and travel—especially to places where Spanish is the official language.
Stella Koureli  – Senior Copywriter Stella grew up in Athens where she also studied Economic and Regional Development at Panteio University of Social and Political Sciences. She has worked for Leo Burnett, McCann Erickson, Lowe Athens and Rascal. In September 2011, she took a leap of faith and joined The Syndicate. Stella is moved by Bill Bernbach's iconic ads as much as Seth Godin's insights on social media. She firmly believes that a good story can be shared through any medium, traditional or digital, as long as it is well told. Stella is a 360/365 copywriter, aka an ad warrior.
 
Jasmin Papadopoulou – Studio Artist
Jasmin was born in Basel, Switzerland and studied Graphic Arts at Schule fur Gestaltung Basel SfGB (the school’s name alone gives an idea of the seriousness of the curriculum).  Between 2004 and 2008 she followed an extensive practical training programme at the Birkhauser+GBC printing house.  At the end of 2008, she decided to chance her luck in Greece and found her haven at The Syndicate. She speaks five languages (German, English, Italian, French and Greek) and successfully combines archetypical Swiss work ethic with Greek aloofness.
 
Martha Semertzidou – Financial Director
Martha studied Economics and Management at Panteio Univeristy. Since 1978, she has worked in a wide variety of commercial companies and industries, such as Martinos Cotton Industry, Ellinis, Sony, etc.  In 1990, she joined the BBDO Group as Financial Director of TEAM Athens.  Martha has been with The Syndicate from day one—a blessing, really, since she’s an unbeatable price negotiator.   She’s married, has too kids and loves cooking and meditation.
 
Roula Motiti – Office Manager
Roula is from Cyprus, can speak Greek with a wonderful twang and has worked as a Director’s personal assistant in many commercial enterprises, particularly in the import/export/transportation market.  Naturally, being a Cypriot, her English is excellent.  She joined The Syndicate in its infancy, has two children, adores the sea and loves to travel.