Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (born Ioanna Daskalaki, December 12, 1955) is a Greek businesswoman and Ambassador-at-Large for the Hellenic Republic. She is best known for being the leader of the bidding and organizing committees for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. In July 2019, she was appointed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to lead Greece 2021, a year-long initiative to both commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution and to introduce to the world a new Greece of effort and optimism. She was named one of the 50 most powerful women by Forbes magazine and is the author of the New York Times Bestseller My Greek Drama. Early life Ioanna Daskalaki was born to a middle-class family in Heraklion, Crete. Daskalaki studied law in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Personal life In 1990, she married the Greek shipping and steel magnate Theodore Angelopoulos, and has since been involved in several aspects of Angelopoulos' business interests, mainly in shipping. She is the mother of three children, Panagiotis, Dimitris, and Carolina Angelopoulos, and the grandmother of three granddaughters. Political career In the late 1980s, she became actively involved in politics in Athens. In 1986, she was elected to the Athens Municipal Council. In 1989, she was elected to the Greek Parliament, and won reelection the following year. In 1998, she was appointed Ambassador at Large by the Greek government. She was paid for this appointment and donates the sums to several Greek charities each year. In 2004 she was appointed Commander of the Order of Honour of the Hellenic Republic and in 2008, she was appointed Chevalier of the French Republic's National Order of the Legion of Honor. Involvement in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games Disappointed over losing the bid for the centenary celebration of the revival of the Olympic Games in 1996, Greek officials decided to bid for the 2004 Summer bidding committee, making her the first female president of any Olympic organizing committee, and succeeded in bringing the games to Athens. She was however excluded from the initial organization committee that would prepare for the games. When the International Olympic Committee questioned Greece's commitment to the games and its ability to complete all preparations prior to the opening ceremony, Angelopoulos-Daskalaki was asked to return and was named president of the Olympic Organizing Committee in May 2000. She was the first woman to hold this position. Under her watch, competition facilities were