Profile / Θοδωρής Νικολάου

Θοδωρής Νικολάου

Θοδωρής's contributions

12 / 11 / 2021

Building economies within walls

Ritsona is the largest refugee camp on Greece’s mainland. Excluded from the region’s social and economic network long before the pandemic, the camp gradually acquired its own life. Today, with new surveillance technologies being installed at the camp, there are growing fears that the camp community will become completely isolated.

12 / 11 / 2021

Greengrocer’s, barbershops, pool halls: Inside the marketplace of the Ritsona

A photo report by Thodoris Nikolaou for Solomon

04 / 06 / 2021

Greek strawberries “made in Bangladesh”

Up to 10,000 migrant agricultural workers live in makeshift camps in the strawberry fields of Ilia, which produce the "red gold" that generates tens of millions of euros in exports. While the Greek state remains indifferent, the number of workers is expected to increase, as production is projected to skyrocket by 2025, covering approximately 6,200 acres.

04 / 06 / 2021

A behind-the-scenes look at Greece’s “red gold” harvest

A photo essay by Thodoris Nikolaou.

17 / 03 / 2021

“Greece will regret not making use of our potential”

As the government appoints a Deputy Minister responsible for integration, images of evicted refugees living on the streets can be seen all over Greece. "Since you don’t want us here, at least let us move on and best wishes to you all,” said the Syrian we met in Karditsa.

28 / 01 / 2021

“I have to lead people to a ‘safe place'”

Solomon travels to Karditsa for migrant workers and Covid-19 project.

06 / 01 / 2021

“The state is very funny”

Dandom Howladar owns a mini market in central Athens. Since the pandemic hit, fewer customers shop at his store - and they don’t always have good intentions.

18 / 12 / 2020

Inside a gardener’s quarantine

For a year and a half, Hamid Nasseri moved daily from the center of Athens to the northern suburbs and took care of the gardens at houses there. Until the coronavirus appeared, the country entered a second lock down, and he was forced to lose his job and income again.

13 / 02 / 2020

Whether it’s patients suffering from mental illness in the ’90s or the current refugee crisis – the same social stigmas apply

Two stories from two different time periods, seemingly unrelated to each other, point to the timelessness of deep-rooted fears towards ‘the other’ which generate scapegoats and reflect people’s worst reactions and behaviors.

Iliana Papangeli

Managing Director

Iliana is a journalist and editor who has served as the Managing Director of Solomon since 2022. Under her leadership, Solomon has gained widespread recognition for its in-depth reporting on underreported issues in migration, accountability, and the environment, as well as for fostering cross-border collaborations and impactful storytelling. Iliana has also introduced a model of progressive leadership, with a strong commitment to prioritizing mental health and well-being within the Solomon team. Her work has earned her several prestigious accolades, including the IJ4EU Impact Award, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize, and the European Press Prize. She is a frequent speaker at international conferences and a strong advocate for well-being in newsrooms. She is a 2024 alumna of the LEDE program at Columbia University, and has served as a jury member for the IJ4EU Impact Award 2023 and the Evens Journalism Prize 2021. She holds a background in Psychology and Social Anthropology.

Stavros Malichudis

Chief Editor

Stavros is a reporter and editor. He has worked for the Agence France-Presse and inside story, and has participated in cross-border investigations with Lighthouse Reports and Investigate Europe. He’s member of Reporters United. His reports have been published in European media. He was shortlisted for the European Press Prize ‘21 and won the IJ4EU Impact Award ‘22. In 2019 he was selected as a fellow for BIRN's Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence (BFJE). He has been trained in data journalism at Columbia University in New York on a fellowship.

Corina Petridi

Investigative & data reporter

Corina is a journalist and data editor at Solomon. She has worked with VICE Greece, Reporters United, and Balkan investigative network BIRN. She has studied Political Science. In 2019, she won a scholarship to Columbia Journalism School's Lede Program on coding, data analysis, and visual storytelling. She has reported on migration, real estate, data privacy and gender.

Aristea Protonotariou

Chief Operations Officer

Aristea was born in 1994 and grew up on Kythira island, Greece. Her studies are in Journalism and Archives, Librarianship & Information Science. She was trained in Multimedia Journalism as an SNF scholar in Columbia University, NY. She holds an MA in Risk Communication and Crisis Journalism. Aristea is the founder of the “Migratory Birds”, the first newspaper in Greece made by and for refugee, migrant and Greek youth.

Danai Maragoudaki

Investigative reporter

Danai started working as a journalist in 2015. She has worked for several Greek media like inside story, VICE, and capital.gr. She is also a member of the investigative team The Manifold and the production team Paola Team Documentaries. Her reporting focuses on transparency and economics, technology, gender and LGBTQ+ rights. She has studied political science and translation.

Lydia Emmanouilidou

Investigative reporter & Fundraising strategist

Lydia is a journalist and audio producer with over a decade of experience in radio, print, and digital media. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, NPR, BBC, Al Jazeera, and other international outlets. She began her career at NPR’s Investigative Unit and has reported widely from Greece and across Europe, including as a foreign correspondent for The World, a BBC co-production airing on 300+ US public radio stations. Her reporting has earned top honors, including the 2024 IJ4EU Impact Award, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize, and a National Edward R. Murrow Award. Lydia regularly speaks at global journalism conferences and US universities, and contributes to editorial investigations and fundraising at Solomon.

Galatia Iatraki

Illustrator

Galatia creates illustrations for Solomon's stories. She studied and worked in Thessaloniki, the Netherlands and Crete in the field of information technology and multimedia. She has attended photography and archival practices seminars. Through photography and collage, she explores topics about contemporary social issues. She is currently based in Athens.

Gigi Papoulias

English editor

Gigi was raised in the US, a daughter of Greek immigrants. She graduated from Boston College with a concentration in Education and Modern Greek Studies. As a grant recipient at the University of Athens, she completed further coursework in Greek Studies. In her professional background, Gigi has provided writing, editing, translation and content development services to media and academic sectors, publishing companies and multinational corporations. She’s also taught at a multicultural kindergarten, worked in a restaurant kitchen, interpreted for immigration services at a US airport, sold t-shirts in Boston’s Faneuil Hall, and led meditation & mindfulness classes at a women’s center.

Nasruddin Nizami

Board member

Nasruddin is a board member and migration expert. He was born in Afghanistan and raised in Pakistan. He has worked as an interpreter, cultural mediator and case worker with IOM. He is a current board member of the Greek Council for Refugees. He has a degree in English Studies at Deree, the American College of Greece.