d.HOLIDAY 2024 Conference

Marta Olim 

d.HOLIDAY coordinator,
DIAVERUm portugal

She is a long-term member of the Diaverum Portugal team, having first joined the Linda a Velha Clinic (Lisbon) in 2005 as a Social Worker. In 2014, she took on a role in Diaverum Portugal HQ as a Social Service Coordinator, where she rapidly rose through the ranks, working across a number of functions. Today, Marta is part of Diaverum Portugal’s Management Team, where she remains responsible for three areas: Social Services, Social Responsibility and Holiday Dialysis.

Marta is a Social Services graduate of the Catholic University of Portugal (Universidade Catolica Portuguesa) in Lisbon, and is the author of several research studies focusing on the psychosocial implications of kidney disease for patients and families.

A mother to four daughters, Marta is passionate about people, their life stories, and focuses on projects that can transform lives.

Jan Świątczak  

Patient advocate

In his early years, Jan attended the Railway Technical School, where he also studied sailing. Later on, he pursued studies in rail transport at the University of Technology in Poznań, Poland.

Jan was diagnosed with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) in December 2011 and kidney failure in January 2012, starting hemodialysis shortly thereafter.

Since 2020, he has been working at the Łukasiewicz Research Network - Poznań Technology Institute, focusing on the design of rail vehicle interiors and equipment, with a particular interest in accessibility for people with disabilities. He lives in Poznań with his wife and their two cats, Timi and Luna. 

Jan undergoes dialysis three times a week while working full-time. He enjoys spending weekends, holidays, and free time with family &friends, indulging in his passions for railway travel and sailing. He dreams of returning to the sea, and enjoys reading books about railways, sailing, and history during the autumn  & winter months.

Antonis Chatzisavvas

Patient advocate

Antonis Chatzisavvas is a long-term chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient and has been undergoing dialysis treatment since 1988. 

He has channelled his energies into forging an inspiring and empowering journey for fellow dialysis patients. Together with his wife, Eirini, he founded DIALYSIS LIVING renal journal, as well as nephron.gr, a news portal website for CKD patients in Greece. He also invented the peritoneal dialysis suitcase SMART PD CASE.

A pioneer in sports too, Antonis is one of the founding members of the Renal Patients Athletic Association, through which he has won many distinctions in bowling. In the past, he has also served as President of the Panhellenic Renal Patients Association.

Antonis holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing.

Eirini Kotsifakou

Care partner

Wife and Care partner Antonis, Eirini is passionate about empowering renal patients to take on an active role in their care; together with Antonis, she has used her business background to co-create a number of initiatives to support CKD patients in Greece, such as the DIALYSIS LIVING renal journal, the news portal nephron.gr, and SMART PD CASE – a peritoneal dialysis suitcase.  

Eirini holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration

Jette Thaarup 

Danish Kidney Patient association representative

Jette has dedicated 40 years of her life to teaching at a private school. Now retired, she has become a self-taught expert in organising dialysis travel.

Jette’s journey into the holiday dialysis field began in 2004 when she married Jesper, a dialysis patient who was actively involved in arranging trips for the Danish Kidney Patient Association. After Jesper’s passing in 2015, Jette took over his role in organising these important travel opportunities. Since 2018, she has been solely responsible for planning and executing various trips for dialysis patients.

In recent years, Jette has successfully organised two trips annually—one in the spring and another in the fall.

Peter Economides

PRESIDENT/CEO
FELIX BNI BRAND STRATEGY CONSULTANCY

Peter is the founder and owner of Felix BNI, a global brand strategy consultancy based in Athens. He has been working with Diaverum as a brand consultant since 2019 and has led the development of our manifesto, among other projects. 

Peter is a highly experienced global brand and marketing professional, whose work focuses on change and the corporate response to the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

Peter has held senior management positions in leading advertising agencies in South Africa, Hong Kong, Greece and Mexico, where he has worked with global brands such as Absolut, Apple, Coca-Cola, General Motors, L’Oréal, Nestlé and Unilever.

In New York, he served as Executive Vice President/Worldwide Director of Client Services at McCann Worldgroup, where he was responsible for Coca-Cola’s global advertising campaign.

He was also Head of Global Clients at TBWA\Worldwide, where he led the global relaunch of Apple with the “Think Different” campaign, following the return of Steve Jobs in 1997.