Louka Katseli

Louka Katseli (Greek: Λούκα Κατσέλη, ; born 20 April 1952) is a Greek economist and politician.

Today, she is Professor Emeritus of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Chair of the National Bank of Greece in Cyprus, CEO of Rightholders Cooperative EDEM, Vice President of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), member of the Independent Commission for Sustainable Equality, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats - S&D, (Progressive Society) and business consultant for enterprises and organizations in Greece and Europe.

Louka Katseli is the daughter of Greek actress Αleka Katseli, and stage director Pelopidas Katselis.

She is also the sister of actress and former politician Nora Katseli.

She has received numerous distinctions and awards, including the Sidney Cohen Prize for Economics (1971), Phi Beta Kappa (1972), Princeton University Fellowship (1972-1974 and 1976–1977), Alexander Onassis Fellowship (1974-1976), Outstanding PhD Dissertation Award (1979), Junior Faculty Fellowship Yale University (1979-1980), Concilium Faculty Research Award (1979), German Marshall Fund Fellowship (1982-1984), Research Support by the Ford Foundation, the A.P. Sloan Foundation and CEPR (1986-1988).

Louka Katseli graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1972, with a B.A. in economics (cum laude) and from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1974 with an MPA (Master of Public Administration).

She continued her studies at Princeton, receiving a M.A. in economics in 1975 followed by a Ph.D. in economics in 1978.

Her doctoral dissertation was titled "Transmission of external price disturbances in small, open economies."

Louka Katseli began her academic career in 1977 as an assistant professor of economics at Yale University and was subsequently promoted to associate professor of economics at the School of Organization and Management (1977–1985).

Louka Katseli has served as Director General of the Center of Planning and Economic Research (KEPE) in Athens (1982–1986), member of the Council of Economic Advisors (1982–1984 and 1993–1996), Special Economic Advisor to Prime Minister of Greece Andreas Papandreou, (1993–1996) and Special Advisor to the Minister of Education (1996-1997).

She has also served as a member of the European Commission's Economic and Monetary Policy Committee (1983–1986), member of the "Commite des Sages" for the Revision of the European Social Charter (1995–1997), a member of the European Commission's advisory board for "Science, Technology, Social Cohesion in the wider Continental Europe" (1991–1992) and Advisor to various Directorates of the European Commission.

She subsequently served as visiting professor at Birkbeck College, London (1986) and at the Athens University of Economics and Business in 1986–1987.

In 1987, she was elected Professor of Economics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, position which she held until her retirement in 2019.

She presently holds the title of Professor Emeritus.

She was a member and Vice President of the Committee of Development Policy of the United Nations (1996–1999) and advisor to numerous international organizations including the World Bank, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations.

As a consultant, she served as Special Economic Expert of the European Union in Moldova in the context of the "Support to the DCFTA Process in the Republic of Moldova" EU Program.

From 2003 to 2007, Louka Katseli was appointed Director of the OECD Development Centre in France.

A member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) since 1976, she was elected State Deputy in the elections of September 16, 2007 and served as economics spokesperson for the party.

On October 4, 2009, she was elected Member of Parliament from the second district of Attica, a position she kept until 2012.

Following the elections, she was appointed Minister of Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping until September 7, 2010.

As Minister of Economy, she introduced important bills, including Law 3869/2010 on the settlement of debts of over-indebted individuals (known in Greece as the Katseli Law) and Law 3816/2010 on the restructuring of business and professional loans to credit institutions.

In her capacity as Minister, she initiated major reforms including the abolition of cabotage to support home-porting, the repricing of pharmaceutical products, the simplification of business start-up procedures etc. While in office, she also oversaw the design and implementation of four recyclable loan funds to support SMEs (the National Development Fund (ETEAN SA), Jeremie, Jessica, Save at Home Program).

In September 2010, she was appointed Minister for Labour and Social Security, a position she held until June 2011.

As Minister of Labour, she promoted the institution of Special Firm-level Collective Agreements (Law 3899/2010) and the legislative framework for the social economy and entrepreneurship.

In February 20102, she was expelled a second time from PASOK's parliamentary group after voting against Greece's second Financial Assistance Program that abolished the minimum wage and collective agreements and gave the right to Greece's creditors to seize the country's gold reserves if needed.

On 20 October 2011, after having refused to vote for the dismantling of collective agreements, Katseli was removed from PASOK's parliamentary group but was brought back a month later following a vote of confidence in which she supported the government.

On 14 March 2012 she formed the new Social Pact party, together with Haris Kastanidis and five other expelled parliament members.

The party took part in the elections of May 6, 2012, receiving 0.96% of the valid ballots.

In 2015 she was a member of the Editorial Team of the 5th European Report on Development (ERD).

In March 2015 she was elected chair of the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Greece (3/15 – 11/16) and Chair of the Hellenic Bank Association (4/15 – 11/16).

She remained as party head until March 2015 when she was elected Chair of the National Bank of Greece.

In 2017, she was elected Honorary Professor of the University of Patras.

She has served as a member of the executive committee of the European Association of Development Institutes (E.A.D.I), a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin, Germany, Chair of the International Advisory Board of the Athens Development and Governance Institute (ADGI – INERPOST) and a member of the Euro 50 group.

She has been the author of four books and more than 40 articles in professional journals and books on international and institutional economics, development finance and migration.

Since 2017, she is a partner of Match2Invest, a company that promotes sustainable development and investment initiatives in Greece.

Since 2018, she is co-chair of the Independent Commission for Sustainable Equality, of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats - S&D (Progressive Society).

Together with her co-chair former Prime Minister of Denmark Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, she oversaw the commission's workings and the publication of its report entitled “Well-Being for Everyone in a Sustainable Europe”.

Louka Katseli was first married to Stratis Papaefstratiou and then to the late Gerasimos Arsenis, a well-known economist and former Minister.

She has two children, Dimitris Papaefstratiou, now an international lawyer and Amalia Arseni, a theatre actress.