# Eirini Nikolopoulou

Eirini Nikolopoulou (Greek: Ειρήνη Νικολοπούλου, born 16 August 1958) is a Greek journalist and communication consultant. She has worked for Greek television as a program host. According to a 2021 interview, she hosted two television programs for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Organizing Committee.

## Early years

Nikolopoulou was born in the neighborhood of Profitis Ilias, Piraeus, on 16 August 1958. She attended the 47th Elementary School and First Public Women's High School. Starting at the age of 6, she also studied French. Throughout high school and her early years in university, she sang and participated in theatrical productions.

## University

From 1976 to 1981, Nikolopoulou studied Law, Public Law, and Political Sciences at the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens while also participating in the university's theatre department.
She studied French, English and Italian, including at the Nancy-Université, Université des Sciences et des Lettres in Nice, France, Bletchingdon Park College at Oxford University, and the Universitaire de Luxembourg in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. She also received a scholarship from the Ministry of National Economy for the College d’Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

## Professional career

Nikolopoulou taught French and English in private schools and briefly worked as an air traffic controller in the Civil Aviation Authority. She began working as a journalist in 1983. She worked for the public television network ERT2 for nine years, then in private channels such as MEGA, STAR, and ALPHA for approximately 15 years before returning to ΕRΤ1 and the satellite channel ERT WORLD as an anchor, TV host, editor, and journalist for European and international stories.

## Live shows

Nikolopoulou hosted and edited Greek television's first morning show (Breakfast TV) on ΕΤ2 (1988–1989) titled MORNINGS (Ta Proina). The show's theme tune was composed by Giorgos Hatzinasios. She presented news and hosted morning shows (Studio 5 – Froufrou) at Mega Channel. At STAR, she hosted Day after Day and Mera me ti mera.
She interviewed public figures such as Benazir Bhutto (Islamabad twice in 1989 with ΕΤ2), Yasser Arafat (Tunis, Mega 1992), Lech Walesa (Warsaw Gdansk, Mega 1994), and Corazon Aquino (Manila, 1991). In 1997, she traveled to China as part of a Western media delegation invited by the country's official journalists’ union (Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, 1997).
She hosted and edited three shows on ΕRΤ2 featuring performances by Charles Aznavour, Shirley Bassey and Tina Turner. She appeared on panels for Greek and European elections and provided coverage of major news events, including the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the Chernobyl disaster, the Gulf War, and the 9/11 attacks.
Nikolopoulou co-hosted the 15-day TV show The world and Press (O kosmos kai o typos) (1986), and a charity TV marathon for children suffering from thalassemia (1987). She also hosted TV marathon shows on ERT for UNICEF (2005–2010) and the children of Palestine.

## Action on European and women's matters

Nikolopoulou has advocated for women's issues and the role of women in Greek and European politics. She participated as a member and communication consultant for the creation of the Intergroup Women's Committee and the Political Association of Women. In 1994, she submitted a proposal to the European Committee DG.I, which was approved by Veronique Houdart, Chef du Secteur Information Femmes, for the establishment of the European Network of Greek Women Journalists.

## Awards and distinctions

* Honorary member of the committee for the bicentennial of the French Revolution (1989)
* Honorary member of the Committee "Europe and Freedom" (1991)
* United Nations Journalistic Award (1990)
* “AVRA THEODOROPOULOU” award by the Association for Women's Rights (1999)
* Journalist award “Konstantinos Kalligas” for her professional ethos and European orientation by the European Journalists’ Union (2000)
* People's award and committee award as most popular anchorwoman (2001) (TV Ethnos)
* Award for her contribution in Journalism and Culture by Rethimno schools (2003)
* Honorary Award for her voluntary contribution to “Xamogelo tou Paidiou” (2008)
* Greece's Ambassador for European Destinations of Excellence – EDEN Ambassador (2009)

## Personal life

In 1990, Nikolopoulou married architect Myron Toupoyiannis. They have a daughter, Elena, who was born in 1993.