Team

Engineering depth, commercial judgement and practical delivery.

Applied Futures Lab brings together specialists across automotive, manufacturing, aerospace, defence, energy, sustainability, finance, strategy and business development.

Violeta Kordatzi

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Violeta leads the development of Applied Futures Lab’s technology-commercialisation approach, combining 10 years of experience across automotive engineering, technology delivery and venture building, including roles connected to Jaguar Land Rover and Ford. She specialises in translating complex engineering and emerging technologies into clear commercial opportunities, prototype roadmaps and investor-ready narratives. She holds an MBA from Imperial College Business School, an MSc in Automotive Engineering from Cranfield University, and a Diploma in Production Engineering and Management from the Technical University of Crete.

Ricardo Girbes

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Ricardo brings over 15 years of experience in manufacturing, operations and process improvement, including roles connected to Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and Amazon. He specialises in turning operational complexity into practical improvement plans, with strong capability across manufacturing readiness, process optimisation, sustainability and scalable execution. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Management from Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, a postgraduate certificate in Sustainability from the University of Cambridge, and is trained as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Davide Dacco

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Davide brings 10 years of experience across aerospace, defence and energy engineering, with experience connected to Rolls-Royce, QinetiQ, Eaton MSD, Leonardo Helicopters and Jaguar Land Rover. He specialises in high-performance engineering environments where reliability, safety, thermal systems, propulsion and technical validation are critical. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Politecnico di Torino, and an MSc in Thermal Power and Aerospace Propulsion from Cranfield University.

Dimitris Romanas

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Dimitris brings 7 years of experience across mechanical engineering, sustainability and energy systems. He supports the assessment of energy-related technologies, sustainability opportunities and practical implementation routes, helping connect technical feasibility with environmental and commercial value. He holds a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Thessaly and an MSc in Energy Management and Systems Technology from the University of Stuttgart.

Nikos Richardou

LinkedIn

Nikos leads on strategy, financial advisory and business development, with over 10 years of experience across consulting, financial services and project management, including roles connected to PwC and Mastercard. He specialises in building business cases and driving growth initiatives, making complex issues simple to support clear strategic decisions. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Financial Management from the University of Piraeus and an MSc in Finance and Management from Cranfield University.

Thanos Kanellopoulos

LinkedIn

Thanos brings 10 years of experience across automotive engineering, electrical and electronics systems, and electrified vehicle technologies, including roles connected to Jaguar Land Rover and Stellantis. He strengthens the team’s capability across sensors, systems integration, electronics-led innovation and the practical engineering of modern mobility technologies. He holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Brunel University of London and Anglia Ruskin University.

Technical expertise

Capabilities that span the engineering-to-commercial journey.

Our team combines hands-on technical depth with the commercial insight needed to move a technology forward with confidence.

Our team brings technical expertise across systems engineering, sensors, IoT, artificial intelligence, automation, robotics, digital platforms, electrical and electronics systems, energy systems, control systems, data collection and analytics, digital twins, prototype instrumentation, manufacturing readiness, test and validation planning, requirements definition, risk assessment, cost modelling and TRL roadmapping.

This allows us to assess not only whether a technology is commercially attractive, but also how it could be engineered, measured, tested, automated, connected, scaled and validated in real-world environments.

Systems engineeringSensors & IoTAI / MLAutomationRoboticsDigital platformsElectrical & electronicsEnergy systemsControl systemsData & analyticsDigital twinsPrototype instrumentationManufacturing readinessTesting & validationRisk assessmentTRL roadmapping

Combined capability

One team connecting the entire path from research to adoption.

Integrated expertise across engineering, commercial strategy and delivery planning.

01

Technical feasibility

Engineering assessment, systems thinking, validation and manufacturing readiness.

02

Commercial viability

Market demand, competition, customer value, unit economics and ROI.

03

Execution readiness

Prototype route, suppliers, consortium, roadmap, grants and investors.