Manolis Koutoulakis serves as a General Secretary of Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy responsible for the Aegean and Island Policy. He holds a Degree in Spatial & Urban Planning and Regional Development (Dip. Eng.) and has a MSc in Spatial Planning and Regional Policy. He is PhD candidate in International and European Relations at the University of Piraeus specialized in the research and analysis of the spatial and economic impacts of selected European policies in Greece.

He served as a Special Advisor at the Ministry of Development and Competitiveness (2010-2012) on issues related to the evaluation of Public and Private Investments, preparation of special funding schemes for entrepreneurship and monitoring of implementation of Public Investments Program.

During the period 2014-2015 he was a Special Advisor at the Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Welfare in the field of policy analysis and planning of Social Economy Programs, design of specific measures on the promotion of employment, formulation of Sectoral funding policy on Lifelong learning and Youth Guarantee Action Plan.

He has participated as an expert in International and European Organizations on public sector reforms projects with an emphasis on Local Development and Public Administration. He has also participated or coordinated the implementation of numerous development studies and programs for Municipalities, Regions and has acquired specialization in European funding, strategic and operational planning for public authorities regarding blue growth, insularity and localization of EU cohesion policy.

He was the head of the Liaison and Innovation Office at the University of Piraeus (2017-2019) and coordinator of the European Information Centre of European Commission Initiative “Europe Direct” for Piraeus and the Islands of Attica.

From July 2019 until April 2021 he served as a Special Advisor to the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy on the management of European Policies for the sectors of shipping, maritime transport, maritime security and surveillance along with blue economy, insularity and management of the digital transformation of the Ministry. He was the head of the team responsible for the drafting and final presentation of the new legal framework on the Integrated Maritime Policy in the Insular Territory (Law 4770/2021).