Irene Piki was born in Lefkosia in 1973. In 1974, she was forced due to the Turkish invasion, to move with her family to Athens, where she spent her high school years, graduating from Moraitis School. She then studied Economics in the UK, (BSc Regional Science – Economics and Human Geography) at the University of Reading, followed by postgraduate studies in Environmental Economics at University College London (UCL), where she was awarded an MSc Environmental and Natural Resources Economics degree. She was employed in the public service of the Republic of Cyprus as a career technocrat since 1997, at various posts with a wide range portfolio, which includes issues relating to the economy, environment, peripheral policy, reforms and investments as well as European issues. Her professional career started from the private sector focusing on issues of environment economics. In 1997 her career in the public service begun with her appointment at the Planning Bureau (now Directorate General Growth, Ministry of Finance), where she worked on issues related to the environment, and natural resources. She was a member of the negotiations group on cohesion policy issues during Cyprus’ EU accession negotiations (2002 -2004). She was a member of the Programming Unit for the cohesion policy up to 2009, at which time she was called upon to work for the Secretariat of the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council, as Head of Programme and Policy Coordination Unit (2010-2013). In 2014, she assumed duties related to the coordination of entrepreneurship and innovation issues, investment and improvement of the regulatory framework, at the Administrative Reform Unit under the Deputy Minister to the President. In addition, from 2014 to 2016 she participated in the Ad Hoc group for the preparation of the implementation of the Community Acquis, in the framework of the negotiations on the Cyprus Problem. In March 2018, she became Head of the Office of the Minister of Finance, Mr Harris Georgiades, and in September 2019 she took over as Head of the Strategy, Coordination and Communication Directorate at the same Ministry. In March 2021 she was promoted to the position of Financial Director and in October 2022 she became Head of the Directorate of Economic Policy and European Affairs. She was a member of the Board of Directors of Invest Cyprus (CIPA), the Research and Innovation Foundation, the Cyprus Organization for Standardization as well as the Cyprus Economy and Competitiveness Council. She has represented Cyprus in various EU Committees relating to economic and political cohesion issues. She is married to George Papageorgiou and has two daughters.