Dr Freideriki (Frida) Michailidou – CEO & Founder OLYMRA / MIT Innovator U35 Europe
Dr. Frida Michailidou has taken her vision to a global level, operating at the unique intersection of chemistry, nature, and culture. An award-winning scientist and perfumer with an international career in leading research institutions, she has dedicated her work to Sustainable Chemistry and the study of Greece’s botanical heritage.
As a lecturer and Collegium Fellow at ETH Zurich, she led the first non-destructive decoding of the scents of Mount Olympus’ rare flora. By founding her company and launching OLYMRA — the first sustainable fragrance line of its kind — she transformed scientific knowledge into sustainable products that bridge past and future, fulfilling her lifelong passion: merging botany and Greek heritage with modern science to create fragrances that are both timeless and sustainable.
“Science needs curiosity and courage, not perfection. Innovation is born when you dare the impossible”
She studied and worked as a researcher in Greece, France, the UK, China, Germany, and Switzerland. For her research in sustainable perfumery, she was honored as MIT Innovator Under 35 Europe 2023, a TEDx speaker, and recipient of the British Council Greece’s STUDY UK Alumni Award in Science and Sustainability.
Her professional activity is international, based in Switzerland, with Greece as a strong point of reference.
She faced skepticism, particularly because combining science with creativity is not always considered “serious.” Her response was consistency and excellence.
Her message to the next generation is simple and powerful: “Science needs curiosity and courage, not perfection. Don’t be afraid to dare the impossible. Innovation is born when you dare the impossible.”
