Greek businessmen are making a fortune in London real estate, industry, new technology and all matter of industry. The Greek crisis has done little to curb the wealth of traditionally wealthy Greek dynasties who have merely transfered their business interest abroad.
George Logothetis
Born January 18, 1975, the international businessman is from a Greek shipping family and grew up in London but has lived in New York since 2004. In 2014, Fortune named him as “40 under 40” for his work as CEO of Libra Group, a diversified international privately owned conglomerate company which he founded in 2003. As of 2014, the Libra Group owns and operates 30 subsidiary companies around the world, mainly in six separate industries: shipping, aviation, hotels and hospitality, renewable energy, real estate and diversified investments.
Hadjipateras Family
The family have a long seafaring tradition. John Hadjipateras has been the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President at Dorian LPG Ltd. since July 01, 2013. Mr. Hadjipateras has been the President of Dorian LPG (USA) LLC since July 01, 2013. He serves as the President of Eagle Ocean Transport Inc. He serves as the Managing Director of Eagle Financial Partners LLC, a venture capital management company founded in 1998, and served as Managing Director of Peninsular Maritime Ltd., a shipbrokerage firm
Fafalios Family
Haralambos Fafalios was born in 1961 and comes from a long time seafaring family from Chios. He was elected chairman of the London based Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee in May 2010. Both his grandfathers were seafarers, while he himself is proud to have first-hand knowledge of the profession, having served three terms at sea. He was educated in London then completed his university studies in Newcastle. He has worked with his family company, Fafalios Ltd., as a Baltic shipbroker for over 25 years and is actively engaged in chartering on a daily basis. He has a working knowledge in marine insurance, banking and all aspects of shipbroking (dry, wet, sale and purchase, research). He presently sits on various industry bodies, including the Board of the Baltic Exchange, and Intercargo and the American Bureau of Shipping committees. He was first elected as Member of the GSCC Council in 2002, succeeding his father, John D. Fafalios, who served on its Board for many decades.
Xylas Family
Ariston is owned by the Xylas family, a well respected, 4th generation traditional Greek shipping family with its shipping origins founded in the early 1900s. Over the years the group has managed over 100 vessels and has supervised the construction and delivery of over 80 newbuildings. The types of vessels have always been in the dry sector, primarily handy size bulk carriers. The Group has built vessels in European and Asian shipyards as follows: in Southshields, England (50s), Mitsui, Osaka Zosen and IHI in Japan (60s, 70s and 80s), Turkey (90s), Dalian Shipyard China (00/01) and more recently in Turkey (2005-07) and China at CSC Jinling, Sinopacific Dayang, Tsuneishi Zhoshan (2008-16).
Epameinondas Empeirikos
Head of the Greek Committee of Shipping Cooperation in London, where he served a tenure for three years, he is a low-key man with a deep knowledge of shipping matters. Polite and witty, he has a deep Greek accent. Once asked about how an islander has an acent like this, he pointed to the nannies that raised him.
Born in Athens, as the son of the wealthy shipping family he studied at the Philips Exeter Academy before heading to MIT. He lives in London and is married to Angeliki Pitta, with whom he has two sons.
Goulandris Family
John Goulandris (1923-2011) was the creator of the Goulandris Foundation. The offspring of a large shipbuilding family from Andros, he left Greece years ago. He is succeeded by Christina Goulandris-O’Reilly, George Goulandri and Petros Goulandris.
Tiddy Goulandris married his Indian wife in a Carribean ceremony
Lemos Family
Another prominent Greek shiop-owning family involved in shipping since the 18th century. The family owned 52 vessels from 1860-1914.
- In 1905, Capt. Christos M. Lemos was co-owner and first Master of the Marietta Ralli, which Greek shipping lore has commemorated as the first steamship owned by seafarers from Oinousses, one of the country’s foremost maritime islands.
- In recognition of their contribution to the war effort, the family was a recipient of one of the famous 100 Liberty Vessels which restored the fortunes of the Greek merchant fleet in the aftermath of the Second World War.
- Another touchstone of family pride is Capt. Leon C. Lemos, founder of Efploia Shipping, one of the most renowned Greek shipowners in the 1970s and 1980s.
- After selling off 15 of his 17 vessels in 1980 just prior to the crash, Capt. Lemos re-entered the market in 1985 while conditions were still at a low ebb, ordering a series of 10 bulkers from Hyundai Heavy Industries.
- Even though most of the Lemos family still live in Greece, a substantial amount now reside in multi-million pound houses in London’s Mayfair and St. John’s Wood Districts.
Chandris Family
The Chandris Line was a Greek-based shipping company founded in 1960 by Anthony Chandris to operate ocean liners between Greece to Australia. Following a period of expansion the Chandris Line merged with Chandris cruises to operate cruises around the Mediterranean. Celebrity Cruises were created in the Nineties.
John and Michael Chandris
