Yiannis Latsis
Yiannis Latsis | |
---|---|
Γιάννης Λάτσης | |
Born | Ioannis Latsis (Ιωάννης Λάτσης) 14 September 1910 Katakolo, Greece |
Died | 17 April 2003 Athens, Greece | (aged 92)
Other names | John Spyridon Latsis |
Occupation | Businessman |
Known for | Owner of Latsis Group |
Spouse | Erietta Tsoukala |
Children | 3, including Spiros Latsis |
Ioannis "Yiannis" Latsis (Greek: Ιωάννης "Γιάννης" Λάτσης; 14 September 1910 – 17 April 2003), also known as John Spyridon Latsis, was a Greek shipping multi-billionaire tycoon notable for his great wealth, influential friends, and charitable activities.
The year of his death (2003), Forbes magazine ranked Yiannis Latsis number 101 on its list of the world's richest people, with a fortune estimated at $6.4 billion.[1]
Biography
Latsis was born in
He started as a deckhand, eventually working his way up to ship's captain in the
He bought his first cargo vessel in 1938 and by the 1960s, owned a fleet of ships.[1] In 1955, Latsis purchased a cargo vessel, the Marianna. Three years later, he purchased his first oil tanker, the Spyros, which was used for the transportation of liquid molasses from Egypt to Greece and the UK. In the following years, his fleet expanded significantly, with the acquisition of passenger vessels, cargo ships and oil tankers. In the 1990s, Latsis’ fleet was one of the largest under Greek ownership.[5]
In the late 1960s, he diversified his business to include oil – establishing Petrola — and construction, building (among other things) oil refineries in Greece and Saudi Arabia,[2][1] before gradually expanding into banking and financial services.[1]
Latsis also invested in yacht management and established a private airline, LatsisAir (later renamed PetrolAir). In the early 1980s, he made his first investment in the banking sector, with the acquisition of the Banque de Dépôt, a small bank based in Geneva. Banque de Dépôt eventually evolved into EFG International Bank, one of the largest Swiss private banks listed on the Zurich stock exchange.
His European Financial Group owns banks in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Monaco, the Channel Islands and Greece.
In 1990, he hosted the
Latsis donated £5 million to the British Conservative Party during his business career.[6]
Business empire
The Latsis commercial empire has been closely involved with German firm
A Latsis company also has a 50 percent stake in the huge contract for running most of the airport's "ground-handling" services – almost everything except control of the aircraft themselves.
Latsis's development arm, Lamda, is a partner with Hochtief in a series of vast, part-EU funded motorway projects across Greece, as part of the "Trans European Network". And between 1999 and 2004, during the time when Spata airport was completed, the commission last week revealed[citation needed] that the giant EFG Eurobank Ergasias banking group, controlled by Latsis family interests, held an exclusive contract to handle all EU structural funds coming to Greece, totalling €28 billion.
Philanthropy
His charitable works began with the establishment of the Latsis Scholarships Institute in 1970[3] and also included the provision of aid to earthquake victims[1] and the creation of the Latsis Foundation. Two years after his passing in 2003, his immediate family founded the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation in his memory, that undertook the activity of the aforementioned scholarship fund and all the philanthropic work of the family.[7]
Awards
He was awarded the Golden Cross from the
Personal life
Latsis married Erietta Tsoukala. They had three children:
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Paul Lewis (18 April 2003). "John S. Latsis, 92, Billionaire Who Built Empire in Shipping". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
- ^ a b c d Michael Moschos (18 April 2003). "Obituary: John Latsis". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 November 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "Shipping tycoon Yiannis (John) Latsis dies of old age". Embassy of Greece, Washington DC. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
- ^ "John S. Latsis". Greek Shipping Miracle. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "John Latsis - Greek Shipping Hall of Fame". Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- ^ "John Latsis". The Times. No. 67740. 18 April 2003. p. 36 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ "Welcome". Latsis Foundation. Retrieved 27 July 2018.