MOTIVATION
The Life, Career and Philanthropy of Evangelos Marinakis
Born on 30th July 1967 in Piraeus, an important Greek port city, Evangelos Marinakis’s father was Miltiadis Marinakis, a prominent ship owner and member of the Greek Parliament. His mother, Irini Marinaki, was born in Pontus and was descended from the Ypsilantis family.
Over the years, Evangelos Marinakis has grown to become one of the most important figures in international shipping. Having risen to prominence as chairman of the Capital & Maritime Trading Corporation, he also owns two football clubs, namely Olympiacos FC in Greece and Nottingham Forest in England, as well as serving as an elected member of Piraeus city council.
After completing his high school studies in Piraeus, Evangelos Marinakis studied International Business Administration and International Relations at university in England, earning a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in each subject respectively.
From 1992 to 2004, Mr Marinakis was a commercial manager for Capital Ship Management Corporation, overseeing the growth and success of many enterprises that now form part of the Capital Maritime Group.
In 2005, Evangelos Marinakis founded the Capital Maritime & Trading Corporation. The company went on to establish itself as a leading name in international shipping, managing an extensive fleet of tankers, container ships and dry bulk carriers.
Between 2007 and 2014, Mr Marinakis served as chairman of the board for Capital Product Partners LP. In 2011, Capital Product Partners LP merged with Crude Carriers Corporation, another organisation founded by Mr Marinakis.
Evangelos Marinakis has been a lifelong supporter of his home team, Olympiacos Football Club, having purchased a majority stake in the club in 2010. He led Olympiacos to an impressive seven consecutive championship wins during his seven-year tenure as president of the club.
In 2017, Evangelos Marinakis acquired Nottingham Forest FC in the UK, gaining the approval of the English Football League for his plans to restore the club to its previous success. Under his stewardship, the historic home ground of Nottingham Forest FC has been redeveloped extensively, today ranking as the East Midlands’ largest stadium and a fixture boasting world-class facilities.
Evangelos Marinakis joined forces with Yannis Moralis, then mayor of Piraeus and vice president of Olympiacos FC, to form the Piraeus Winner alliance party for the Piraeus city council elections in 2014. The alliance won and Evangelos Marinakis became an elected member of the city council, with his party making huge strides towards upgrading infrastructure, improving the standard of living for local people and transforming Piraeus into a thriving tourist destination.
Mr Marinakis has been recognised with numerous awards for his philanthropy as well as his huge impact on the global shipping industry. In 2018, he featured in the ‘Power 100 List of Top Shipowners and Operators’ by Tradewinds, as well as ranking 59th in Lloyd’s List’s ‘100 Most Influential People in the Shipping Industry’.
In 2017, Lloyd’s List organised a special ceremony to honour and celebrate Mr Marinakis’s exceptional contribution to global shipping. Staged in Athens, the Greek capital, the event recognised Evangelos Marinakis’s ‘dynamic deal-making’ in the wake of his $1 billion investment to build fleet capacity that year. Mr Marinakis was presented with Lloyd’s List’s ‘Greek Shipping Personality of the Year’ award, which recognised his active contributions to philanthropy, the media sector and the sports industry.
A committed philanthropist, Evangelos Marinakis has donated significant sums to a range of different causes over the years. After becoming an elected member of Piraeus city council, he used his own money to fund programmes to create jobs and businesses across the city. In the wake of devastating earthquakes in Cephalonia, Mr Marinakis gifted €500,000 to finance school rebuilding programmes. A successful investor and business leader, Evangelos Marinakis has a net worth of circa $650 million. He is married to Athanasia Marinakis and the couple share four children.
