Evangelos Marinakis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Evangelos Marinakis
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| Ευάγγελος Μαρινάκης | |
Marinakis in 2021
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| Born | 30 July 1967 Piraeus, Greece
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| Occupation | Businessman, shipowner |
| Board member of | "Capital Group" Olympiacos Nottingham Forest Alter Ego Media S.A. City councillor, Piraeus |
| Spouse(s) | Athanasia Marinakis |
| Children | 4 |
Evangelos "Vangelis" Marinakis (Ευάγγελος (Βαγγέλης) Μαρινάκης), born on July 30, 1967, is a famous Greek businessman. He owns many companies in different areas. These include shipping, media, and football.
Marinakis is the son of Miltiadis Marinakis, who was also a shipowner and politician. In 2005, Evangelos started his own shipping company called "Capital Maritime & Trading Corp." He became a big name in the shipping world.
In 2010, he bought the Greek football team Olympiacos and became its president. Under his leadership, Olympiacos made history. They won the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League in 2024. This made them the first and only Greek team to win a European football trophy.
Marinakis also got involved in local government. In 2014, he was elected as a city councillor in Piraeus, Greece. He was re-elected in 2019. In 2017, he bought the English football team Nottingham Forest F.C.. He also entered the Greek media business in 2016 with his company, Alter Ego Media S.A.
People in the shipping world know him well. Lloyd's List has listed him as one of the "One Hundred Most Influential People in the Shipping Industry" since 2010.
Marinakis is also famous for his work in football. He has faced some challenges and accusations in the past. However, he has been found innocent in all these cases.
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His Early Life
Evangelos Marinakis was born in Piraeus, Greece, on July 30, 1967. He is the only son of Miltiadis Marinakis and Irini Marinaki. His father, Miltiadis Marinakis, was born on the island of Crete. He was a shipowner and a member of the Greek Parliament. His father also supported the Olympiacos football club.
Evangelos studied "International Business Administration" and "International Relations." He has been married to Athanasia Marinakis for many years. They have four children: three girls and one boy. His son, Miltiades Marinakis, lives in London and has his own company called "Shopflix." The family lives in Paleo Psychiko, Athens.
Marinakis also has a personal connection to politics. He was the best man at the wedding of politician Dora Bakoyannis in 1998. Later, Bakoyannis became the godmother of his son, Miltiadis.
His Career Journey
In Shipping
Marinakis is the founder and chairman of Capital Maritime & Trading Corp. His family controls the Capital Maritime Group. In 2017, this group managed over 70 ships. These ships included tankers, container ships, and dry bulk carriers. In 2018, Capital Group also started working with LNG (liquefied natural gas) ships. They ordered ten LNG ships worth about $1.8 billion.
From 2010 to 2011, Marinakis was also the Chairman and CEO of Crude Carriers Corp. He was also chairman of Capital Product Partners L.P. from 2007 to 2014. In 2018, Capital Product Partners L.P. merged its tanker fleet with DSS Holdings. This created one of the largest listed tanker companies in the world. This deal was worth $1.65 billion.
Before 2005, Marinakis was the commercial manager of Capital Ship Management Corp. He managed the businesses that now form Capital Maritime. He has also worked in other family businesses related to shipping for many years.
In December 2023, Marinakis invested $106 million through his new company, Capital Offshore. He bought seven platform supply vessels. In February 2024, he supported the creation of the Maritime Emissions Reduction Centre (M-ERC) in Athens. This center works to reduce pollution from ships.
In June 2024, Marinakis received an honorary doctorate from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. This was a special award for his achievements.
As a City Councillor
In May 2014, Marinakis decided to get involved in local government. He ran for city council in Piraeus, his hometown. He was elected as a municipal councillor with a very high number of votes.
His main goal during his campaign was to stop the privatization of the Port of Piraeus. He wanted the city of Piraeus to control the port. However, the port was eventually sold to the Cosco group in 2016.
He ran for city council again in 2019. Even though he was often absent from council meetings, he was re-elected. He received even more votes this time.
In Sports
Since 2010, Marinakis has owned Piraeus' hometown football team, Olympiacos. He also serves as its President. He was also president of the Superleague Greece and vice-president of the Hellenic Football Federation for a short time.
Under his leadership, Olympiacos has won many titles. They won the Greek League seven times in a row from 2010 to 2017. They also won it again from 2020 to 2022. They won the National Cup several times too. In May 2024, they won the UEFA Europa Conference League title. This was a huge win for Greek football. Marinakis said this success was for all Greek people.
In May 2017, Marinakis became the main owner of the English football club Nottingham Forest F.C.. This club had won the European Cup twice before. The Nottingham Post newspaper said his ownership meant an "exciting future" for the club. The club's manager, Mark Warburton, said Marinakis was ambitious for the team.
Marinakis wanted Nottingham Forest to qualify for European competitions within five years. He also planned to improve their stadium and training ground. In June 2022, Nottingham Forest was promoted to the Premier League. This was a big achievement after 23 years. In November 2023, he also took over the Portuguese club Rio Ave. He invested money to help the club with its debts and facilities.
In January 2024, Marinakis hosted a conference at the City Ground. This event, with Harvard University, focused on fighting racism and gender inequality in football.
In Media
In September 2016, Marinakis's company, Alter Ego Media, won one of four national television licenses in Greece. They paid EUR 73.9 million for it. However, this license was later cancelled because a court found the law for it was unconstitutional.
In July 2017, Alter Ego bought the Lambrakis Press Group (DOL). DOL is one of Greece's oldest and most important media groups. It includes popular newspapers like Ta Nea and To Vima. It also has a news website, magazines, and a radio station. The transfer of ownership was supported by the staff unions. Alter Ego also owns a part of the Mega Channel TV station.
In February 2021, Marinakis wrote the lyrics for a hit song called "Excitement." The song was sung by Greek pop star Natassa Theodoridou. It quickly became very popular, reaching one million views on YouTube in just six days.
Awards and Recognition
Evangelos Marinakis is seen as one of the most important people in global shipping. He grew his shipping business from a small company he took over from his father.
He has been on Lloyd's List's "One Hundred Most Influential People in the Shipping Industry" list since 2010. In 2023, he was ranked 22nd. He has also won the "Newsmaker of the Year" award at the Lloyd's List "Greek Shipping Awards" in 2014 and 2010. In 2009, his company, Capital Ship Management Corp., won the "Tanker Company of the Year" award.
In 2016, he received the first "Xenakoudis Excellence in Shipping Award." In November 2017, Marinakis was given the Lloyd's List "Greek Shipping Personality of the Year" Award. The award recognized his large investments in shipping and his work in other areas like sports and charity.
In November 2022, Marinakis received the Tanker Shipping & Trade Industry Leader Award. In December 2023, he received two more Lloyd's List Greek Shipping Awards: "Deal of the Decade" and "20 Year Achievement Award."
Helping Others (Philanthropy)
Marinakis is also known for his charity work. He helps people both personally and through his role as president of Olympiacos F.C.
He personally supports the museum dedicated to Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis in Crete. He gives €80,000 every year for ten years. In 2014, he paid for celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Filiki Eteria, a secret society that helped Greece gain independence. He also supports various Greek children's charities, like Argo and 'Together for Children'.
Through Olympiacos, he has funded meals for a thousand people every week. In 2010, Olympiacos hosted a "Match Against Poverty" with the UNDP. This event raised over $500,000 for people affected by earthquakes in Haiti and Pakistan. The club also gave food and clothing to refugees at the Port of Piraeus.
In 2014, he donated €500,000 for school repairs in Cephalonia, a Greek island hit by earthquakes. In 2013, Olympiacos and UNICEF started a partnership to vaccinate children in developing countries. Olympiacos put UNICEF’s logo on their jerseys and aimed to raise €2 million. This partnership was renewed in 2017.
In 2012, Marinakis bought back Greek national debt worth €1,364,000. He did this on behalf of Olympiacos's Greek players and employees. Olympiacos has also supported other causes. These include the Japan earthquake relief fund, the environmental group Arcturos, and various children's hospitals and charities. Marinakis is also working to create the Olympiacos charity foundation.
In September 2017, Marinakis sponsored a conference in Athens with Harvard University. It focused on how football can help society, especially refugees. Marinakis said that "football can cross borders" and bring people together. In November 2017, he led an aid effort through Olympiacos. They sent food and water to victims of severe flooding in Mandra, Greece.
In July 2018, Marinakis donated €1 million through Olympiacos to help victims of deadly wildfires near Athens. He said that all Greeks needed to stand together in difficult times. In April 2019, Marinakis was a lead sponsor for a fundraising effort. It created the "Miltiadis Marinakis Professorship for Modern Greek Language and Culture" at the Ohio State University. This helped keep the Modern Greek Studies department open.
In November 2020, Nottingham Forest supported a campaign to fight homelessness. Marinakis was praised for his great support. In December 2020, Marinakis and Angeliki Frangou donated $1.8 million to an Athens hospital. This money funded 12 new intensive care beds.
