Portrait
This is not even about the fact that Stelios Haji- Ioannou founded EasyJet . It is , of course , quite an achievement , since he created the famous British airline at the age of just 28 . Since then it has expanded into a group of companies and services : from car rentals to fitness studios . The Greek billionaire seems to have all his projects happen « easily »! However , there is yet another dimension to his life that has made him a truly successful person . The Greek businessman devotes one third of all his time to the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation . Its activities mainly cover the countries where he used to live and work — Greece , Cyprus , Monaco and the United Kingdom . « I used my name for the Foundation for a reason ; I consider it my heritage ,» says Stelios . And this is more than just words . On May 11 , 2017 , the Greek businessman joined Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in the Top-100 of the richest people on the planet having signed The Giving Pledge . This is a philanthropic campaign launched in 2010 obliging the participants to donate at least 50 % of their capi tal to charity . Stelios Haji-Ioannou thus bequeathed half of his fortune to the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation . What was the start of the businessman ’ s career and how did he eventually turn to charity ?
Between the sea and the sky
Stelios Haji-Ioannou was born in Athens to the family of one of the largest ship owners , a Cypriot Lucas Haji-Ioannou . Not surprisingly , the future billionaire was educated at the London School of Economics and Political Science . He then worked in his father ’ s company to grasp the reality of the business world . At the age of 25 , following the example of his father , the young entrepreneur opened his oil transportation company , Stelmar Shipping . To launch it , he spent about 30 million pounds received from his father . In 2005 , the company was sold for 1.3 billion dollars . This deal did put an end to a family tradition as Stelios was no longer dealing with freight . He was interested in quite different projects . His new business idea dated back to long before the sale of Stelmar Shipping . It consisted in creating a low-cost airline , EasyJet . This time Stelios borrowed only 5 million pounds from his father for the purchase of two Boeings , and the company was launched in 1995 . We all know what happened later . In just three years
On May 11 , 2017 , the Greek businessman joined Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in the Top-100 of the richest people on the planet having signed The Giving Pledge .
the airline fleet had grown to 15 aircraft . By 2007 the flight destinations stretched to Germany , Italy , France and Spain . In 2006 , 39-year-old Stelios was granted a knighthood by the British Queen for « business development .» By this time , this « serial entrepreneur », as he calls himself , combined numerous services of the Easy- Group holding company based in Monaco and London . His famous Easy concept covered all kinds of spheres : sports , ground transportation , hotels , real estate and many others . Today , the businessman lives between Monaco and the island of Saint Barth — that ’ s where he runs his real estate business and enjoys his long time sailing hobby . He owns a small fleet of classic sailing yachts , happens to be an active member of the Monaco Yacht Club and owns a yacht club in Saint Barth .
Philanthropy in Monaco
« I
became Pledge ,» says Stelios . « If you ’ ve
the first Monegasque resident to have signed The Giving
been lucky enough and you ’ ve earned enough money , a half must go to a good cause , and the other half to the family . I also believe that this is a good way to perpetuate your heritage .»
Speaking about the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation globally , on top of the training and supporting grants for disabled entrepreneurs , the « Food from the heart » program absolutely needs to be mentioned . As part of this initiative , about 86,000 people in Greece and in Cyprus living below a poverty line receive the food that they need to survive . Another important project is an award to the Greek and Turkish Cypriots promoting peace on the island still torn apart by a territorial conflict dating back to the 1960s . Monaco where the Haji-Ioannou family moved 28 years ago is another venue for Stelios charity events . Last summer his foundation collected 120 000 euros that went to a joint project of the WWF and Prince Albert II Foundation aimed at saving white tigers from extinction . There is also another project underway that will bear the name of the Greek billionaire . He is planning to open a conference hall with a capacity of 100 people in the Port of Hercule , quay of Antoine I . This will be a venue for summits , conferences and meetings of charitable projects of Monaco . Since the rental cost of premises in Monaco is high , this initiative of Sir Stelios will be a significant contribution to charity development in Monaco , giving a home to its philanthropic organizations and letting them work more efficiently .
Hello Monaco Summer – Autumn 2018 / 105