Thanasis Laskaridis

Thanasis Laskaridis (Greek: Θανάσης Λασκαρίδης; born 1952) is a Greek shipowner and businessman[1][2][3] based in the United Kingdom.[4] He is the president and CEO of Lavinia Corporation.[5][6][7] He is also founder of the A.C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation,[8] The People's Trust in Greece,[9] and co-founder (together with his brother Panos) of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation. He has six children.[3][10][11]

Thanasis Laskaridis
Thanasis Laskaridis in 2017
Born
Athanasios Laskaridis

8 November 1952
Athens, Greece
NationalityGreek
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1974 –
Known forPresident and CEO of Lavinia Corporation
Children6
Parent(s)Konstantinos Laskaridis
Kaiti Laskaridis

Biography

Early life and education

He was born in Athens, Greece, to Konstantinos (Constantine) and Aikaterini (Kaiti) Laskaridis and has one older brother, Panos Laskaridis.[12] He graduated from the German School of Athens in 1970[1] and went on to receive a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering[13] at Aston University of Birmingham in 1973, a Master's degree in Systems Engineering at Imperial College London in 1974 and a second Master's degree in Economics and Finance at the London School of Economics in 1975.

Business interests

During the mid-'70s he started his career in shipping by taking control of the small family fishing company along with his brother, Panos.[10][13] The two brothers are the majority shareholders[2][14] of Lavinia Corporation, a shipping group holding company that controls Laskaridis Shipping, an Athens-based management company founded in 1977[7][9] which operates reefer ships, petrol tankers, dry bulk carriers,[15][16][17] ship repair facilities, and marine terminals.[18]

His business activities also span across the hospitality (Laskaridis and his family controls numerous hotels in European countries like the landmark hotels Grande Bretagne[19] and King George[20][21] of Athens, Hyatt Regency Belgrade,[22] Lucknam Park[23] in the UK etc.), real estate, and airline industries (as a minority shareholder in Aegean Airlines[24]), and other enterprises.

Charity and donations

In 1993, the Laskaridis brothers[25] founded Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation in memory of their mother. The foundation actively supports cultural and educational projects in Greece.[26][27] Laskaridis and his brother have donated to numerous causes such as the Hellenic Coast Guard,[28][29][30] the Greek navy,[31] the Union of Greek Shipowners' charitable trust, fresh water supply projects for refugees in northern Greece and a number of Greek charitable organisations engaged with the wellbeing of children in need. Laskaridis has also donated to the London School of Economics in support of the Hellenic Observatory, where he sits on the Advisory Board.[32]

In 2014, he financed with €1.5 million[33] the restoration of Syntagma Square, the central square of Athens that had been damaged during riots and vandalism in previous years.[34][35][36][37] The mayor of Athens, Giorgos Kaminis, unveiled a plaque in his honour in September 2018, for Laskaridis' contribution to the square.[38]

Thanasis Laskaridis is also the founder of The People's Trust[39] in Greece, a charitable trust dedicated to small grants for startup companies and general charity.[9]

For his donations to the Greek Navy and coast guard, Laskaridis has been awarded by the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy and the Hellenic Coast Guard.[30][40] He is also an honorary member of the latter organisation.[30]

In 2016, Thanasis Laskaridis founded the A.C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation (ACLCF), a non-profit organisation which aims to build partnerships and implement programmes that focus on the environment and education in Greece.[8][41] As part of these efforts, in 2019 the MV Typhoon, a former platform supply vessel that was converted into a special purpose ship, began operations in the Greek seas with the aim of contributing to the large scale clean-up of the coastline, as well as to research of coastal and in-water marine pollution, in cooperation with universities and research institutions.[42][43] In 2020, the ACLCF initiated a joint effort with the Greek government to plan the campaign "Greece Without Disposable Plastics", which aims to significantly reduce the volume of disposable plastics used in the country.[44]

References
  1. "Θανάσης Λασκαρίδης (70)". ex-dsathen.gr (in Greek). Alumni-Verein der Deutschen Schule Athen. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  2. Skordilis, Giorgos S. (24 June 2007). "Οι φιλοδοξίες των αδελφών Λασκαρίδη". tovima.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  3. Meade, Richard, ed. (2012). Lloyd's List: NEXT GENERATION 2012. Most Influential People in the Shipping Industry. London: Informa UK Ltd. p. 14.
  4. Seatrade Magazine, 1986, Vol. 16, p. 16.
  5. Kasimatis, Alexandros (25 May 2015). "Θανάσης Λασκαρίδης: Γερμανοί και Ολλανδοί "χτυπάνε" την ελληνική ναυτιλία". protothema.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  6. "Structure of the Hellenic Observatory". London School of Economics. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  7. Whittaker, Gillian (23 May 2014). "Panos and Thanassis Laskaridis. Going in for the krill". Trade Winds. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  8. Tsaousis, Kostas (21 November 2017). "Από τους καθαρισμούς των ακτών στην νέα θαλάσσια οικονομία". protothema.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  9. "Top 100 – 101. Laskaridis family, Lavinia Group". lloydslist.com. Lloyd's List. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  10. "Στη μεγάλη ευκαιρία του τουρισμού ποντάρουν οι αδελφοί Λασκαρίδη". dealnews.gr (in Greek). 28 June 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  11. "Laskaridis family looks to the future". Lloyd's List. 24 May 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  12. "Kaiti Laskaridou". Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  13. Theotokas, Giannis; Harlaftis, Gelina (2007). Hellēnes ephoplistes kai nautiliakes epicheirēseis: organōsē, dioikēsē kai stratēgikē. Athens: Alexandria Publications. p. 122. ISBN 978-960-221-375-9.
  14. "Πάνος Λασκαρίδης (65)". ex-dsathen.gr (in Greek). Alumni-Verein der Deutschen Schule Athen. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  15. "Late reefer revival buoys Laskaridis". lloydslist.com. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  16. "Laskaridis sees family future in bulkers". lloydslist.com. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  17. "Prominent Owners: Laskaridis Grows Dry Bulk Presence with $1bn Investment Program". TradeWinds. 30 May 2014.
  18. "Laskaridis invests in $100m Montevideo bulk terminal". tradewindsnews.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  19. Gage, Nicholas (17 June 2013). "A look at the financial crisis in Greece, including how the shipping industry could impact the country's future". Town and Country Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  20. Katsoli, Evi (14 December 2012). "ΘΑΝΑΣΗΣ & ΠΑΝΟΣ ΛΑΣΚΑΡΙΔΗΣ – Μπαράζ επενδύσεων κόντρα στο... ρεύμα της κρίσης". Deal News (in Greek).
  21. "Starwood Hotels & Resorts Expands Footprint in Greece with the Debut of King George, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens". Business Wire. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  22. "Hyatt Regency Belgrade – Lampsa Hellenic Hotels SA". Lampsa.eu. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  23. "Lucknam Park Hotels Limited – Company Information". Endole. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  24. "Laskaridis sinks cash into airline". Trade Winds. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  25. Jaques, Bob, ed. (November 2015). "Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation dives deep". Hellas Maritime supplement to Seatrade Magazine. p. 13. Archived from the original on 5 December 2015.
  26. Tsamopoulos, Minas (26 May 2015). "Ίδρυμα "Αικατερίνη Λασκαρίδη": 20 χρόνια προσφοράς στον Πολιτισμό, την Παιδεία και τη Ναυτιλία" (in Greek). Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  27. "Foundation History". Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  28. "The Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation funds the major repair of two Coast Guard vessels". Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  29. "Τελετή απόδοσης σε ενέργεια του ΠΑΘ 050". Hellenic Coast Guard (in Greek). 10 December 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  30. "Η ΛΕΣΧΗ Λ.Σ. έκοψε την πρωτοχρονιάτικη πίτα της". Λέσχη Λιμενικού Σώματος (in Greek). 28 January 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  31. "Θαλαμηγός με… τζακούζι στη διάθεση των σπουδαστών της Σχολής Ναυτικών Δοκίμων" (in Greek). 22 January 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  32. "Structure of the Hellenic Observatory". London School of Economics. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  33. Kousounis, Stathis (8 April 2017). "Δωρεά από Λάμψα ο φωτισμός της πλατείας Συντάγματος". Kathimerini (in Greek). Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  34. Hope, Kerin (31 March 2014). "Grande Bretagne roof garden, Athens". Financial Times. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  35. Kalmouki, Nikoleta (8 October 2014). "The New Syntagma Square in Athens". GreekReporter. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  36. Vatopoulos, Nikos (8 March 2014). "Η υιοθεσία της πλατείας Συντάγματος". Kathimerini (in Greek). Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  37. Tsiliopoulos, E. (28 March 2014). "Syntagma Square revamped". New Greek TV | The Greek Channel of New York. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  38. "Αθανάσιος Λασκαρίδης: Τιμήθηκε για τη μεταμόρφωση της πλατείας Συντάγματος". protothema.gr (in Greek). 10 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  39. "About us". The People's Trust. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  40. "Η ευγενική δωρεά της οικογένειας Λασκαρίδη προς το Λιμενικό Σώμα". Marine Chronicles (in Greek). 11 December 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  41. "Ιδρυμα Α. Κ. Λασκαρίδη: Εστιάζει στην ενίσχυση του κόσμου της θάλασσας". tovima.gr (in Greek). 22 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  42. "Nothing Can Stop The Typhoon". All About Shipping. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  43. Tsakiroglou, Vasilis (14 August 2019). "Project Typhoon: "Τυφώνας" σαρώνει τα σκουπίδια από τις ακτές". Proto Thema. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  44. "PM Mitsotakis Briefed on Progress in Phasing out Disposable Plastic". The National Herald. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
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