Born on the 30th July 1967 in Piraeus, Greece, Evangelos Marinakis is a successful investor and business leader, with a reported net worth of circa $650 million.
Mr Marinakis is the founder and Chairman of Capital Maritime & Trading Corp. With a keen interest in football, he owns two clubs: Nottingham Forest in the United Kingdom and Olympiacos in Piraeus, Greece. He is also a member of Piraeus City Council.
Evangelos Marinakis is the son of Miltiadis Marinakis, a shipowner and former Member of Greek Parliament. His mother, Irini Marinaki, was born in Pontus and is a descendant of the Ypsilantis family.
Educated at the American International University in London, Evangelos Marinakis has an MSc in International Relations, as well as a BA in International Business Administration. Upon graduating, Mr Marinakis followed in the footsteps of his father, working in the shipping sector and entering the political arena.
Evangelos Marinakis started his career with a company passed down by his father, operating seven bulk carriers. Through his considerable accomplishments with the Capital Maritime Group, Evangelos Marinakis has grown to become one of the most influential figures in the global shipping industry.
Today, the Marinakis family controls the renowned Capital Maritime Group, an organisation operating a 70-strong fleet of shipping vessels, including container ships, tankers, and dry bulk carriers. Evangelos Marinakis ranked 59th in Lloyd’s List’s 100 Most Influential People in the Shipping Industry in 2018, as well as featuring in Tradeswinds’ Power 100 List of Top Shipowners and Operators.
In 2017, Lloyd’s List organised a special awards ceremony in Athens, Greece, honouring Mr Marinakis with its Greek Shipping Personality of the Year award. Speaking on behalf of Lloyd’s List, Nigel Lowry explained that the award was in recognition of Mr Marinakis’s $1 billion investment into fleet capacity, his “dynamic deal making”, and his active contributions to sports, the media sector, and philanthropy.
In 2018, the Municipality of Piraeus honoured Mr Marinakis with a special award in recognition of his work with the Local Government. Evangelos Marinakis has also been recognised for spearheading Olympiacos Football Club’s philanthropic efforts, funding the purchase of vital medical equipment to facilitate bone marrow transplants.
In 2014, Evangelos Marinakis pledged €500,000 to fund the rebuilding of schools in Cephalonia following earthquakes in the region.
In addition to presiding as Chairman of Capital Maritime & Trading Corp, a company he built from the ground up, Evangelos Marinakis serves on the board of several other prestigious organisations, including Abisso Holdings Limited, Alter Ego Media SA, and One Channel.
Mr Marinakis also founded Crude Carriers Corporation, which merged with Capital Product Partners L.P. in 2011.
A long-time supporter of Olympiacos Football Club, Evangelos Marinakis purchased a majority share in his home team in 2010. In his seven-year tenure as the club’s president, Mr Marinakis led the team to victory in seven consecutive championships.
Acquiring Nottingham Forest Football Club in 2017, Mr Marinakis gained the English Football League’s approval for ambitious plans to restore the team to its former glory. These plans included an exciting redevelopment of the team’s home ground, which will culminate in the creation of the biggest stadium in the East Midlands and feature world-class facilities.
Throughout his career, Evangelos Marinakis has leveraged his position to create a positive social impact. In the wake of the financial crisis in Greece, Mr Marinakis oversaw Olympiacos Football Club’s €168,590 donation to Greece Debt Free, a charity website created to eliminate the Greek national debt.
Mr Marinakis also played an instrumental role in establishing a partnership between Olympiacos Football Club and UNICEF in 2013, helping to implement child immunisation in the developing world.