Evangelos Marinakis is a leading figure in the global shipping industry who has leveraged his position as a business leader and public figure to achieve a positive social impact. A committed philanthropist, Evangelos Marinakis has used his personal wealth to finance a range of community projects and support numerous worthy causes over the years. As owner of Olympiacos football club, he has helped establish several partnerships with leading charities, including spearheading an initiative that saw Olympiacos FC provide vital funding to UNICEF in 2013, enabling the charity to organise a child immunization scheme in the developing world.
Born in 1967 in the Greek port city of Piraeus, Evangelos Marinakis has played a hugely influential role in the global shipping industry as Chairman of the Capital Maritime & Trading Corporation. With a passion for football, he is also the owner of the Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos football clubs, the latter being the team of his home city, Piraeus.
Evangelos Marinakis is the only son of Irini Marinakis, née Karakatsani, and Miltiadis Marinakis, a Cretan-born shipowner and Member of the Greek Parliament. As founder of the Vanimar shipping company, Miltiadis Marinakis enjoyed great success international shipping, acquiring and managing his own fleet of ships. He also supported Olympiacos FC financially.
After completing his secondary education in Greece, Evangelos Marinakis studied in Watford, England, where he earned a BA in International Business Administration before going on to take a Master’s degree in International Relations.
Mr Marinakis commenced his career working for the British companies, Harley Mullion and Elders Chartering. In 1992, Mr Marinakis joined the Capital Ship Management Corporation as Commercial Manager. In this role, he oversaw the success and growth of many organisations that today form part of the Capital Maritime group.
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True to the Marinakis family’s formidable maritime pedigree, Evangelos Marinakis founded the hugely successful Capital Maritime & Trading Corporation in 2004. He continues to preside over the Capital Maritime & Trading Corporation as Chairman to this day, spearheading strategies for the company’s vast fleet of container ships, tankers and dry bulk carriers.
From 2007 to 2014, Evangelos Marinakis served as Chairman of the Board for Capital Product Partners L.P. He was also the founder of Crude Carriers Corporation, an organisation that went on to merge with Capital Product Partners LP in September 2011. In 2019, Capital Product Partners L.P. and Diamond S Shipping Inc. struck a deal worth a reported $1.65 billion, resulting in the two companies’ merger and the creation of one of the world’s largest tanker companies.
In 2010, Mr Marinakis acquired a majority share in Olympiacos FC, having been a long-time supporter. Throughout his tenure as club president, he led the team to victory in seven consecutive championship wins.
Having gained a controlling share in Nottingham Forest Football Club in 2017, Evangelos Marinakis secured the approval of the English Football League for his bold plans to restore the team to its previous success. These plans included an ambitious redevelopment of the team’s historic grounds, culminating in the creation of a state-of-the-art venue featuring world-class facilities that ranks as the largest football stadium in the East Midlands today.
Evangelos Marinakis became an elected member of the Piraeus City Council in 2014, having cofounded the Piraeus Winner alliance with Piraeus Mayor and Olympiacos FC Vice President, Yannis Moralis. The party’s manifesto centred around improving living standards across the city, including upgrading infrastructure and putting Piraeus on the map as a thriving tourist destination.
Recognising more than most the potential of his home city, Evangelos Marinakis was also acutely aware of the challenges faced by local people and the stumbling blocks preventing it from reaching its full potential. Evangelos Marinakis has used his own funds to finance construction of sports facilities, children’s playgrounds, and public spaces across the city, plugging gaps in the city council’s funding created by the Greek economic crisis.
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