Trustees & Associate Members
Foundation Trustees. From left to right Donald Manasse, David Watson, Jean-Claude Eude, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Rena Rouvitha Panou, Peter Barton & Nikos Mourkogiannis. Photo taken by www.studiokominis.com at Stelios Awards for Young Entrepreneurs in Greece 3 September 2024, Stelios Foundation Conference Hall Plaka Athens.
Board of Trustees
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou
Stelios is best known for creating the easy family of brands starting with easyJet in 1994 when he was just 27. Six years later he floated the airline on the www.londonstockexchange.com in order to fund growth but he and his family remain the largest shareholders holding about 26% of the shares. The stock market currently values easyJet PLC at about £4.7 billion. When the COVID Pandemic struck the airline was carrying about 100 million passengers per year but the numbers are now substantially reduced…
Nikos Mourkogiannis
(Updated 19th of January 2018)
Nikos is a business consultant, lawyer and writer. He is Member of the Board of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation and Honorary Visiting Professor of Practice at Cass Business School. He is known as the author of the book “Purpose: The Starting Point of Great Companies”, which is taught in universities and is considered an important asset for all businesses. It is a book about leadership and business strategy, in which there is a full analysis of the four primary business purposes: Discovery, Helping, Achievement, and Heroism. During his presidency of the Greek National Opera, the application of a restructuring program and the reorganization of GNO’s financial situation, saved the organization’s operation, leading to its continuous progress until today with great success.
David Watson
David comes to the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation from Athens, Greece where he has been based for the majority of his professional career in commercial and institutional banking (primarily with Citibank) spanning nearly 4 decades, most recently serving as Managing Director of Piraeus Bank followed by Advisor to the EFG Eurobank Ergasias in Athens. Retired in 2005, David serves on three company boards as non-executive director including easyGroup Holdings, EFG Eurobank and J&P Avax in Athens. As an ‘adopted’ Greek – David holds both US and Greek citizenships and is fluent in both languages – David also earned an MBA from Northeastern University in Massachussetts, USA and a BA from Miami College in Ohio, USA. David brings considerable experience from his many years living and working in Greece to bear on the Foundation’s activities and infuses the quarterly meetings of the Conseil d’Administration with a Midwestern wit and a Mediterranean sensibility.
Donald Manasse
A practicing lawyer and prolific author of legal text, Donald has been based in Nice and Monaco for over 2 decades. Born in Italy, Donald was schooled in the US (Transylvania College and the University of Missouri), ultimately receiving his Juris Doctor from New York Law School. Since then, he has been admitted to a number of Bar Associations including New York and Connecticut in the US and Nice, France. Donald has also been admitted to the US Court of International Trade, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Court, the US Tax Court and the US Supreme Court. He served as a member of the Jury for the 31st America’s Cup and has also been nominated a Chevalier de l’Ordre de St. Charles in the Principality of Monaco. Tri-lingual, dual nationality and multi-cultural, Donald brings a wealth of perspective and experience along with considerable savoir-faire to the activities of the Foundation.
Jean-Claude Eude
(Updated on the 23rd of January 2018)
A graduate of Harvard Business School, the University of Pittsburgh and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques, Jean-Claude has had a long and meaningful career in the public finance sector – initially as an economist at the IMF, subsequently as an advisor to a member of the European Commission in Brussels and later became Controller of the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington DC. More recently, Jean-Claude has been based in Monaco, serving first as Director of the Compagnie Monegasque de Banque and later as the Managing Director of the Monaco Bankers’ Association. Post-retirement, Jean-Claude serves as a non-executive director of easyGroup Holdings, is accredited since 2008 as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Latvia in the Principality of Monaco and is also a trustee of the Institute of American Universities (IAU) in Aix en Provence.
A multi-lingual French national – who has been appointed both Officier de l’Ordre de la Republique Tunisienne as well as Officier de l’Ordre de Saint Charles in Monaco – Jean-Claude brings his considerable French elegance as well as deep european knowledge to the quarterly meetings of the Foundation’s board.
Peter Barton
An alumnus of Oxford University (Magdalen College), Peter Barton preceded his professional career with military service as a 2nd Lieutenant in a British infantry regiment – stationed on the island of Cyprus at the time – and a Captain in the London Rifle Brigade. His executive career, based in the City of London, spanned over 20 years as a corporate lawyer, followed by 13 years as an investment banker. During the past 20 years Peter has held a number of non-executive and pro bono appointments, including Deputy Chairman of Alliance & Leicester plc and Chairman of Howard de Walden Estates Ltd, The Guinness Partnership, Bramdean Asset management LLP and The Leonard Ingrams Foundation. He is a Director of easyGroup Holdings Ltd and a Trustee of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation. His pro bono appointments have included Member of the Audit & Scrutiny Committee of Oxford University and Member of the Finance Committee of the Royal Commission for the 1851 Exhibition. Peter was the High Sheriff and subsequently a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London. He was President of his local branch of the Royal British Legion.
Rena Rouvitha Panou
Rena has extensive cross-border experience in financial services and the wider business sector. After graduating from London School of Economics (Metcalfe Scholar), she obtained an M.Phil. Economics degree from University of Cambridge and an M.Sc. Management degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Fulbright Scholar). She is Trustee of UK-based Stelios Philanthropic Foundation since 2022 and Member of the Advisory Council of School of Economics and Management at University of Cyprus. She is also Independent Board Director of Eurobank Group (Greece) and AikGroup (CY) in the field of banking and financial services. Previously, Rena was Chair of Cyta (Cyprus’ leading telecommunications provider) for two consecutive tenures (2016-21), driving major transformation initiatives which led to the successful strategic and financial turnaround of Cyta, as well as the modernization of Cyprus’ digital infrastructure and international connectivity. She was also Chair of the Pensions & Grants Fund of Cyta Personnel, Board Member of the Cyprus Employers & Industrialists Federation and Independent Board Director of Cyprus Asset Management Company KEDIPES. In her earlier career Rena served as Chair of Cyprus Development Bank (2008-14) following the Bank’s privatization and had been Independent Board Director of Alpha Bank subsidiaries in Cyprus, Romania and Greece, as well as Vassiliko Cement public company in Cyprus. Until 2006 she worked at Laiki Group (HSBC associate bank) as Managing Director of Laiki Bank Hellas, Group General Manager, Group Board Director and Board Member of the Group’s banking subsidiaries in Greece and Australia. Between 1984 and 1991 Rena was based in Boston USA, working in senior positions in management and financial services consulting.
Associate Members
The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation is organised under the UK legal form of a company “limited by guarantee”, which in effect is owned by its members. These members are the equivalent of the shareholders, while the trustees are the equivalent of directors of the company. The six trustees and ten associate members, when combined, are the 16 members that “own” the Foundation.
Our Associate Members
Orla Murphy
Ms Orla Murphy is the partner of Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou. They live in Monaco where their daughter Aria Haji-Ioannou was born on the 29th of May, 2018. Ms Murphy was born in Ireland, obtained a Bachelor degree in equine sciences from Limerick University and moved to Monaco in 2008, where she worked as a sales executive for interior design firm Boutsen Design specialising, in yachts and private aviation.
Aria Haji-Ioannou
Aria Haji-Ioannou is the daughter of Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and Ms Orla Murphy.
Tracy Ghori
Tracy is currently the UK Charity Projects Co-ordinator for the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation. Following nearly a decade working in the not-for-profit sector, in many administrative and management roles for a touring theatre company, she joined Sir Stelios and his team at easyGroup in 2000. For the last 15 years she has worked for the Foundation managing all its UK activities. Tracy is delighted to have been awarded the role of Associate Member.
Alan Marsh MBE FICS
Alan Marsh’s professional career has been in the Maritime and Shipping Industry. Alan has been associated with the Haji-Ioannou family for nearly 50 years having acted first for Stelios’ father Loucas as he built up his Ship owning empire Troodos Shipping and then when Stelios himself created a ship-owning company in 1992. Alan was the former CEO of Braemar Shipping Group PLC as well as a Director of ITIC. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers for whom he was President in 2010 and Past Prime Warden of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights. He is a VP of MSSC (Marine Society Sea Cadets), VP of the RNLI, Non-Executive Director and Trustee of IFAN Maritime (International Foundation aids to Navigation), Trustee and Vice Chairman of Annual National Service for Seafarers, a Younger Brother at Trinity House, member of Hon Company of Master Mariners, Freeman of Waterman and Lighterman Company, member of the Baltic Exchange and a development Board member of Wetwheels UK.
Ken Griggs
Ken was born in Cyprus, educated in England, and after working in various overseas posts spent the majority of his career in London as a Director of a merchant bank. He now lives in Monaco where he delivers tax solutions on super yachts. Ken is also the Treasurer and a Board member of the Gustavia Yacht Club.
Panicos Hassapis
A practicing Chartered Accountant based in Limassol, Cyprus. Panicos studied economics in the UK and then he joined a City of London firm of Chartered Accountants where he trained and obtained his practicing certificate. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He shares common family roots with Stelios and has known him since Stelios’ childhood years. Panicos’ accounting firm provides its services to Stelios Philanthropic Foundation in Cyprus.
Lora Galitzine
Lora Galitzine has recently left Coutts & Co, a Private Bank in London, after 18 years, to pursue her charitable and other interests. She was a Client Director in the UHNW team of the International and Family Office division, where she managed the complex and multi-faceted wealth requirements of international families. Previously, she worked at Cedar Partners a multi-strategy hedge fund, the Private Bank & Trust Co (the precursor to EFG Bank) and Julius Baer Private Bank in London. She started her career as a broker at the correspondents of Shearson, Lehman/ American Express, in Athens. She received her Master’s degree in International Finance and Banking from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, in New York. Lora is currently a Trustee of the Hellenic College Trust, a registered charity aiming to support endeavours that promote and foster Greek culture, history and language. Lora previously served as a member of the Board of Governors, Executive and Finance Committee Member and Chair of Marketing at the Hellenic College of London, a bi-lingual and bi-cultural independent school. She was also a Mentor with Arrival Education, an organisation supporting underachieving, ethnically-diverse pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds within a structured leadership programme. Her mentee has gone from under-achieving in school to working for a global bank. Lora is Greek by nationality, but born, raised and educated abroad.