Vardis J. Vardinoyannis, a powerful and pivotal figure in Greek shipping and energy who survived a terrorist attack and cultivated close ties with the Kennedy family, died Tuesday in Athens. He was 90.
His death was announced by Motor Oil Hellas, the petroleum company Vardinoyannis transformed into one of Greece’s largest corporations.
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Born on the island of Crete, the fifth of eight children, Vardinoyannis embodied the archetype of the Greek shipping magnate who became a powerbroker at the head of one of the country’s most influential families.
After graduating from the naval academy in 1955, he served as an officer until his forced retirement and exile on a then remote Greek island due to his opposition to the military dictatorship that governed the country from 1967 to 1974.
Vardinoyannis joined the family business in the early 1970s, and began building an extensive network of enterprises that eventually included shipping, banking, hotels, sports clubs, newspapers and national television networks.
He was a supporter of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights foundation and led multiple charity initiatives with his wife, Marianna, who died last year aged 86.
Greece’s conservative prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis paid tribute on Tuesday to Vardinoyannis and his philanthropic work.
“With deep sadness, I bid farewell to Vardis Vardinoyiannis – the patriarch of a family that has left an indelible mark on the economic and social landscape of our country over the past decades,” Mitsotakis said.
“Behind his always serious gaze, he concealed many facets: from boldness and dynamism in business competition to countless charitable initiatives, many of which he preferred to keep anonymous.”
In 1990, Vardinoyannis survived an assassination attempt by the November 17 far-left militant group, when a car containing explosives, smoke bombs and anti-tank rocket launchers was used to target his moving armored car. The group’s members were eventually rounded up and convicted 13 years later for multiple and deadly attacks against politicians, U.S. officials, and local business leaders.
Vardinoyannis’ financial and political influence grew after he forged a partnership with Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco in the mid-1990s, as Greece gained prosperity as a member of the European Union after decades of hardship and political instability.
He maintained close ties with the Kennedy family, hosting the wedding in Greece of Rory Kennedy – daughter of Robert F. Kennedy – to the writer and documentary filmmaker Mark Bailey in 1999.
Later in life, Vardinoyannis became closely involved in charity projects with his wife, who was a UNESCO goodwill ambassador and head of a children's cancer charity.
They are survived by their five children. The funeral arrangements were not immediately known.