Stelios Joannou
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Stelios Joannou or Ioannou (Greek: Στέλιος Ιωάννου; 30 January 1915 – 8 May 1999) was an internationally acclaimed Cypriot
industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...
and
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
, one of the two cofounders of the formidable
Joannou & Paraskevaides AVAX Group is one of the oldest and largest construction groups in Greece. It is mainly active in the field of constructions, concessions and real estate development, in Greece and international markets. AVAX Group has been listed on the Athens S ...
construction firm, known by its trademark, J&P.


Biography

Born in
Pano Lefkara Pano Lefkara () is a village on the island of Cyprus famous for its lace, known as lefkaritika in (Greek: λευκαρίτικα) and silver handicrafts. The village takes its name from the white of its silica and limestone: Lefkara is derived fro ...
, near
Larnaca Larnaca, also spelled Larnaka, is a city on the southeast coast of Cyprus and the capital of the Larnaca District, district of the same name. With a district population of 155.000 in 2021, it is the third largest city in the country after Nicosi ...
(
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
), Stelios Joannou was the son of Ttofi (Christofis) and Panagiota Ioannou. At a young age, together with his parents and his sister, Eleni, he moved to
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
, where his father owned and successfully directed a small inn that operated in parallel as a trading post for various goods. Growing up in the environment of the famous ‘Ttofi’s Inn’, also called ‘St Anthony’s Inn’, Ioannou had the opportunity to receive a hands-on business education and to witness first-hand the problems, strengths and needs faced by the rural population and the people active in production and trade in
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
. After completing his studies at the
Pancyprian Gymnasium The Pancyprian Gymnasium (), is the oldest still operational Lyceum, high school in Cyprus, founded in 1812. History In the location of the current school, an older school existed, established in 1753 known as Ellinomouseion (). The ''Pancypri ...
and the English School,
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
, he initially entered the world of commerce. In 1938 he married Ellie Mousoulou (
Karavas Karavas (; ) is a town in the north of the Cyprus island. It is under the '' de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. , the town has a population of 6,597. Etymology The name ''Karavas'' comes from the Greek ''karávi'' (), meaning "ship". The na ...
,
Kyrenia Kyrenia is a city on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. It is under the '' de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. While there is evidence showing that the wider region of Kyrenia has been populated before, ...
,
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, 29 December 1919 –
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
,
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, 26 June 2010), the daughter of Sophocles and Evridiki Mousoulou and the sister of the eminent academic Loukas Mousoulou and the businessman Leonidas Mousoulou. Stelios and Ellie Joannou (Ioannou) had three children, Leonidas ( Dakis), Sylvia and Christos, and together they embarked on a long and fruitful path as philanthropists. Their charitable endeavours intensified after the death of their younger son, Christos, in a car accident in 1971, at the age of 26. Despite his international business success, Ioannou never forgot his origins. Firmly committed to the interests of his homeland, he became a great benefactor of
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
through his charity and entrepreneurial activities. Stelios Joannou passed away at the age of 84 on 8 May 1999 at the Nicosia General Hospital, where he had undergone surgery for an aortic aneurysm. The funeral was conducted by the Archbishop of
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, Chrysostomos I, at the Church of Our Lady
Pallouriotissa Pallouriotissa ( []) is an area of Nicosia, Cyprus, formerly an independent village, which was annexed to the municipality in 1968. It was subsequently divided into the quarters of Panayia (''Panagia'') and Saints Constantine and Helen (''Agioi ...
,
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
, on 10 May 1999. Many ambassadors, government ministers, parliamentarians, leaders and representatives of political parties and unions, entrepreneurs, friends and relatives were in attendance, as well as a large crowd of people who had benefitted from Ioannou's charity. The coffin was draped with the Greek flag, and the eulogy was delivered by
Glafcos Clerides Glafcos Ioannou Clerides (; 24 April 1919 – 15 November 2013) was a Cypriot statesman, who served as President of Cyprus in 1974 and from 1993 to 2003. A barrister and former Royal Air Force pilot, Clerides played an important role in the ...
, then President of the Republic of Cyprus and a friend of Joannou. A true humanist who exhibited a great sensibility for literary and cultural affairs, Ellie Joannou (Ioannou) was repeatedly presented with awards for her contributions by such entities as the Red Cross and Stasinos, the Association of Greek Philologists of Cyprus (1981). After the death of Stelios Joannou, she furthered their common causes and worked towards the implementation of many of the visions that her husband did not live to realize, most significantly the construction of the exceptional Library and Learning Resource Centre at the
University of Cyprus The University of Cyprus (Greek language, Greek: Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου, Turkish language, Turkish: Kıbrıs Üniversitesi) is a public university, public research institute, research university established in Cyprus in 1989. It ...
. She was also the first recipient of the Woman of the Year Award in
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
(2005).


Business activities

In 1941, at age 26, Stelios Joannou formed a partnership with the architect–engineer George Paraskevaides and was responsible for the financial administration and management of the enterprise. Initially they undertook the execution of defensive military works for the protection of Cyprus from German and Italian air raids during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Later, in 1961, the partners founded the J&P construction company, through which they expanded their activities outside the shores of the island and firmly placed
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
on the international business map. J&P’s projects in the greater
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
region were crucial for the recovery of the Cypriot economy, which had collapsed in the wake of the Turkish invasion of 1974, by providing work for thousands of unemployed Cypriots. Economic recovery was also furthered by Ioannou’s instrumental and decisive company policy initiative whereby recruitment of any employee was conditional on accepting payment of two thirds of their salary in
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
instead of in the foreign countries where the company was active. In this way, substantial transfers of necessary capital were funnelled back into
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, invigorating the ruined economy of the island. To this day, Joannou & Paraskevaides continues its successful international course in construction projects. Its Greek subsidiary, J&P Hellas S.A., has been active since 1993, initially as Zeus A.T.E. and later renamed J&P Hellas A.T.E. Following a merger with AVAX S.A., the current, well-known construction company J&P–AVAX S.A. was formed.


Philanthropic work and legacy

Stelios and Ellie Joannou (Ioannou) were involved in a wide range of
humanitarian Humanitarianism is an ideology centered on the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...
activities, strengthening or establishing charitable, medical and educational institutions and historical and cultural associations and aiding monasteries, churches, and patriarchates, as well as sports and refugee associations. Significant achievements of their rich social and benevolent efforts include the following: The Christos Stelios Ioannou Foundation was established in 1983 for the care, training, rehabilitation and social reintegration of people with learning difficulties. This organization was augmented by a contribution towards the creation in 1988 of the Mental Retardation Prevention Center, later renamed the Center for Preventive Paediatrics in 2002, and through further grants towards the operation of the St Christopher Home (1998) and the Integrated Residential Units (EOM) that care for adults with learning difficulties who lack home care. These intensive efforts, as well as the leading role played by Stelios and Ellie Joannou in the introduction and establishment of the Special Olympics Institution in
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, contributed considerably towards removing the social stigma attached to disabled people and their families. Stelios Joannou was named the first president and major benefactor of the Lions Care for Youth Foundation (ΛΙΑΑΠ) and was also the first and major benefactor of the Agia Skepi Therapeutic Community (1998), which assists substance abusers undergoing detoxification. The foundation of a research centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies at the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
was envisioned by Ellie Joannou (Ioannou) and was financed by herself and her children in memory of Stelios Joannou. In 2007, the University honoured him by naming the centre the Stelios Ioannou School for Research in Classical and Byzantine Studies. Ellie Joannou (Ioannou) also spearheaded the construction of the outstanding Library at the
University of Cyprus The University of Cyprus (Greek language, Greek: Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου, Turkish language, Turkish: Kıbrıs Üniversitesi) is a public university, public research institute, research university established in Cyprus in 1989. It ...
. This mixed-use building (on 5 levels and covering a total area of more than 15,000 square metres) was designed by the award-winning French architect
Jean Nouvel Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and ''Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has ob ...
, inspired by the landscape around the campus. It houses the Library, the Information Systems Services, the Centre for Teaching Support Technologies and the University’s Language Centre. The social and intellectual legacy of Stelios and Ellie Joannou (Ioannou) has been continued and expanded by their children Dakis and Sylvia and their families.
Dakis Joannou Dakis Ioannou (Leonidas Ioannou; ; born December 30, 1939) is a Greek Cypriot industrialist and art collector. He is considered to be one of the leading collectors of contemporary art in the world and is famous for acquisitions such as the Jeff ...
,
entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...
and collector of contemporary art, is the founder of the DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art and sits on the boards of various institutions and internationally acclaimed modern art museums. Sylvia Ioannou is the founder of the Sylvia Ioannou Foundation, which holds one of the world’s most important private collections of rare books and maps of
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, working towards the preservation and dissemination of Cypriot heritage found in print and manuscript form and the promotion of research on
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
through the support of various Humanities study programmes.


Awards and honours

Some of the distinctions bestowed, in life and posthumously, on Stelios Joannou for his contributions to business and social causes include the following. He was awarded the Order of the Sultanate of Oman and the Gold Medal of
Zeno of Citium Zeno of Citium (; , ; c. 334 – c. 262 BC) was a Hellenistic philosophy, Hellenistic philosopher from Kition, Citium (, ), Cyprus. He was the founder of the Stoicism, Stoic school of philosophy, which he taught in Athens from about 300 BC. B ...
(accepted on behalf of the Christos Stelios Ioannou Foundation). He was honoured by the Red Cross, the
Church of Alexandria The Church of Alexandria in Egypt was the Christian Church headed by the patriarch of Alexandria. It was one of the five sees of the pentarchy, alongside Rome, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem. Tradition holds that Saint Mark the Evangeli ...
(for his contribution towards the rebuilding of the Patriarchate building), the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, the Melathron Agoniston
EOKA The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA ; ) was a Greek Cypriot nationalist guerrilla organization that fought a campaign for the end of Cyprus#Cyprus under the British Empire, British rule in Cyprus, and for enosis, eventual union with K ...
(House of Cypriot Freedom Fighters) and the Aspis Refugee Club-Association. He was awarded the Medal for Outstanding Service of the Republic of Cyprus (presented to Ellie Joannou (Ioannou) on 18 January 2001 by
Glafcos Clerides Glafcos Ioannou Clerides (; 24 April 1919 – 15 November 2013) was a Cypriot statesman, who served as President of Cyprus in 1974 and from 1993 to 2003. A barrister and former Royal Air Force pilot, Clerides played an important role in the ...
). He received the Golden Key of the Municipality of Lefkara, while the City of Nicosia declared him an Honorary Citizen in 2003 and named the area between Delphi and Zannetou Streets in the parish of St Andreas as Stelios Joannou Square. He was also honoured by the American Hellenic Institute Foundation (AHIF), the Pancyprian Land and Building Developers Association (LBDA), the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KEBE) ‘for his valuable contribution to the development of Cyprus’ relations with Arab countries’, and the Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK) ‘for his contribution to the promotion of engineering science and his overall social contribution’ (7 May 2011), as well as by various sports institutions and associations such as the
Nicosia District The Nicosia District, or simply Nicosia (also Lefkosia and Lefkoşa), is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island country's capital city, Nicosia. The de facto TRNC-controlled northern part of the district is the Lefkoşa ...
National Football Federation (ΕΠΟΠΛ), the National Youth Union Mammari Rotsides Football Club and the Union of Cyprus Sports Writers. On 17 October 2016 Cyprus Post released a stamp with his image, included in the Great Cypriot Benefactors series.‘Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία: Νέα Σειρά «Μεγάλοι Κύπριοι Ευεργέτες»’, ''Η Μάχη'' newspaper, electronic edition (9 October 2016): http://www.maxhnews.com.cy/piomicronlambdaiotatauiotasigmamuomicronsigma/4988474.


References


Bibliography

* Chrysanthos Chrysanthou (ed.), ''Μεγάλοι Κύπριοι. 150 Πρωτοπόροι. Πολιτική, Οικονομία και Επιχειρήσεις, Πολιτισμός, Τέχνες, Επιστήμες και Εκπαίδευση, Αθλητισμός, Κοινωνική Προσφορά'', Vol. 1: Α-Κο, research and texts by Chrysanthos Chrysanthou and Anastasia Siakalli, Nicosia: Phileleftheros Group, 2015. * Aristides L. Koudounaris, ''Βιογραφικόν Λεξικόν Κυπρίων 1800-1920'', 6th revised edition, Nicosia 2010. * Lions Care for Youth Foundation (ΛΙΑΑΠ): http://www2.cytanet.com.cy/laionikos-odigos/st/st-10-3.htm * Averof Neophytou, ‘Η προσφορά του Στέλιου Ιωάννου στην οικονομία και την κοινωνία μας’, speech delivered at an event in honour of Stelios Joannou, Nicosia, 5 December 2016: http://www.averof.org.cy/index.php?id=1101 * Personal archives of Sylvia Ioannou and
Dakis Joannou Dakis Ioannou (Leonidas Ioannou; ; born December 30, 1939) is a Greek Cypriot industrialist and art collector. He is considered to be one of the leading collectors of contemporary art in the world and is famous for acquisitions such as the Jeff ...
. * ‘Stelios Ioannou / Στέλιος Ιωάννου’, The Hellenic Centre News, London, September 1999 – Issue No 8. {{DEFAULTSORT:Joannou, Stelios 1915 births 1999 deaths Cypriot philanthropists 20th-century Cypriot businesspeople 20th-century philanthropists