George Economou (shipbuilder)
George Economou Γεώργιος Οικονόμου | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 4, 1953 Athens, Greece |
| Nationality | Greek American |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Occupation | Shipowner & Art Collector |
| Board member of | Owner of Cardiff Marine Ltd Chairman of DryShips Inc Chairman of Ocean Rig Major Shareholder of Danaos Corporation |
George Economou or Georgios Ekonomou (Γεώργιος Οικονόμου, born 1953) is a Greek billionaire shipowner, CEO of DryShips and Ocean Rig, and the owner of Cardiff Marine. Economou owns oil tankers as well as dry bulk ships and manages them through Cardiff Marine. He was on the Forbes Magazines list of the world's billionaires on place 707.[1]
Early life
Economou was born in Athens, where his father owned a small paper-products company.[2] He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he obtained an MSc in naval architecture and marine engineering, and another MSc in shipping and shipbuilding management.[2]
Career
In 2005, DryShips was listed on Nasdaq, but Cardiff Marine is privately owned by Economou.[2] Economou owns 34% of DryShips, but has been accused of running it like a private company.[2]
In March 2015, he had a net worth of $1.5 billion, and a fleet of 116 ships, according to Bloomberg.[3]
Art collector
In 2006, he started collecting art, mainly from European artists of the early 20th century such as George Grosz, Pablo Picasso, Christian Schad, Werner Schramm, Andy Warhol, Diego Rivera, Fernando Botero, Hermann Scherer and Heinrich Hoerle.[4][5]
Personal life
Economou's two former wives own a total 15% of DryShips. His sister, Chryssoula Kandylidis, owns 30% of Cardiff Marine. His nephew Antonios Kandylidis, is the founder and largest shareholder in OceanFreight, which went public on the Nasdaq in 2007.[2]
References
- ^ http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/billionaires08_George-Economou_ISLV_print.html
- ^ a b c d e "Curious George". Forbes. 8 February 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ Metcalf, Tom (9 March 2015). "Billionaire Greek Ship Owners Surface While Home Economy Sinks". Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ Tobias Timm (2012-07-11). "Dieser Grieche hat kein Problem". Die Zeit. Retrieved 2014-09-07.
- ^ "A Greek hoard with a German accent". The Economist. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
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