Vardis Vardinoyannis, Greek business magnate and Kennedy family friend, dies at 90

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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.

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