Vardis J. Vardinoyannis, a prominent figure in the Greek shipping and energy sectors whose life was marked by resilience against extremism and strong family connections with the Kennedys, passed away on Tuesday in Athens at the age of 90.
His death was confirmed by Motor Oil Hellas, the oil company he developed into one of Greece’s leading firms.
Born on the Cretan island as the fifth of eight siblings, Vardinoyannis exemplified the legendary Greek shipping magnate archetype. He rose to prominence as a key player within one of Greece’s most influential families.
After completing his studies at the naval academy in 1955, he served in the navy until his retirement, which was forcibly induced along with his exile to a lesser-known Greek island. This was a consequence of his opposition to the military regime that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974.
In the early 1970s, Vardinoyannis took the reins of the family business and began to establish a vast network of ventures. This expansion encompassed shipping, banking, hospitality, sports, media outlets, and national television stations.
A champion of humanitarian causes, he was closely associated with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation and engaged in numerous charitable activities alongside his late wife, Marianna, who passed away a year prior at the age of 86.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece’s conservative prime minister, expressed his condolences on Tuesday, highlighting Vardinoyannis’s philanthropic contributions.
“It is with profound sadness that I say goodbye to Vardis Vardinoyiannis—the patriarch of a family whose impact on our nation’s economic and social fabric is undeniable over the past several decades,” Mitsotakis remarked. “Behind his often serious demeanor lay many layers, including a spirit of boldness and innovation in business as well as numerous charitable efforts, numerous of which he chose to keep under the radar.”
In 1990, Vardinoyannis narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by the notorious far-left group, November 17. They targeted his moving armored vehicle with explosives, smoke bombs, and anti-tank weaponry. The group’s members were eventually captured and found guilty of a series of deadly attacks against politicians, U.S. officials, and local business figures, more than a decade later.
His financial and political stature rose dramatically after he formed an alliance with the Saudi oil company Aramco in the mid-1990s, coinciding with Greece’s ascent to prosperity as it joined the European Union, moving past years of challenges and turmoil.
Vardinoyannis maintained a warm relationship with the Kennedy family, famously hosting the wedding of Rory Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, to filmmaker Mark Bailey in Greece in 1999.
In his later years, he engaged deeply in charitable endeavors alongside his wife, who was a UNESCO goodwill ambassador and devoted to a children’s cancer charity.
The couple is survived by their five children, and funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.