Ladies "nobody’s Fool": the two richest people in Greece are female entrepreneurs

In Greece, where shipping ranks first, the richest shipowner is … a woman, writes Bloomberg.

Maria Angelicusi’s personal fortune is estimated at $5.3 billion. Thus the two richest people in Greece, according to the publication, are womensince the first place is taken by Vicky Safra, the heiress of the dynasty of bankers, who has a Greek passport.

40-year-old Angelicoussis, head of Angelicoussis Shipping Group, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, inherited the family business after the death of her father Yannis, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 72. She is the representative of the third generation, standing “at the helm” of the company and one of the youngest female billionaires in the world.

Bloomberg characterizes Maria Angelicousi as a member of “a small but growing club of powerful women in Greek shipping, an industry deeply rooted in Greek culture”, which is also inextricably linked to her image as a strong and strong-willed woman. Eccentric brash tycoons like Aristotle Onassis and Stavros Niarchos were the epitome of the Greek billionaire. Women, by contrast, make up only a third of the workforce in shipping companies and 2% of ship crew members.

“Shipping has always been considered a male industry, but if you look around today, you’ll be surprised how many women are in very high positions or about to become powerful,” says Nigel Lowery of Lloyd’s List.

Indeed, women are at the helm of two of Greece’s biggest shipping companies: Angelicousi at the company that bears her name, and Angelika Fragou, CEO of Navios Maritime Holdings. The Greek Shipowners’ Union elected a woman, Melina Travlow, as its president for the first time in its hundred-year history.

Continuity has been instrumental in increasing the role of women in Greek shipping as more and more companies are being handed over to daughters.

Maria Angelicousi was educated at Cambridge and was working as an NHS doctor when her father invited her to return to Greece and “learn business from him” during the crisis. Her father, who the young woman calls “the best teacher” and known for his market sense, helped the company overcome the recession and increase its fleet to 134 ships. doubling the family fortune in the last seven years.

After his death, Maria Angelicusi took over as CEO, and soon the “first test” caught up with her when Russia invaded Ukraine, shocking the shipping industry, which was shaken by the coronavirus pandemic. Immediately, the “cool businesswoman” who had ships in Ukraine made it clear that she would not accept Russian cargo, which earned the respect of others in the market.

Of course, today the world of business is dominated by men: in the TOP-500 of the richest people in the world Bloomberg Billionaire Index only about 70 are women, or only 14%. But as practice shows, where women are present, they dominate well. Recent years have been an innovative time for women in business, some of them, despite their age, prejudice and prejudice, trust the position of the first top managers in various industries. So many women are exceptionally rich and powerful, they are respected all over the world.

Most female billionaires from the United States – 44. China is in second place with 13 billionaires and Germany is in third – there are 9 of them. The youngest are 35-year-old Australian Melanie Perkins and 33-year-old Canadian Taylor Thomson. The oldest is 91-year-old Doris Fisher from the United States. In total, the 100 richest women control a fortune of $1.064 trillion, or $10.64 billion each. If you divide the money of the 100 richest women of this rating among all the inhabitants of the planet (according to statistics for 2020, this is 7.753 billion people), then each will receive $ 137.24.

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