Pavlos Ioannidis

Pavlos Ioannidis was the last of four lifelong members of the Onassis Foundation’s Board of Directors appointed personally by Aristotle Onassis. He served as Vice President of the Board from 1992 until 2005, and as Vice President Emeritus thereafter. He was also Chief Operating Officer of both Springfield Shipping Co. Panama S.A., from 1977 until 1988, and Olympic Shipping and Management S.A. – the company that manages the fleet controlled by the Onassis Foundation – from 1988 until 1995. He served as Chairman of all companies owned by Christina Onassis, and was an executor of her will. He was also on the board of trustees managing the estate of her young daughter, Athina, until she came of age in 1999.

From 1977 until 2005, Pavlos Ioannidis formed part of the quattuorvirate – alongside the dearly departed Stelios Papadimitriou (the Foundation’s former President) and Apostolos Zambelas, as well as Theodoros Gavriilidis – that guided the Onassis Foundation’s fortunes from its very beginnings and through difficult times. During this period, these four men managed to grow the assets left to the Foundation by Aristotle Onassis, to safeguard the estate of his granddaughter Athina until she came of age, and to undertake the Foundation’s first major works, such as the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, its Scholarship Program, and more. In 2005, they stepped back from their official duties, collectively passing the baton, though he and Apostolos Zambelas continued to impart their considerable knowledge and experience to the new generation that had taken the reins of the Foundation. In his role as Vice President Emeritus, he was unwavering in his support for the Foundation’s every initiative, and for the then new President of the Board of Directors, Anthony S. Papadimitriou, fully understanding that new times demand new perspectives.

Pavlos Ioannidis was born in Berlin in 1924. In 1943, he joined the Resistance against the Axis occupation of Greece, first as part of the Nikiforos-led unit of the Greek People’s Liberation Army (ELAS), and later as part of Force 133, a subsidiary Allied branch of the Special Operations Executive active in the mountains of occupied Greece. In June 1944, following orders sent by the Middle East Allied Command, he escaped Greece along with two British officers, reaching Cairo via Turkey. He was honored for his wartime bravery with the King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom (KMC) by King George VI of the United Kingdom, and with a Certificate of Gratitude signed by British Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander. As a mark of protest, he returned these distinctions to the British Ambassador in Athens, Charles Peake, on May 10, 1956 – the day Michalis Karaolis and Andreas Dimitriou, two members of the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) that campaigned to end British colonial rule in Cyprus, were executed. In 1944, he trained as a fighter pilot at an RAF air base in Southern Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe), and served in the Royal Hellenic Air Force until 1947.

He worked at TAE Greek National Airlines, which would become Olympic Airways, serving successively as Chief Instructor, Chief Pilot, Flight Operations Director, and finally Chief Operating Officer until Olympic was acquired by the Greek State in 1975.

Deeply knowledgeable of the ways in which airline companies work, and with extensive experience in education and training, he went on to introduce air transport operating concepts to the shipping industry, with a view to minimizing the effects of human error. This entailed strict procedural compliance with sets of manuals and checklists provided by each company, in accordance with national and international regulations, but also the encouragement of coordinated teamwork, the implementation of detailed briefings before and after work, and the cultivation of self-discipline and a proper mindset in the workplace. In October 1982, he successfully applied his airline concept to the Onassis Group fleet. This was a pioneering step, aimed at both further improving safety on board, and protecting the marine environment.

He also held numerous other positions: member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Greek Shipowners (EEE) for 26 years (1979–2005); member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA) for nine years; lifelong member of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), serving on its Advisory Council from 1990, and on its Board of Directors for ten years, until April 2004; President of the ABS Hellenic National Committee for ten years; and member of the UK P&I Club – a maritime insurance association – for eight years, until February 1994. Pavlos Ioannidis also wrote an autobiography titled “Destiny Prevails”, published in Greek in 2007 (Athens: Livanis Press) and in English translation in 2015 (New York: Significance Press).

Pavlos Ioannidis’ engagement with the Foundation’s activities was always vital, effectual, and noble-minded – just like the man himself.

Pavlos Ioannidis was a truly outstanding gentleman of the skies and seas.