The Latsis are a Greek family of shipping and petroleum moguls. The family’s patriarch, Yiannis Latsis, became a shipping tycoon in the 1930s. He gained his wealth alongside other notable billionaires such as Aristotle Onassis. Unlike his contemporaries, Latsis shied away from big media and preferred to stay out of the public eye. However, he did make allies among the world’s most powerful political figures. After building up his fleet in the 1960s, he diversified into the oil and construction business.
His newfound wealth allowed him to expand into banking and finance. He purchased the Deposit Bank in Geneva from the Onassis family in 1979. Yiannis Latsis was at the centre of several political controversies, despite his attempt to stay hidden. His ties to the Saudi royal family and the former Greek King Constantine caused consternation with the public. In spite of the controversies, Latsis was well-known for his philanthropic work. He donated numerous times to the victims of earthquakes – perhaps most notably in in 1986 when he provided one of his cruise ships to the city of Kalamata to temporarily house 900 people made homeless from an earthquake.
In 1999, Latsis handed over control of his company to his son Spiro. Spiro Latsis is worth an estimated $2.9 billion. He still manages the family’s holdings and is currently a board director of EFG International, a Zurich-based private banking group.
