Vardinoyannis family

Motor Oil Hellas Corinth Refineries SA was founded in 1970 by Vardis Vardinogiannis and his brother Yiorgos. Vardis’ oldest son, Giannis, is vice-chairman of the company, while his nephew Nikos also sits on the board. Vardis and his siblings grew up in Crete where they started with humble beginnings. They have since built a multi-billion-dollar oil refinery that places them among Greece’s elite families.
Like other top Greek families, the Vardinogiannis family expanded into shipping, while Vardis’ son Giannis heads the family’s media holdings. Giannis had several early impacts on the family business, first when he took over control of Panathinaikos FC for his uncle. The family acquired the team in 1979 and it is the oldest in Greece. His passion for football continued when he co-founded the Greek Super League. The numerous postings he now holds in the company has him in line to succeed his father for control of the family business.
While the family’s oil fortunes continue to profit, their other ventures are readily exposed to regional pressures. As such, the suffering Greek economy has negatively affected those ventures. Yet, the family continues to survive because their several of their ventures have an international presence.