| Marios Iliopoulos | |
| Birth Date: | [1] |
| Birth Place: | Psychiko, Greece |
| Occupation: | Shipowner Businessman |
| Boards: | Co-founder & owner of Seajets Owner of AEK Athens F.C. |
Marios Iliopoulos (Greek: Μάριος Ηλιόπουλος) is a Greek shipowner and businessman. He is the co-founder and owner of Greek ferry company Seajets.[2] Marios Iliopoulos is the leading Greek shipowner in coastal shipping, his company Seajets owns 29 passenger ships, most of which are high-speed ships, connecting 50 Aegean islands and Crete.[3] On 10 July 2024, Iliopoulos bought Greek football team AEK Athens F.C. becoming the majority shareholder with a 85,03% stake of the club.[4] [5]
Marios Iliopoulos was born in 1969, son of Panagiotis and Despoina. He was one of three boys in the family, his two brothers were Yiannis (who passed away in 2017) and Antonis.[6]
Iliopoulos grew up in Psychiko a suburb of Athens, and attended Athens College.[7] His father Panagiotis had been involved in gold trading, where he emerged as one of the leaders in his field.[8] From 1988 he was involved in passenger shipping and in 1989, together with his son, Mario, co-founded Seajets.[9]
In 1989 Marios Iliopoulos alongside his father Panagiotis co-founded Greek ferry company Seajets. Seajets is now one of Greece's leading high speed ferry companies.
In 2018 Seajets received the ”Passenger Line of the Year” award in the 15th “Lloyd's List Greek Shipping Awards 2018”[10] and in 2019 Seajets HSC WorldChampion Jet was awarded “ship of the year” during the Lloyd's List Greek Shipping Awards 2019 ceremony.[11]
As of 2024, Seajets fleet consists 26 highspeed ferries, 6 conventional ferries and 4 cruise ships.[12]
On 10 June 2024, Iliopoulos bought Greek football team AEK Athens F.C.. The fee of the take over is estimated to be in the range of €90 million.[13]
Iliopoulos is the majority shareholder with a 85,03% stake of the club.[14]
At the press conference Iliopoulos stated, “I will give my soul, my mind… my whole being to conquer titles”.[15]
See main article: Brillante Virtuoso.
On 6 July 2011, the tanker ship Brillante Virtuoso was damaged beyond repair in what the High Court of London ruled was insurance fraud orchestrated and instigated by Marios Iliopoulos, disguised as a pirate attack. [16] An investigator into the matter, David Mockett, was killed by a car bomb in what has been described as a targeted assassination after he had made clear that he disagreed with Iliopoulos' insurance claim.[17] [18]
It was also found that another tanker owned by Iliopoulos, Elli, was similarly written off after a fire two years prior with the same salvage companies and chief engineer in charge of that recovery operation as were in charge of the Brillant Virtuoso.[19]