Our first contact with Mr. Telis Mistakidis took place in a room full of students from the London School of Economics (LSE). The students were fascinated by his directness and he answered each question for over 90 minutes. “I speak in a closed circle with students where they ask me. I rarely talk to the press,” he told me later. “And I spoke to the Greek press ten years ago, now I am talking to you. It might take another ten…” he said with a meaningful smile.

Simple, accessible, with the ability to communicate with people and breadth of knowledge, he told us about Greece, investments and his vision of our country. “You know,” he stressed, “I am in that phase of my life when I have the opportunity to offer something to my country. What form this proposal will take, we are discussing with my partners. Of course, there are investments that we are already making and will continue to make. Of course, there is charity and charitable work that we have done, are doing and will continue to do. But above all, there is a desire, relying on the Motherland and citizens, to create a project that will remain.”

“No photo, no video,” the invitation to the students said. “Why don’t you take pictures?” we asked. “It’s not that I don’t make money. In addition, in the age of technology and information you can not hide. But as long as I can protect my privacy, I will.”

During his speech to the students, three themes stood out.

First, when asked why he chose the LSE. His answer absolutely testifies to his temperament. “It was to study either at Oxford or at the London School of Economics. I preferred the LSE because it has the same excellent level of study and you are at the center of decisions and especially career opportunities. In fact, I was offered a job even before I graduated. Then there was such a system in the universities of the United Kingdom.”

Second, when asked specifically about Greece. “Greece can create economic miracles in the coming years. She just needs to rely on her people. They are very capable. And we notice this very strongly among the Greeks who live and work abroad – I live in Greece.”

Third, if he is thinking about quitting now that he has achieved so much: “I haven’t stopped. We have businesses and interests in different parts of the world and I still have a passion for creativity. Now that I don’t limit myself to a particular industry, I still feel like a kid in a candy store who wants to try everything. I have a passion to move forward and try new challenges.”

Then our own discussion began about Greece and the Greek economy, investment opportunities, the real estate market, his plans in the banking sector and, of course, the deal with Aegean Baltic Bank.

In Greece we have a big advantage. We highly value the institution of the family. GDP fell by 30%, and the family rallied society.

Things are going very well in Greece. And it will get even better. You know why; Because he handled the biggest crisis experienced by a developed country since the American Crash of 1929 with social maturity and courage. You know, we have a big advantage in Greece. Few have it. We highly value the institution of the family. GDP fell by about 30%, and the family held the community together. In our socio-economic conditions, the family performs the function of a protective sign, a shield.

Walk around other major cities. And watch the homeless. You will not see a bum on the street who will be of Greek or Italian origin. Because the family is supportive. In such cities you will see homeless people with advanced degrees, you will see old people dying alone at home. You rarely see this in Greece. He won’t let any family be. This is a huge asset for our country. And it’s hard to understand how important this is unless you’ve lived outside of Greece. Few ethnic groups, few peoples have this. And we are a nation that has it.

Because now is the perfect time. We are one of the few countries on the planet with experience in managing modern crises, and we have some of the most educated young people. They speak foreign languages, for me this is one of the main advantages, they have excellent studies and they are open. And we add that we have one of the best climates. Together we have a wonderful country, we have wonderful people, we have buildings and land, we have moved to our own digital revolution. Well, we also have the material and technical base. If multinational corporations and foreign investors come in, it will create an important balance and create important opportunities for development.

“We have been trying to help the country for a long time. We invested during a particularly critical period when we supported both the National Bank and Piraeus Bank. And we continue to invest today.

“In any case, what we have to do as a country is to attract large multinational companies. Thus, smaller Greek companies will also develop, wages will rise and, as a result, the standard of living of Greek men and women, which has declined during the years of the crisis. Well, the multinationals must come first to open the way. Greece can become a major service center. If all of the above is done, the Greeks will slowly return. If I could give advice to the state, it would be simple: dare to create a team through the Ministry of Finance that will go around the world and present to all large companies how they can work in Greece. You will see immediate results. Even the government can do it.

The main condition for the arrival of foreign capital is stability

– I believe her. In recent years we have invested heavily in real estate in Greece, mainly in Athens and Thessaloniki. There is a problem in the real estate market that is not related to the fact that prices have risen and yields have fallen slightly. Although we have made very significant progress, we still have the problem that there is still no reliable land registry. The investor cannot know what belongs to whom. I am sure that once the case is completed, you will be impressed. We have a great opportunity ahead of us. With the opportunity to state a simple: Every investor in any investment wants one basic condition, stability. Fortunately, in recent years that we have come out of the crisis, this is. It’s just that potential investors now need to be convinced that he will stay. We are probably going in the right direction.

– I would like you to share with us the history of fisheries.

You mean philosopher. For me it has sentimental value because it refers to my father, who was an ichthyologist. Today we have four main shareholders. We gave shares to the people who work on it because we think it’s the right thing to do. It’s part of my philosophy to believe in my people. And give them the right incentives.
Philosofish still needs funds and support, but I’m optimistic. The company exports 95%, mainly to Europe.

– What about delivery?

– I think it is in the blood of every Greek woman. We now have significant holdings with excellent Greek partners. They are experts in this field. We have created a very good and efficient team.

– No.

– Since you already have a significant interest in Piraeus Bank…

No, I’m not interested in it yet.

– However, from the “king” of copper and zinc, you find yourself in the banking space.

Like I said, I’ve done this before.

– To be honest, I mean the discussion of investments in Aegean Baltic Bank (ABB). What are your plans for ABB? At the moment, the bank is focused on delivery. Will it expand to other areas?

– First of all, in order to have a plan, the acquisition must first be completed. It still has a way. However, I do not want to bypass your question. We followed the process, the Greek team, which held the negotiations and discussions, is at the highest level and put forward a concrete proposal. If this proposal is accepted, we will proceed. If not, we won’t continue.

If the acquisition is completed, our first step will be a significant share capital increase that will allow the bank to multiply the loans it can provide. In addition, if we buy it, we intend to expand our operations in order to spread the risks.

– Do you mean creating a group? Now there is Optima and Pancreatia, which seem to be growing.

– No, I didn’t think about it. However, most likely, ABB will not try to buy shares, it is not an investment bank. Here we should note that from the inception of ABB until today, the management has done a very good job. Just consider that the so-called systemic banks were forced to make three capital increases (one of them four) and ABB none.

What is it like to travel the world? Does he work in the places he visits?

“It’s beautiful, creative and educational. I liked it very much. And I still love it. I have been fortunate to work, negotiate, acquire and close deals on every continent. There are some commonalities in every arrangement, and there are always local idiosyncrasies. I always said this to my interlocutors and I still say it. The technology removes the limitation of physical boundaries and makes it possible to work anywhere in the world. But every corner of our world has its own traditions and history. You should always respect them before any decision.
With this question we ended our discussion. “You know,” he told me at the end, “everyone I talk to in Greece asks me what I expect from the state. When I answer “nothing”, everyone gets confused. Yes, a stable tax system is important. Fast justice too. But this is not limited to Greece. They apply to every country in the world. For Greece, it is simply important to make them and communicate them to the whole world. I want to offer my experience to my country on the basis of my course and work in an environment of equality and transparency. Only that.”

One of the richest Greeks

Aristotle (Telis) Mistakidis is one of the richest Greeks. He was born in Thessaloniki in 1962 and grew up in Rome, where his biological father worked for the United Nations. He began his career in the non-ferrous investment division of leading derivatives company Cargill. He stayed there for six years. He then became head of metal investment at Glencore. At that time it was not a very well-known metal trading company. However, in a few years and thanks to his own contribution, he turned into a world giant. He left Glencore in December 2018 and is now worth over 3.2 billion euros.