A self-made mogul and former champion boxer who cannot read or write fluently. He thinks “differently” and built a £400 million fortune by creating and then selling a buy-to-let empire of almost 6,000 rental properties. Panayiotou takes the view that it is “moral[ly]” right to pay taxes in Britain and of those who call Heath Hall, a £65 million property he developed in North London, as “impersonally hideous as a brothel”, he rightly responds: “These guys are just jealous”. This maverick is indeed a businessman worthy of admiration rather than envy.
Two stories to keep beside you
Paul Reichmann (1930 – 2013)
This Vienna born Canadian businessman built and lost a fortune on Canary Wharf and was renowned for his frugality and as a “man of honour”. Strictly Jewish, Reichmann also developed New York’s Financial Center and donated up to $50 million a year to yeshivas, synagogues and hospitals around the world. His view on life was […]
Catherine Hooper
The founder of Black Umbrella moved in with Andrew Madoff three days before the black storm of his father’s Ponzi scheme broke. Hooper, a graduate of Bryn Mawr, launched her firm – which aids individuals with “emergency preparedness” and sells such items as anti-radiation suits and pocket sized radiation detectors – in 2009 and profited from […]
Readers have their say
1 comment
I have met this charming Gentleman and his sons who are equally as charming. They all deserve their success and have a high moral work ethic. The only slight problem is that their style is not my taste! “You don’t have to have taste to have style” as my wife informs me – so am I confused??