Eftichios Vassilakis

EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Class of 2024, Greece
Chairman of AEGEAN, CEO of Autohellas and Group CEO of Th. Vassilakis Group

Share the joy of Eftichios Vassilakis’s winning moment at Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Greece.

Eftichios Vassilakis is revolutionizing mobility and redefining Greek aviation. 

As second-generation entrepreneurs, Eftichios Vassilakis and his brother, George, lead Th. Vassilakis Group, which their parents established in the latter part of the 1960s. The group’s primary businesses are AEGEAN, the leading Greek airline, and Autohellas, which focuses on car rental and sales.

Following his education at Yale and Columbia universities, Eftichios joined the family enterprise and worked to expand the orientation of Autohellas toward long-term automobile leasing and fleet management. A few years later, in 1999, the company was listed on the Athens Stock Exchange. Today, Autohellas has a significant share of the car trade with a broad portfolio of major brands. It manages a fleet of 57,000 vehicles and has over 160 points of sales in Greece and abroad.

In 1999, AEGEAN entered the world of everyday air transportation with its first commercial flights, supported by four initial shareholders. The company grew organically by emphasizing quality and reliability. In 2007, AEGEAN was listed on the Athens Stock Exchange. 

AEGEAN is constantly expanding, gradually completing the delivery of 50 new airplanes and creating Greece’s first modern ecosystem of aviation support services. In 2023, the company served more than 15.5 million passengers, with 76 aircraft and 307 direct flights to over 180 destinations in 49 countries. Now established as the flag carrier of Greece, AEGEAN has an important role in promoting the country as a top tourist destination.