George Paraskevaides (1916 – December 5, 2007) was a Cypriot philanthropist and businessman who focused on the construction business in Europe and the Middle East. Paraskevaides was one of the co-founders of

Joannou & Paraskevaides Joannou & Paraskevaides was a Cypriot international building, civil and electromechanical engineering contractor with an involvement in the energy (oil and gas) and industrial sectors operating in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Asia. ...

(ceased operations 2018) with fellow Cypriot, Stelios Ioannou.

Early life

Paraskevaides was born in

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, in 1916. His family moved to Cyprus when he was very young. He studied architecture at

Politecnico di Milano The Polytechnic University of Milan () is the largest technical university in Italy, with about 42,000 students. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and higher education courses in engineering, architecture and design. Founded in 186 ...

in Milan, Italy.

Career

Paraskevaides joined forces with Stelios Ioannou following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Together the two partners founded the

company, which is better known as J&P. Their company would eventually grow into a major international construction giant, with dozens of projects throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. J&P went bankrupt in 2018 and was forced into liquidation. He was also well known for his philanthropic work. He helped to build an

organ transplant Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organs may be transpo ...

center in Nicosia, Cyprus. He also paid to send children for medical treatment in the United States. Paraskevaides received a number of awards and recognitions for his work in both business and philanthropy. He was inducted into the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. He was also awarded the Saint Marcus Medal from the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

Death

George Paraskevaides died at the

London Clinic The London Clinic is a private healthcare organisation and registered charity based on the corner of Devonshire Place and Marylebone Road in central London. According to HealthInvestor, it is one of England's largest private hospitals. Histor ...

in London on December 5, 2007, at the age of 91.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paraskevaides, George 20th-century Cypriot businesspeople Cypriot philanthropists Members of the Order of the British Empire 1916 births 2007 deaths Polytechnic University of Milan alumni Fellows of King's College London 20th-century philanthropists Greek emigrants to Cyprus