Michael Herodotou Zampelas (19 March 1937 – 15 May 2019) was a

Cypriot Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus. * Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes: **Armenian Cypriots **Greek Cypriots **Maronite Cypriots **Turkish C ...

businessman A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for th ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Career

Michael Zampelas, a

by birth was educated in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and became a Chartered Accountant in 1965. In 1970, together with his associates, he established Coopers & Lybrand an

accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "languag ...

and

consulting firm A consulting firm or simply consultancy is a professional service firm that provides expertise and specialised labour for a fee, through the use of consultants. Consulting firms may have one employee or thousands; they may consult in a broad range ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

and

Athens 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 ...

, thus opening new horizons for the development of the accounting profession in Cyprus and

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. As a result of a merger in 1998 the firm was renamed

PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers is an international professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting ...

. He served as an elected member of the board of the European Organisation of Coopers & Lybrand Europe (1991-1999). Michael Zampelas served the firm as its

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

and

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

from its establishment in 1970 until 2001 and as a non- Executive Chairman from 2002 until 2005. Today, PricewaterhouseCoopers in Cyprus employs around 1000 partners and staff. It is the leading professional services firm on the island, providing industry-focused assurance,

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

, advisory services, global compliance for public and private clients. He was the Honorary Consul General of

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

in Cyprus, beginning in 1997. He contributed substantially to the development of the commercial and cultural relations between the two countries. The

President of Estonia The president of the Republic of Estonia ( et, Eesti Vabariigi President) is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia. The current president is Alar Karis, elected by Parliament on 31 August 2021, replacing Kersti Kaljulaid. Estonia is ...

awarded him the title of the

Order of the National Coat of Arms The Order of the National Coat of Arms ( et, Riigivapi teenetemärk, french: Ordre du Blason National) was instituted by Konstantin Päts on 7 October 1936 to commemorate 24 February 1918, the day on which Estonian independence was declared. The ...

. As an independent candidate, Zampelas won the municipal elections and took office as the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

, the capital of Cyprus, on 1 January 2002. He served as Mayor until 31 December 2006. In 2007 he was honored by the next Mayor and the Municipal Council for his services as Mayor and he was awarded the honorary medal of the city of Nicosia. Parallel with his professional activities, Zampelas developed a very intense activity for the promotion of Cyprus internationally focusing on the financial rebuild and development of the country. Zampelas was actively promoting Cyprus through the extensive network of PricewaterhouseCoopers worldwide and through his connections with large

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

and

financial Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...

organisations,

law firms A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

and other offices abroad by delivering presentations at

seminars A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some parti ...

and meetings in various countries and by giving interviews in the international media. A count of around 160 such presentations all over the world was recorded in a period of 20 years. Zampleas was one of the initiators who contributed greatly to the enhancement of the image of the accounting profession in Cyprus which is now considered by international experts as equal to that of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and other

developed countries A developed country (or industrialized country, high-income country, more economically developed country (MEDC), advanced country) is a sovereign state that has a high quality of life, developed economy and advanced technological infrastruct ...

. In 2007 he was honored by the board of The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus for his visionary services to the accounting and

auditing An audit is an "independent examination of financial information of any entity, whether profit oriented or not, irrespective of its size or legal form when such an examination is conducted with a view to express an opinion thereon.” Auditing ...

profession in Cyprus and in 2010 he was awarded by the same institute the first prize for his contribution in the development of the accounting and auditing profession and the economy of Cyprus. His social contribution to the educational, cultural, community and business levels has been continuous. He was honoured and decorated by a number of social and business institutions. He served as President or member of the board of many social institutions and business organisations.

Served positions throughout his career

A number of positions in institutions and organisations are shown below.

Social institutions

*Current President of the Association of the Friends Christou Steliou Ioannou Foundation - for children with special needs *President of the Cyprus Foundation for Muscular Dystrophy Research – People with muscular dystrophy *President of the Institute of Neurology and Genetics – Bi-communal research and medical centre *Member of the board of the Lions Care for Youth Foundation-helping youth in need *Member of the board of Old Peoples Home – Archangelos Michael *Member of the board of Boy Scouts Organisation in Cyprus *President of Achilleas Kaimakliou Athletic Organisation

Business organisations

*President of the Cyprus Russian Business Association *Member of the board of the Nicosia Chamber of Commerce and Industry *Member of board of The Cyprus Employers Organisation *President of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus *President of the Cyprus Port Authority *President of the Cyprus Forest Industries *President of the Union of Municipalities in Cyprus *President of the Nicosia Sewerage Board *President of the Kofinou Slaughter House *Current Vice Chairman of the Eurobank Cyprus Ltd and former Chairman of its Audit Committee. *Current Member of the Board of Directors of Globaltans Investment Plc, a company quoted in the London Stock Exchange and former Chairman of its Audit Committee. *Member of the board of Arricano Real EstatePlc, a company quoted in the London Stock Exchange and chairman of its Audit Committee

Other

* Loan Commissioner of the Government of Cyprus * Member of a number of Commissions of Enquiry

Personal life

He was married to Loukia, and had three daughters. Loukia Zampelas is also very actively involved in the community and with public issues. They were collectors of art and played a very important role in promoting

Cypriot Art Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

. In 1999, Michael Zampelas founded the company Zampelas Art with the purpose of establishing a complete Art Centre for the promotion of art and culture in Cyprus and abroad. The company has created the Loukia and Michael Zampelas Art Museum, a non-profit private organisation, which houses the permanent collection of the Zampelas family and also organises temporary exhibitions of artists from Cyprus and abroad. Furthermore, other art-related ventures were created, under the brand name Zmart. These are: Zmart Education, Zmart Gallery, Zmart Shop, Zmart Café and Zmart Framing.

References

External links

Loukia & Michael Art Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zampelas, Michalis 1937 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Cypriot businesspeople Cypriot politicians Mayors of places in Cyprus People from Nicosia District Mayors of Nicosia