Sokratis Kokkalis (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: Σωκράτης Κόκκαλης; 1939) is a Greek businessman. His father,
Petros Kokkalis, was a communist politician and
Greek Resistance member, living in exile in
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
after the end of the
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος όλεμος}, ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom and ...
.
Business
Kokkalis is the founder and majority shareholder of
Intracom
Intracom Holdings is the main shareholder of a group of multinational companies specialized in IT services, construction projects and defense electronics systems.
Overview
The core companies of the Intracom Holdings Group are:
* Intrakat, one ...
Holdings, one of the largest multinational technology groups in Southern Europe, and the chairman and majority shareholder of
Intralot S.A., a
gaming
Gaming may refer to:
Games and sports
The act of playing games, as in:
* Legalized gambling, playing games of chance for money, often referred to in law as "gaming"
* Playing a role-playing game, in which players assume fictional roles
* Playin ...
technology supplier and licensed lottery operator. He has established and presides over the
Kokkalis Foundation, a non-profit organization that "promotes education and training, culture and social welfare, medical research and information technology, and athletics", both in Greece and abroad. In 2015 Socrates Kokkalis net worth is estimated to be around US$1.2 billion.
Kokkalis founded Intracom in 1977 as a telecommunication equipment supplier and manufacturer. The company played a leading role in the modernization of telecommunication infrastructure in Greece, especially through a partnership with
Ericsson
(lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informa ...
for the manufacturing of digital switches. Intracom expanded in Southeastern Europe and became a leading exporting technology Group, including the areas of software for the public sector, defense electronics and construction. It is listed in the
Athens Stock Exchange since 1990.
Kokkalis founded Intralot in 1992, as a hardware and software supplier for the gaming industry. Intralot became one of the three top companies in the sector worldwide, currently with 5,400 employees and presence in 35 countries. Intralot has a strong presence in the United States, with a 20% market share for lotteries, offering its services to 11
State lotteries.
Kokkalis also led
Panafon, the mobile venture of
Vodafone
Vodafone Group plc () is a British multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates services in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania.
, Vod ...
in Greece, immediately after the launch of mobile telephony in Greece in 1992.
In 2005 Intracom became a Holding company and acquired
Hellas Online, an ISP provider which became a major telephony and Internet supplier. Hellas Online was sold to Vodafone in 2014. The same year Intracom Holdings divested also form the telecom manufacturing arm, Intracom Telecom. The Holding today owns three major companies, the construction branch Intrakat, the software developer Intrasoft International, which is an Oracle partner and a major supplier to the European Commission and the European Parliament, and Intracom Defense Electronics, with a strong partnership with Raytheon. The three companies today employ 2,200 people and have presence in 70 countries around the world. Most of the Group revenues come from exports and international activities.
Sports
Kokkalis was owner of
Olympiacos BC
Olympiacos B.C. ( el, ΚΑΕ Ολυμπιακός Σ.Φ.Π.), commonly referred to as Olympiacos and Olympiacos Piraeus, is a Greek professional basketball club based in Piraeus, part of the major multi-sport club, Olympiacos CFP. The parent ...
since the early 1990s. During his presidency the basketball club won five Greek championships, three Greek Cups and one
Euroleague in 1997, making the
Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Tri ...
the same year.
He was also for 18 years, until 30 December 2010, owner and chairman of the Greek football club
Olympiacos FC
Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σ.Φ.Π. ), known simply as Olympiacos or Olympiacos Piraeus, is a Greek professional football club based in Piraeus, Attica. Part of the major multi-sport club Olympiacos CFP (' ...
. He took the club after the difficult years of the
Koskotas scandal and managed to bring it back in success.
During his tenure the club won 12
top division titles, five
Greek Cups, and one
Greek Super Cup
The Greek Super Cup ( el, Σούπερ Καπ Ελλάδος), officially known as the Cup of Friendship and Solidarity ( el, Κύπελλο Φιλίας και Αλληλεγγύης) was a Greek association football one-match competition which w ...
. It was also during his chairmanship that Olympiacos leased from the Greek state for a period of 50 years and reconstructed their homeground
Karaiskakis Stadium
The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium ( el, Στάδιο Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης), commonly referred to as the Karaiskakis Stadium ( el, Στάδιο Καραϊσκάκη, ), is a football stadium in Piraeus, Attica, Greece, and the ...
. It was until that time used by Olympiacos and other Piraeus clubs strictly on a rental basis, and undertook a complete rebuilding of the stadium itself.
["End of an era as Kokkalis retires"]
, ''Athens News
''Athens News'' was an English-language newspaper published in Greece. The paper had regular sections covering aspects of Greek news such as politics, social issues, business, arts & entertainment and sports, as well as international news. Featur ...
'', 8 January 2011
Controversies
German authorities' investigations in the
Stasi archives found a 350-page report referring to agent "Rocco" ("953/63") and later "Kaskade" and "Krokus". It was alleged that "Rocco" was the code name for Sokratis Kokkalis, allegedly recruited on 25 January 1963. Kokkalis was alleged to have subsequently bribed Greek officials for the
national telecommunications company of Greece to purchase East German telecommunications equipment.
["Stasi spy claims hit Greek magnate"]
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, 20 February 2002
The German Federal Parliament, conducted a detailed investigation and concluded in 1998, that there has been no evidence linking Kokkalis activities and his companies to East Germany.
Kostas Tsimas, a former chief of the Greek intelligence service (EYP) and very close friend of former Greek Prime Minister
Andreas Papandreou
Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, ...
, stated that Kokkalis is "a Greek patriot", who "worked for Greek national interests in the Balkans and elsewhere".
Kokkalis was criticized by Greek and international media about his activities in Russia, where his company Intralot had sold lottery equipment, technological know-how and software.
[ However, no formal charges were ever filed for any Intralot representative, and the Russian government expressed its trust in Kokkalis and Intralot.]["Kokkalis under attack]
''Athens News'', 22 February 2002
Extensive criticism was also received in the Romanian press by Kokkalis and the companies Intralot and Intracom for allegedly bribing Romanian officials into signing and extending contracts between the Greek firms and the Romanian Lottery that were thoroughly disadvantageous for the Romanian side, with losses totalling up to 1bn Euros as of April 2014.[, ''Ziua News'', 8 July 2013][http://www.digi24.ro/Stiri/Digi24/Special/Romania+furata/ROMANIA+FURATA+Politicienii+si+firmele+care+au+pagubit+Loteria+R , ''Digi24'', 2 April 2014]
Honours
Kokkalis was made a John Harvard fellow in 1997, and received awards from The Fulbright Foundation and the American Academy of Achievement
The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...
for "his leadership in creating educational opportunities and building bridges of cooperation."Socrates P. Kokkalis
biography at Cosmos FM radio station's website
References
External links
The Kokkalis Foundationofficial website
Intracom Holdings Groupcorporate website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kokkalis, Sokratis
1939 births
Living people
People of the Stasi
Greek billionaires
Businesspeople from Athens
Olympiacos F.C. presidents
Olympiacos B.C. presidents
Intracom Group
People named in the Panama Papers