Evangelos Marinakis

Evangelos Marinakis was born on July 30, 1967, in Piraeus, Greece. He is a shipping magnate, businessman, and sports investor. Marinakis founded Capital Maritime & Trading Corp, which operates a fleet of tankers and dry bulk carriers in international shipping routes. Capital Maritime is one of the largest privately held shipping companies in Greece and a significant player in the global maritime industry.

Beyond shipping, Marinakis owns Alter Ego Media, one of Greece's largest media groups, which operates television channels, radio stations, and digital media properties. He has also invested in real estate and other business ventures in Greece and internationally. Marinakis served as a member of the Piraeus City Council and has been involved in various philanthropic initiatives, including offering free private healthcare to victims of the 2025 Cambridgeshire train stabbing incident. In December 2025, the Hellenic Olympic Committee announced that Marinakis would serve as a torchbearer for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Evangelos Marinakis acquired his 80% stake in Nottingham Forest in May 2017, purchasing the club from the Al-Hasawi family. At the time of the acquisition, Forest was competing in the English Championship (second tier) and had been outside the top flight since their relegation from the Premier League in 1999.

Under Marinakis's ownership, Forest initially struggled to find consistency, cycling through several managers in the early years. The turning point came with the appointment of Steve Cooper as manager in September 2021. Cooper led Forest on a remarkable run that culminated in promotion to the Premier League via the Championship play-off final in May 2022, ending a 23-year absence from the top flight. Forest defeated Huddersfield Town 1-0 at Wembley Stadium to secure their return.

Since returning to the Premier League, Forest has invested significantly in player recruitment, spending over 150 million GBP on transfers in their first season back. The club has established itself as a competitive Premier League side, finishing 17th in 2022-23 (surviving relegation), 17th again in 2023-24, and improving significantly in the 2024-25 season under manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who replaced Cooper in December 2023.

In 2024, Olympiacos FC, also owned by Marinakis, became the first Greek club to win a European trophy by winning the UEFA Europa Conference League final. This achievement demonstrated Marinakis's commitment to success across his football portfolio.