George A. David
George Alkiviades David CMG OBE MFR (Greek: Γεώργιος Α. Δαυίδ; born 10 June 1937) is a Greek Cypriot British entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the chairman emeritus of the board of directors of Coca-Cola HBC AG.[1]
Early life and education
David was born in Petra, Cyprus in 1937 to Alkiviadis David and Kalliope Leventis. He attended English School in Nicosia, Cyprus from 1949 to 1951, Lindisfarne College in Wales from 1951 to 1955, and graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1959 with a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom).
In 1959, he began his career at the A. G. Leventis Organization in Nigeria, where he served as Group Director from 1967 to 1980.[2][3] During his time in West Africa, he was active within the Greek and Cypriot expatriate community and served as president of the Greek Community in Lagos. He married Kaity David (née Chordovatzi) in 1964, and they had three children.[4]
Career
Among other roles, David served as chairman of the board of directors of Coca-Cola HBC AG from 1981 to 2016.[5][6] He was a board member of Titan Cement Co. SA from 2001 to 2013 and chairman of the board of EFG Eurobank from 2013 to 2014.[7][8][9]
From 1997 to 2010, he participated in the meetings of the Bilderberg Group as a steering committee member.[10] He served as a board member of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) from 1999 to 2013 and is now an Honorary Committee member. He is also a member of the Brookings Institution's International Advisory Council.[11] He is a Trustee of the A. G. Leventis Foundation and president of its Greek Committee since 1981. As a co-founder of The Hellenic Initiative, he was one of five entrepreneurs who established a non-profit organization to support Greece and Cyprus after the financial crisis by fostering entrepreneurship.[12] He is also a member of Leadership 100.
David has supported the Center for Asia Minor Studies and has chaired its board since 2009.[13] He is an Emeritus Trustee of the Campion School in Athens, after serving as chairman from 2000 to 2007, and a Regent of the University of Edinburgh.[14] In 1989, he founded a scholarship program in memory of his parents, Alkiviadis and Kalliope, supporting students from his hometown of Petra, Cyprus.[15] Since 1988, he has funded scholarships at Providence College for students of Greek ethnicity. Since 1992, he has funded a scholarship with College Year in Athens, allowing a Tufts University student to study Greek history and civilization.[16][17] David has funded the University of Edinburgh's Center for Carbon Innovation.[18][19] The George David Family Scholarships offer postgraduate students from Greece or Cyprus the opportunity to study at ECCI.[20]
Organic farming
David established Atsas Farm, a dry-land agroecology integrated system. The farm focuses on transforming arid, rocky land into a productive ecosystem by replicating the resilience of natural ecosystems with scarce water resources. Atsas Farm has provided courses on regenerative agriculture.[21]
Awards and Honours
In 2009, David was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to UK-Greek relations in education.[22] He received the Medal of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR) for his services to Nigeria in 2008. He is an Archon Maistor of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.[2]
In 2013, David was awarded a doctorate honoris causa by the Faculty of Philology (School of Philosophy) of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.[23] He received the Alba Business School "Business Unusual Award" the following year. In 2015 he was elected Vice Chairman of the Council of the University of Cyprus,[24] and in 2016, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics.[25]
He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to knowledge and understanding in the UK of the Greek and Hellenic worlds.[26]
References
- ^ "George A. David named Chairman emeritus".
- ^ a b Who's Who 2016; Annual Biographical Dictionary, London, 2016, 569
- ^ "Bloomberg George A David". Bloomberg News.
- ^ "news247.gr".
- ^ "Coca-Cola Hellenic at a glance".
- ^ "Αποχώρησε από τη θέση του Προέδρου της Coca-Cola HBC ο Γιώργος Α. Δαυίδ". 28 January 2016.
- ^ "Titan.Corporate-governance".
- ^ "George David". Archived from the original on 18 October 2015.
- ^ "George David, Eurobank" (PDF).
- ^ "Former Steering Committee Members". bilderbergmeetings.org. Bilderberg Group. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- ^ "International Advisory Council, Brookings Institution".
- ^ "Leadership, The Hellenic Initiative". 30 April 2016.
- ^ "Administration - Center for Asia Minor Studies".
- ^ "University of Edinburgh, University Regents".
- ^ "the National Herald, Elite meet to benefit Cyprus children". 26 September 2013.
- ^ George A. David, Crisis, Competitiveness and Business Extroversion, Athens, 2016, 27
- ^ "Tufts University, George A. David and Marina Spiropoulos Fellows Award".
- ^ "European Funding Guide.University of Edinburgh - George David Family Scholarship".
- ^ "Princess Royal officially opens ECCI".
- ^ George A. David, 'Institutional sponsorship in Support of academic excellence (O Θεσμός της Χορηγίας Αρωγός των Πανεπιστημίων)', Δελτίο Κέντρου Μικρασιατικών Σπουδών, vol. 19, Athens, 2015, 13
- ^ "Atsas Organic Products Ltd".
- ^ "No. 58929". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2008. p. 24.
- ^ "Honorary Doctorates, University of Athens".
- ^ "Members, University of Cyprus".
- ^ "Μέλος του Συμβουλίου του Πανεπιστ. Κύπρου με ομόφωνη απόφαση της Συγκλήτου".
- ^ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B4.