A Thessaloniki native who co-founded one of the world's most powerful hedge funds is now pouring money into Greek real e...

A Thessaloniki native who co-founded one of the world's most powerful hedge funds is now pouring money into Greek real estate, and the numbers are hard to ignore. Gerasimos Chionis left Greece in the early 1990s after graduating from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, earned a Ph.D. from City University in London, and joined Salomon Brothers as a trader in 1993. His career accelerated at Credit Suisse, where he met Alan Howard. In 2002, the two men co-founded Brevan Howard alongside Jean-Philippe Blochet, Greek-origin Chris Rokos, and James Vernon, building it into one of the most recognized names in global alternative investments. After the peak of the Greek financial crisis, Chionis spotted opportunity in the country's beaten-down property market and founded Orilina Properties, which listed on the Athens Stock Exchange in 2018. The company now carries zero debt, holds 170 million euros in equity, and posted net profits of 9 million euros in the first half of 2026 alone. Total asset value has reached 193 million euros, with market capitalization exceeding 125 million euros. The flagship project is Marina Residences by Kengo Kuma, the internationally acclaimed Japanese architect. Chionis is also expanding into residential apartments following the acquisition of a building in central Athens valued at 6.93 million euros. His bet on Greece goes further than Orilina. In 2020, Chionis persuaded his Brevan Howard partners to acquire a stake in Lamda Development, the company behind the massive Ellinikon urban development project on the former Athens airport site. They entered at 6.3% when Marianna Latsis sold her position, and have since grown that stake to 8.6%, making Brevan Howard the second-largest shareholder behind the Latsis family. It is a rare story of a Greek who built a global financial career and then turned that capital and credibility back toward his home country. #Greece #RealEstate #GreekBusiness