andreas panayiotou yacht

I Frequently Overthink Basic Operations

Aviation News

On board the 42m Codecasa yacht Ability with Andreas Panayiotou – BOAT International

… yacht Ability, for charter with Athens Yachts … The project took place at Atlas Shipyard in Greece, and included a new paint job, refurbishment …

Related Posts

What if the apple car only got scrapped because an ijet was being developed.

We asked AI to design the Apple iJet, a minimalistic and elegant aircraft that seamlessly integrates into the Apple ecosystem.

A Closer Look At The Booming Pre-Owned Business Jet Market – Simple Flying

… refurbished interior, Bombardier follows through on its promise. Painted exterior: All pre-owned aircraft come with a fresh coat of…

Princess Yachts appoints new CEO – SuperyachtNews.com

Huisfit appoints new sales manager. Jelmer Koopman joins Royal Huisman’s refit division. Business. Advertising. Advertising …

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Homes and Property | Home Page

Secret of the £400 million tycoon who does not know how to read

I am sitting in the sumptuous West End office of businessman Andreas Panayiotou as he scans the front page of the Evening Standard and attempts to read it out loud. He begins normally, but by the second sentence he has become hesitant, using his forefinger to guide him. He delivers each word slowly and deliberately. In the third paragraph, he comes to a halt.

"What's that word?" he asks, pointing to "receipts". In the next sentence he is stymied again, this time by "exposé". Mr Panayiotou is a 45-year-old in his prime with every reason to be super-confident, but now his hands start writhing and he begins to sweat in his £3,000 Tom Ford suit.

The self-made British mogul, conservatively said to be worth £400million and ranked 200th on the Rich List, is about to describe his "secret shame" for the first time - he has never learned to read. He is prepared to talk about his "darkest secret" to help expose the scandal of illiteracy in London. "I am doing it because the Evening Standard's exposé has moved and shocked me. I am amazed to see the problem in our schools is still so bad. I'd hate any kid to go through what I have," he said.

"When I was at school, if you couldn't read, they called you thick. I hated reading as a kid and as an adult I've organised my life to avoid it as much as possible. My PA reads my emails to me over the phone while I drive into work and I dictate replies. My lawyers handle legal documents, and my accountants deal with the financial stuff."

The mere act of trying to read transports him back to the shame he felt as a child. "You know what?" he said, taking hold of the newspaper again. "I might be sitting here in this office, but right now, in my mind, I am back there, seven years old, in my old class at Wellington Way primary school in Bow.

"I can remember it with absolute clarity. The teacher is going round the room asking different kids to read. I am praying he won't call me. He calls one kid. Then another. I am getting hot and anxious. Sod's law, third kid, he turns to me. 'I don't wanna!' I say. 'Why?' he asks. I don't want to say in front of everyone that I can't read. The teacher starts shouting. He thinks I'm being cheeky. He throws me out.

"That was the last time I was ever asked to read. After that the teacher would skip me to avoid a confrontation. I learned to memorise whole words, what they look like, but I never did learn to read in the conventional sense and I left school at 14 without a single GCSE. That moment has stayed with me because it was the day I realised I had a problem. Everything - my massive drive to prove myself as a 'somebody', my rigid discipline, my pride in what I've achieved - stems from the feelings of shame and inadequacy I experienced of being 'perpetually behind' all the other kids and unable to read."

The Standard has published shocking new figures exposing illiteracy in London. One in three children has no books of their own at home; one in three 11-year-olds in parts of the capital still has a reading age of as low as seven. Poet Benjamin Zephaniah has talked of how dyslexic people tend to go "one of two ways", conquering their fears and flourishing, or ending up in jail. Mr Panayiotou, one of the million adult Londoners who the National Literacy Trust say are functionally illiterate, exemplifies the former.

The London-born son of Greek Cypriots, his achievements are extraordinary. He owns a £40million Gulfstream G450 jet, a £12million Mangusta 130 yacht, and two Cessna Citation jets. He lives on a 20-acre plot in Epping Forest with second wife Susan and their three daughters aged seven, 12 and 14 (he also has two older sons from his first marriage). He has stables, a helipad, gym, tennis court and five lakes.

This morning he came to work in his Range Rover, but could equally have driven his Ferrari Enzo, Lamborghini LP700, Rolls-Royce Phantom convertible, or £1.2million Bugatti Veyron. His Italian marble-floored office is the size of a tennis court. Pictures and models of his planes and yacht decorate his office. "As a child, I tried my best to read, but the words would get scrambled up in my brain and jump around," said Mr Panayiotou. "You sort of get used to that feeling of trying hard but being unable to do it. You feel stupid, even though you think that you are smart but just cannot prove it.

"I can read better now because I've memorised a lot of words, but when I get to surnames and words I've never seen, it's nigh on impossible. When I drive on the motorway, I have to concentrate to read the road signs. It still induces feelings of anxiety. Filling out forms for stuff like passport control is also a no-go area."

How has he managed to overcome this handicap and become so successful? "The flip side of dyslexia is that you develop other gifts. I've trained my mind to have a photographic memory. I have a phenomenal memory. It also makes you more creative in solving problems because your mind is always in a fight to comprehend the world around you. It's always fighting, fighting, fighting. That makes you stronger because you learn to handle problems as part of life.

"It also makes you super-focused. I can tell you where every suit in my wardrobe is, every car in my garage, I can remember the profit figure on a hotel I was told about three months ago. You learn to simplify things, to get to the bottom line which is good for business and decision-making.

"With me, my desk, my wardrobe, my day - it's all regimented. I'm up at 7am, I walk the Dobermann, I'm out of the house by 8.30am, at work an hour later, then at 5pm I go to the gym. Every day it's the same."

He added: "I don't want to give the impression that being dyslexic is a ticket to success, because it isn't, but with the right attitude, it can be overcome. In my case, it gave me a burning desire to prove myself.

"It's no coincidence that I took up boxing at seven, the same age my teacher shamed me. I became known as the hardest kid in the school. I was kicked out of high school for laying out the PE teacher with a punch when I was 14. I never went back. If you can't read or write, there's no point being there."

The following year, Mr Panayiotou became the Essex under-16 amateur middleweight boxing champion, and went to work for his father. The first book he ever read was at 17: "I was passionate about getting my pilot's licence and I memorised the entire manual."

A few years later he bought a small property in Islington, converted it into flats, and started what would become one of the biggest buy-to-let empires in Britain. In 2007 he sold thousands of flats, focusing instead on building a portfolio of hotels.

His firm, The Ability Group, now has seven. His latest development, the £70million Waldorf-Astoria, has just opened at Syon Park. He is about to put "Britain's most expensive house" on the market - a redeveloped property in The Bishop's Avenue in Hampstead, which he hopes to sell for £100million.

Mr Panayiotou comes from poor parents who couldn't speak or read English, but he thinks immigrant children with their drive to succeed can overcome these obstacles. His older brother George came from the same background as him, he points out, yet did well at school and completed a business degree.

"I think I would have benefited from an early diagnosis of my problem by my teachers," he said. "Our daughter Sofia is 12 and has dyslexia. My wife got her a diagnosis and brilliant specialised tutor from age six. She would draw a cat and write "cat" under it and Sofia would memorise it. Her problem was named and she was given the skills to master it.

"My wife also spends a lot of time reading with her. Sofia has been trained from an early age to memorise whole words, and now she reads fine and is doing fantastically at school."

Mr Panayiotou says that being unable to read today is far more devastating than in the Seventies. "Although I have been successful beyond my dreams, jobs are a lot more sophisticated than they were 30 years ago, and technology. I would hate for any child to have to go through what I did.

"Your illiteracy campaign can make a difference to kids like me. Being able to read is as fundamental as eating. You can't get by without knowing how to read."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

• Breaking News
• University Guide
• Meghan Markle
• Prince Harry
• King Charles III

‘My secret shame’: The £400m British mogul who is unable to READ and gets his PA to handle e-mails for him

By Daily Mail Reporter Updated: 19:01 EDT, 3 June 2011

View comments

As the head of a £400million property empire, you would expect Andreas Panayiotou to be adept at reading up on business propositions and wading through lengthy legal contracts.

But remarkably, the London tycoon, who is ranked 200th on the Rich List, has achieved his success having never learned to read.

The son of Greek-Cypriot immigrants, Mr Panayiotou was raised in London's East End and at school proved to be a useful boxer.

Unorthodox: Andreas Panayiotou has built up a £400m business empire despite being illiterate

But when he looks back on his school days, it is not the fear of stepping into the ring that the 45-year-old recalls. Instead, it is his 'secret shame' - the terror he would feel when asked to read aloud in class.

'I can remember it with absolute clarity,' Mr Panayiotou told the London Evening Standard.

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

'The teacher is going round the room asking different kids to read. I am praying he won't call me. He calls one kid. Then another. I am getting hot and anxious. Sod's law, third kid, he turns to me.

'That moment has stayed with me because it was the day I realised I had a problem.'

Mr Panayiotou learned to memorise words but never did learn to read in the conventional sense, leaving school at 14 without a single O-level.

Boxing clever: The tycoon took up boxing at school to compensate for the fact that he struggled to read

Despite his lack of qualifications, he went on to achieve stunning business success. As a young man working for his father, he bought a small property in Islington, converted it into flats, and started what would become one of the biggest buy-to-let empires in Britain. In 2007 he sold thousands of flats, focusing instead on building a portfolio of hotels.

His firm, The Ability Group, now has seven. His latest development, the £70million Waldorf-Astoria, has just opened at Syon Park. He is about to put 'Britain's most expensive house' on the market - a redeveloped property in The Bishop's Avenue in Hampstead, which he hopes to sell for £100million.

Mr Panayiotou lives on a 20-acre estate in Epping Forest and owns £40million Gulfstream G450 jet, a £12million Mangusta 130 yacht, and two Cessna Citation jets.

And he believes none of this would have been achieved had he not been handicapped by dyslexia.

'Everything - my massive drive to prove myself as a "somebody", my rigid discipline, my pride in what I've achieved - stems from the feelings of shame and inadequacy I experienced of being "perpetually behind" all the other kids and unable to read,' he said.

'The flip side of dyslexia is that you develop other gifts. I've trained my mind to have a photographic memory. I have a phenomenal memory.

'It also makes you more creative in solving problems because your mind is always in a fight to comprehend the world around you. It's always fighting, fighting, fighting. That makes you stronger because you learn to handle problems as part of life.

'It also makes you super-focused. I can tell you where every suit in my wardrobe is, every car in my garage, I can remember the profit figure on a hotel I was told about three months ago. You learn to simplify things, to get to the bottom line which is good for business and decision-making.'

Despite his success, Mr Panayiotou, who was speaking out to highlight the Standard's literacy campaign, believes being unable to read today is far more devastating than when he was growing up in the Seventies.

'Although I have been successful beyond my dreams, jobs are a lot more sophisticated than they were 30 years ago,' he said.

'I would hate for any child to have to go through what I did.

'I am amazed to see the problem in our schools is still so bad. Being able to read is as fundamental as eating. You can't get by without knowing how to read.'

Share or comment on this article: Andreas Panayiotou: £400m British mogul is unable to READ

Most watched news videos.

• Rape victim Gisele Pelicot arrives at court to testify against husband
• Hezbollah chief vows revenge after 'Israel crossed all red lines'
• Cars and buildings on fire following radio explosions across Lebanon
• 'Get the police!': Free speech group kicked out of Brighton pub
• Hezbollah walkie talkies detonate during funeral in crowded street
• Avignon rape trial continues as Gisele Pelicot arrives at court
• Shocking scenes inside hospital shows aftermath of Beirut explosion
• Israel set to target Hezbollah after mass pager bombings
• Israeli army release videos showing strikes on Hezbollah
• Huge blast heard over Beirut during journalists report
• Hezbollah will pay increasing price: Israel Defence Minister
• PM defends accepting costly corporate box at Arsenal for free

Comments 52

Share what you think

• Worst rated

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

• Follow DailyMail
• Subscribe Daily Mail
• Follow @dailymail
• Follow MailOnline
• Follow Daily Mail

From the Makers of Candy Crush

• Back to top

Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd

Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group

Superyachtfan

All about superyachts and superyacht owners!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

• Superyacht Ability owned by Andreas Panayiotou

Blog Archive

• ►  December (1)
• ►  May (1)
• ►  July (1)
• ►  May (2)
• ►  March (2)
• ►  February (2)
• ►  August (1)
• ►  June (3)
• ►  January (1)
• ►  December (2)
• ►  November (2)
• ►  October (1)
• ►  September (2)
• ►  August (2)
• ►  July (5)
• ►  June (2)
• ►  April (1)
• ►  March (1)
• ►  February (3)
• ►  January (6)
• ►  December (12)
• ►  November (11)

Contributors

• Administrator
• SuperYachtFan

Superyachtfan - search

Superyachtfan - search.

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Conservation and Philanthropy
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• BOATPro Home
• Superyacht Insight
• Global Order Book
• Premium Content
• Product Features
• Testimonials
• Pricing Plan
• Tenders & Equipment

41m Codecasa motor yacht Ability for sale

The 41.1-metre motor yacht Ability has joined the market with David Westwood of TWW Yachts.

Designed by Andrea Bacigalupo , Ability was built in aluminium by Italian yard Codecasa to ABS class and delivered in 2007. Her interior, by Franco and Anna Della Role , uses select mahogany woods to create a classic decor. She was extensively refitted in 2023, including "a complete update of AV/IT, replacement of all teak, re-wrapping of the exterior as well as all new owner’s supply and soft furnishings."

Accommodation for 11 guests in five cabins comprises an owner's suite, three doubles and a twin, all with entertainment centres, Sharp LCD television screens and en suite bathroom facilities. In addition, there are quarters for six crew.

The external areas offer expanses of sunbathing spaces and sunpads, not only on the aft deck and flybridge, but also on the bow. Here, there is a solarium area plus an al fresco dining area arranged in a C-shape, hosting tables that can be joined into a single oval table able to seat up to 14 guests in comfort.

On the aft deck is another dining table opposite the main saloon’s doors, along with a large sunpad. The dark exterior finish makes her stand out from the crowd.

Three 2,400 hp MTU diesel engines, linked to triple KaMeWa water jets, power the 286GT yacht for sale to speeds of up to 29 knots, with a cruising speed of 25 knots. Her commercial compliance also gives her the potential for charter.

Ability is asking €7,400,000 and lying in Athens, Greece.

Sign up to BOAT Briefing email

Latest news, brokerage headlines and yacht exclusives, every weekday

By signing up for BOAT newsletters, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy .

More about this yacht

Yachts for sale, similar yachts for sale, more stories, most popular, from our partners, sponsored listings.

Postcards from Gulag

Photographs from the remnants of the gulag archipelago, watchtower, perm-36, perm krai.

Perm-36 is allegedly the only Gulag camp that has been turned into a museum. While this is not strictly true (there are other former camps that have been partly preserved) and Perm-36 is heavily reconstructed, the museum has conserved an important part of the Soviet camp system, especially from its latter era after the death of Stalin. Perm-36 camp operated from the 1940s until the last days of the Soviet Union, and it was meant mainly for the political prisoners and dissidents. Among the dense forests of Russia near the Ural mountains stands a solitary watchtower of the former camp. Behind it, inside the zona , one finds relics of the barracks, but somehow the tower itself, a symbol as poignant as barbed wire, communicates the utter isolation of Gulag victims.

Share this:

Leave a comment cancel reply.

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

Perm Krai Capital of Culture

• Support of regional and other partners
• Working groups
• Policy papers
• Newsletters
• Main themes
• Social and cultural integration
• Citizenship and civil society
• Historical heritage
• Music and cinema

Youth policy

• External Cooperation
• Testimonials

Project initators: 

“ Cultural Planning will help to ensure the Perm region will remain distinctive and unique” , Mr. Protasevich said. “It will mean planning ways to support and preserve our heritage, developing appealing opportunities for artists and musicians regardless of age, and generating education and employment. It will mean building a creative community with a buzz.”

“Some of the identified objectives of “Perm krai international:young journalists@school” project include facilitating greater communication and cooperation among young community and official organizations in Perm krai”, said the Vice-Minister of Perm krai.

“Perm Krai International: young journalistes@school”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The international children festival of theatre arts “Long Break”

What is the international child festival of theatre arts “Long Break”? It is a real holiday for young spectators and their parents. The international child festival of theatre arts “Long Break” will be hold from the 30th of April to the 5th of May. It will be in Perm and Lysva. It will be hold under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Culture, Youth Politics and Mass Communications of Perm Krai. The program of the festival is prepared by Russian and foreign experts of child theatre. There are the most interesting for children events of the world arts. The “Long Break” familiarizes children with actual artists. It is the platform where people communicate with people using the language of modern arts which is understandable for a new generation.

The festival “The White Nights in Perm”

• The participants of the festival of land art “Ural Myths” will create art objects using natural materials. The objects will have the same mythological idea.
• During the festival of bears “MedveDay” the masters Teddy-makers will tell gripping stories about a symbol of the city. They will organize some exhibitions of teddy bears and they will give master classes.

• The exhibition “Mammoth’s track” will gather mammoths from different corners of Russia on Perm’s territory. There will be even a famous mammoth Dima.
• And at last the international festival of street arts «Open sky» will represent the various program: carnival processions, a 5-day master class «Mask Art», street shows and performances, performances of Russian and foreign street theatres.

The IX International festival “Heavenly Fair of Ural”

From the 26th to the 3rd of July the IX International festival “Heavenly Fair of Ural” takes place in Kungur. There will be a fight for the I Privolzhski Federal Disctrict Cup for aerostatics and the VII Perm Krai Open Cup for aerostatics.This year Kungur won’t hold rating competitions which results are taking into general account of the pilots. They counted on creating entertainment activities “Air battles over Kungur”. There will be the representatives of sub-units of ultralight aviation, detachment of parachute troops and water means. All the battles will take place straight over the city. And natives will take part in the festival too.According to initial data 15 aeronauts and about 50 ultralight aviation pilots expressed willingness to take part at the festival. And a dirigible pilot confirmed his participation.Ultralight aviation pilots will take part in the “Air games” within the festival. As last year a campsite of ultralight aviation will base in an area near a village Milniki.

Share this:

Our Facebook Page

Our Twitter

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar