Akis Cleanthous (1964 – April 11, 2011) was a Cypriot politician and financial analyst. Cleanhous served as the chairman of the Cyprus Stock Exchange from 2003 to 2007 and Minister of Education and Culture from 2007 until 2008.[1] He was a member of the Democratic Party (DIKO), a center-right political party.[1]

Cleanthous was born in 1964 in Argaka, Paphos District, Cyprus.[2] He received a bachelor's degree in marketing management from Baruch College in New York City.[1][2] Cleanthous then obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in quantitative analysis from St. John's University in Queens, New York.[1][2]

Cleanthous initially worked as banker, specializing in electronic banking,[2] before moving into the Cypriot Internet Technology sector.[1] He was appointed the chairman of the Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) in 2003 by the Council of Ministers.[2] He remained the head of the CSE until February 20, 2007, when he was appointed Minister of Education and Culture.[1][2]

In February 2007, Cleanthous was appointed the Minister of Education and Culture within the government of President Tassos Papadopoulos.[1][2] He remained in that position until the Cypriot presidential election in February 2008,[1] when he was succeeded as minister by Andreas Demetriou. A former member of the House of Representatives of Cyprus for the DIKO, Cleanthous served as the head of the party's political planning bureau and a member of DIKO's executive committee.[1] He also served as the chairman of the Spyros Kyprianou Institute, a Cypriot think tank named for Spyros Kyprianou.[1]

Outside politics Cleanthous took a position as the managing director of Evresis Loyalty Management in 2008.[2] Cleanthous also served as the chairman of Sea Star Capital Plc and as a member of the board of directors of the Nicosia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.[1][2]

Akis Cleanthous died of a heart attack on April 11, 2011, at the age of 46.[1] At the time of his death, Cleanthous had been scheduled to stand for election in the 2011 Cypriot legislative election on May 22, 2011.[1]

Cleanthous' funeral was held at the Saint Sophia Church in Strovolos.[3] Dignitaries in attendance included Cypriot President Demetris Christofias.[3] He was buried at St. Nicolaos cemetery.[4] Cleanthous was survived by his wife, Christiana Cleanthous, and son, Evangelos.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Former CSE chairman, Cyprus education minister dies of heart attack". Financial Mirror. 2011-04-11. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "A focus on finance and politics". Cyprus Mail. 2011-04-12. Archived from the original on 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  3. 1 2 "Former minister Akis Cleanthous buried". Cyprus Mail. 2011-04-14. Archived from the original on 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  4. ↑ "Schools to close early for Cleanthous funeral". Cyprus Mail. 2011-04-13. Archived from the original on 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
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