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Greek Rich List News
The tycoon with a work ethic
British Cypriot Chris Lazari, reveals the secret of his success.
London based Cypriot property tycoon Chris Lazari, whose assets include prize buildings in the West End, espouses the philosophy that life grants nothing without hard work. “Work is the vehicle to success. Money is just another token of your success. Hard work involves a clear, analytical and critical mind so that the right decisions are made,” he told The Cyprus Weekly.
This probably means long hours. “The more I want to do something the less I call it hard work… I have to be in the driver’s seat. I think it was Forbes who once said: “If you don’t drive your business you will be driven out of business. I am not afraid of hard work,” the 64 year old millionaire said. And he added: “Business opportunities are normally disguised as hard work and they will not be discovered through laziness.”
His track record suggests a flair for doing exactly that. Ranked 5th richest Greek in the UK by Greek Rich List magazine and the 125th richest British man in the Sunday Times Rich List 2010, Lazaris net assets are estimated at €522m. The total fixed and current assets of his company for y/e March 31, 2010, were €1,382,964,264. Pretax profits were €41,438,456 the same year.
“Let me use another quote I read somewhere: “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. It is no secret that I have worked and still work hard in my life, but it is obvious that hard work must be accompanied by knowledge and clear judgment.
“I think a lot, I consider all factors and then I reach a decision. “I have always been ready and willing to learn to learn more and more. This knowledge has helped me to identify the right opportunities and make viable and profitable acquisitions.”
For Dhora-born Lazari, success is the reward of his hard work and the ammunition for further conquests. “I love challenges. Even if they are not there I set my own challenges and I make sure everybody in my workforce have their own. I have always been a “hands-onmanager”. “I like to know everything that happens in my company however small or insignificant.
The road to the top is hard and difficult but the way down is a lot easier. It is hard to build a successful business but it’s so easy to destroy it if you are not careful.” He is grateful for what he has achieved so far and with his three children in his business now, his only plans are to see them achieving more and to be there for them for as long as he can.
“I have no intention of retiring,” he says. “Family for me means a lot more than money. If money is only a token of success, in one’s work, then a good happy family is the token of success in one’s life,” says Lazari, who has two sons, one daughter and seven “wonderful grandchildren.”
Describing himself as a simple man at heart, he is grateful for having true and real friends. “Some of them are people I met many years ago when we were struggling together to
survive in those first hard years of coming to Britain. “We may have followed different directions in life but our friendship survived and we are always there for each other.
“I am a simple man at heart because simple things in life give me much more pleasure than luxuries. “In my life ‘I walk with the kings and mix with the crowds’ as they say. But I get more pleasure from the simple people of the crowds. A business meal at a top class London restaurant is a business obligation. “Having a meze at a local taverna and a zivania with old friends, that is a choice,” he said.
Staying true to Cyprus
Born in Dhora village in the Limassol district, Lazari left Cyprus at the age of 16, when he discovered that his ‘parents’ were actually his foster parents.
“I was in my third year at the Lanition Gymnasium of Limassol. “I boarded the MV Messapia and sailed to England. The rest is history,” he said.
Although he has spent most of his life in the UK and visits Cyprus only for a holiday and to see family and friends, his village and Cyprus are always in his mind. “I love the place and adore the people,” he says.
His ultimate dream now is to see Cyprus reunited. “I have no dreams with regards to my work because work is reality and I take full responsibility for the results. “Unfortunately, when it
comes to Cyprus we can only dream because we are in the hands of the strong and powerful.”
He admits his marriage 44 years ago to Maritsa was “the best transaction I have ever made.”
Source: Demetra Molyva, The Cyprus Weekly
