05 October 2009 by Administrator
As the Mumbai tragedy continues, the only confirmed British
victim of the massacre is shipping entrepreneur Andreas
Liveras.73-year-old Liveras truly embodied the entrepreneurial
spirit: having left Cyprus with his family in 1963, he worked at
the 'tiny' Fleur De Lys bakery in Kensington, until the business'
owner decided to shut up shop five years later. Liveras took on the
bakery, and grew it to become one of Europe's biggest frozen
gateaux manufacturers.In 1985, Liveras sold Fleur De Lys for 'an
eight-figure sum' to Express Dairies, and used the money to start a
new business, Liveras Yachts, in Monaco.
According to
The Guardian, the luxury yachts included features such as Roman
baths, saunas, steam rooms, jacuzzis, cinemas and helicopter
landing pads.Liveras built the 280ft Alysia, the 'biggest charter
yacht on the seas', which cost £500,000 a week to charter. Guests
have included Robbie Williams and the King of Bahrain.Shortly
before he died, Liveras spoke to the BBC from inside the basement
of the Taj Mahal hotel, where he was barricaded with a group of
guests. "We're just living on our nerves," he said.The Telegraph
reported that a woman at his son Dion's house last night told
the paper the family are 'in deep, deep mourning'.The death of such
a vibrant, creative individual represents a huge loss to the
entrepreneurial community - our best wishes go out to his
family.