Celebrating 20 years of the Stelios Scholarships at LSE
The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation hosted a commemorative evening on 2 November to mark the 20th anniversary of the LSE Stelios Scholarships.
Alumnus Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (BSc Economics (Industry and Trade) 1987) and the Foundation were joined in Monaco by current and former scholarship recipients to reflect on the Foundation’s charitable impact since 2004.
Through the Foundation, Sir Stelios has provided more than £3.95 million in scholarship support over the last two decades, enabling students from the UK, Greece, Cyprus and other European countries to accept their place at LSE. Thanking Sir Stelios and the Foundation for their enduring generosity to LSE, Professor Larry Kramer, President and Vice-Chancellor, said:
Stelios, you have been a visionary philanthropist and steadfast champion of talented young people – a model alumnus and benefactor of LSE. Please accept my whole-hearted congratulations to you and everyone at the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation for this extraordinary and impactful charitable achievement.
Speaking to over 70 guests, Sir Stelios reflected on his time at LSE and the importance of giving.
About 40 years ago, a young Greek boy from Athens moved to London and started studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science. 20 years later, I started giving back to society by giving scholarships at my alma mater. Fast forward another 20 years and here we are, with 145 scholars all having been through one of the finest schools in the world, and that makes me very proud.
For Sir Stelios, it was fitting this dinner was held in Monaco where he lives, as it also marked 30 years since a significant conversation took place there with his father about moving away from the family shipping business and starting a low-cost airline. Shortly after with the support from his father, Sir Stelios created low-cost airline easyJet in Luton in 1995. Sir Stelios is still the owner of the brand of easyJet and has extended the easy family of brands in many more sectors (see www.easy.com and www.easyHistory.info).
With easyJet and the LSE Stelios Scholarships both reaching milestone years, there was much to celebrate. More than 140 lives have directly been changed with a Stelios Scholarship, with countless more lives positively impacted through the work and achievements of the scholars. Several recipients spoke during the evening on how the Stelios Scholarships has made significant differences to their studies, career prospects and future.
The LSE Stelios Scholarship has truly revolutionised my life, and completely changed the trajectory of my future. I have had countless opportunities that I could never have even dreamed of before starting LSE, such as studying abroad in Paris and completing a summer internship at one of the largest investment banks in the world. The ongoing support from the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation has helped shape my future, allowing me to achieve things I never believed were possible, and I am unable to express my gratitude towards Sir Stelios in words alone.
Committed to providing scholarships for students in need, the Foundation launched a JustGiving page at the beginning of November 2024, enabling Stelios scholars to also give in support of future scholarships, which the Foundation would then match and round up to the nearest whole scholarship. The fundraiser has already reached an impressive £255k, which is enough for ten scholarships to be awarded for the academic year 2025-26.
Thanks to Sir Stelios and the Foundation for their ongoing support, making the dreams of many LSE students come true.