Michael Psaros Receives Homeric Award

By NEO Magazine on December 30, 2016

Michael G. Psaros, a member of the Leadership 100 Board of Trustees and co-Founder and co-Managing Partner of KPS Capital Partners, LP, was honored with the 37th Homeric Award by the Chian Federation this past December, at the Hellenic Cultural Center of the Chian Federation in Astoria, New York.

Michael Psaros with his wife Robin and son after receiving the Homeric Award from Chian Federation President John Kontolios. With ther are, Master of Ceremonies John Metaxas, Consul General of the Hellenic Republic Kostas Koutras along with members of the Chian Federation Board.

The Homeric Award, presented annually to distinguished individuals, advocates of human rights, democratic ideals and persons who have excelled in furthering human knowledge, is one of the most prestigious awards presented by the Greek American Community. Among its recipients were former U.S. President Jimmy Carter; Constantine Karamanlis, President of Greece; Archbishop Iakovos; Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tip O’Neil, and Senators Paul Sarbanes, Edward Kennedy, Olympia Snowe and Bill Bradley.

Rev. Robert Stephanopoulos, George Tsandikos, Chairman Leadership 100, Michael Psaros and Markos Marinakis

Under Psaros, KPS investments are credited with saving tens of thousands of premium US industrial and manufacturing jobs. KPS portfolio companies have aggregate annual revenues of approximately $5 billion and operate approximately 100 manufacturing facilities in more than 20 countries, employing 40,000 associates, both directly and through joint ventures worldwide.

Peter & Aphrodite Skeadas with Ambassador Vassilis Philippou

Psaros, who is a major philanthropist and advocate of Hellenic and Orthodox causes, was recently appointed Treasurer of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Council. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Archdiocesan Council. Psaros is an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Order of St. Andrew the Apostle and serves on the National Council of the Order. He is also a Founding Member of Faith: An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism, a member of the Board of The Hellenic Initiative and serves on the Parish Council of the Church of Our Saviour in Rye, New York.

Philip Christopher, President of PSEKA, with Nikos Fillas

Michael and his wife, Robin, are benefactors of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine in New York and the Orthodox Church in Korea, Sierra Leone, Mexico and Jerusalem. In 2013, they created The Robin and Michael Psaros Endowed Chair in Business Administration at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, where Psaros serves as Vice Chairman of the Executive Board of Advisors. He also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Georgetown University Center for Financial Markets and Policy. He received the BSBA in Finance from Georgetown University and attended Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.

Nikos and son Elias Fillas with members of their families and friends

Psaros, who is of Chian origin, has received many awards and recognition, including the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Award for Excellence, the Humanitarian Award from the Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund, the Executive of the Year Award from the Hellenic American Bankers Association and the Inspiration Award from the Loukoumi Foundation. He also was NEO’s cover in January 2015.

Members of the youth

The Chian Federation is a community-based, non-profit organization composed of societies representing various parts of the Greek island of Chios. The mission of the Chian Federation is to help those in need and to promote Greek culture and language in the United States. At his acceptance speech Mr. Psaros pledged $100,000 in matching funds to support the Aegean Sea Islands, among the Chios, in order to cope with the influx of refugees and illegal immigrants.