Early Life
Ivan Ignatyevich Savvidi was born on March 27, 1959, in the village of Santa, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. His parents were Pontic Greek immigrants. Savvidis was raised as a Christian Orthodox and spoke Pontic Greek until the age of seven. At fourteen, he moved to Rostov-on-Don where he completed his high school education. He served in the military and later graduated from Rostov State University of Economics in 1988.
Rise to Success
Savvidis began his career at the Don State Tobacco Factory. In 1993, he was elected General Director of Donskoy Tabak, eventually becoming the main shareholder. Under his leadership, Donskoy Tabak grew to be Russia's largest tobacco company. In 2018, he sold Donskoy Tabak to Japan Tobacco for $1.6 billion. Savvidis founded Agrokom Group in 2004, which includes businesses in agribusiness, meat processing, and media.
Key Business Strategies
Savvidis's business strategy has involved strategic investments and diversification. He acquired the Greek tobacco company SEKAP in 2013. He also invested in media, owning 19% of Mega Channel and acquiring Pegasus Publications, which includes Ethnos and Imerisia newspapers. In 2023, Savvidis's Thessaloniki Port Authority company bought 67% of the shares of the Volos Port Authority for $54 million.
Philanthropy
Savvidis is the President of the Federation of Greek Communities of Russia. He ordered the preparation of 487 rooms at the Porto Carras resort in Greece to host Ukrainian refugees during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He also made an offer to build a mosque in Trabzon, Turkey, in exchange for the Hagia Sophia church being returned to the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate.