Yiannis Boutaris

He was married to Athina Michael for seven years. They divorced, but later remarried. She later passed away in 2007.

He has three children: Stelios, Michalis, and Fanny. In 2003, his son Stelios took over management of Kir-Yiannis so that he could focus on his political career.

Yiannis Boutaris was born on June 13, 1942 in Thessaloníki, Greece. His father, Stelios Boutaris, was a winemaker. The Boutari winery had been passed down for generations, making them the oldest winemaking family in Greece.

He went to elementary school at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and secondary school at Anatolia College. In 1965, he graduated in chemistry from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

In 1967, he graduated in oenology from the Wine Institute of Athens. He then went on and joined the family business.

From 1969 to 1996, Yiannis Boutaris worked in the family winery. During his stint with the J.Boutari & Sons Wineries he held the positions of assistant director, technical director, and managing director.

During the 1990s, he transformed an abandoned village owned by his family into a wildlife reserve called Arcturos. The reserve is a sanctuary for brown bear, wolves, red deer, lynx, golden jackals, the European otter, flora, and several other animals and plant life.

In 1997, he decided to leave the family business and forge his own path. He founded the Kir-Yianni company. This winery is based in Northern Greece in Naoussa and Amyndeon and focuses on innovation and integrated farming.

In 2003, he decided to move on from the winery and left his company in the hands of his son. His company was very successful but he wanted to pursue politics.

In 2006, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor. His main platform involved radically changing the city. His main goal was to form a more stable economy. He was, however, neither a left-wing nor a right-wing politician. He fell somewhere in the middle and currently describes himself as a pro-business social democrat.

His most notable work as mayor has been the improvement on his city’s economy. He is widely recognized for cutting back government costs. In 2011, he reduced the budget deficit by 30% and restructured his administration by significantly reducing the amount of departments and staff.

Yiannis Boutaris has been successful in reminding his city of their ethnically diverse history. He has openly encouraged the building of mosques and a Department of Islamic studies at Aristotle University. His openness has led to much higher tourism rates.