Michalakis Zampelas, the former mayor of Nicosia died, aged 82.
Mr. Zampelas was known to have founded the famous accounting and consulting firm – Coopers & Lybrand in Athens, Greece and in Cyprus, which opened doors for trade and development in accounting in the Mediterranean and beyond. The firm was later renamed as PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in a merger made in 1998.
The Cyprus branch of PricewaterhouseCoopers today has over 1000 people in staff and partners and is considered a pillar when it comes to professional services on the island nation.
Mr. Zampleas was also serving Estonia’s Honorary Consul General in Cyprus, a post he received in 1997, and used to substantially contribute to the improvement of economic, political and cultural development between the two countries. He was awarded the title of the Order of the National Coat of Arms by the Estonian President for his contributions.
Mr. Zampelas went on to win the Nicosia municipal elections in 2001 and took office on the 1st January 2002, going on to serve in the same position till 31st December 2006.
Mr. Zampelas received several honors in 2007, including (but not limited to) the honorary medal of the city of Nicosia, and a special honor from the board of The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus.
He is survived by his wife Loukia, their three daughters and their eight grandchildren. The funeral is set to take place in Ayia Varvara church, Kaimakli.