Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou was honoured by the Monaco Ambassadors Club last night receiving, the Goodwill Ambassador of Monaco Award for 2011 at a cocktail function at the Salle Belle Epoque at the Hermitage Hotel. The Monaco Ambassadors Club serves to promote the image of Monaco abroad. Already a noteworthy ambassador for Monaco, Stelios, in an amusing address, pointed to a number of reasons why he thought Monaco a desirable place in which to live including: security, lifestyle, cosmopolitan population, weather and tax benefits, where revenue from the Principality comes largely from VAT and property taxes. Noting that we are all lucky to be living in Monaco, he said he thought it our duty to give back to society….

In one project, in his native Cyprus, his Foundation has been working for many years to promote goodwill among its inhabitants. Every year, it gives five awards of €50,000 to each of one Turkish Cypriot and one Greek Cypriot who do business with each other, an example of the unbridled comeraderie upon which he has built his businesses. It is with his philanthropic activities that Stelios was particularly preoccupied this evening, proposing that Monaco develop its conference activities by becoming the new focal point for International Philanthropic Conferences. A fine idea and one which could be able added to the existing conference activities for which Monaco has now become so well known. Let’s hope that this initiative, proposed by Stelios, will be infused with the same energy and charisma carried by his more than generous personality. If so, it should be a resounding success indeed.