George Syrimis
Encyclopedia
George Syrimis was a Cyrpiot
accountant who served as the Finance Minister
of Cyprus from 1988 until 1993. Syrimis was also the founder of the accounting firm, G. Syrimis & Co., which eventually evolved into KPMG Cyprus
.
Syrimis was born in Nicosia, Cyprus. However, his family was originally from Agros, Cyprus
, a village in the island's southern Pitsilia region. Syrimis studied accounting in England
, where he became a certified accountant
.
He returned to his native Cyrpus from the United Kingdom
in 1948. Syrimis founded his own accounting firm, G. Syrimis & Co. His firm later became part of Peat Marwick, which, in turn, was merged to become KPMG International in 1987. In 1961, Syrimis became a founding member of the Association of Certified Public Accounts of Cyprus (ICPAC), later serving as chair of the professional organization.
George Vassiliou appointed Syrimis as the country's Finance Minister
in 1988. He continued to serve as finance minister within the Vassiliou government until 1993.
Syrismis was heavily involved in Cyriot charities and philanthropic organizations. An art collector, he sold his pieces to benefit local organizations, including the Cypriot National Guard
. He was also a member of the Rotary Club of Nicosia, the oldest rotary club in Cyprus.
Syrimis died on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at the age of 88. He was survived by four children – Olympia Stylianou, the director general of the Cypriot Ministry of Education; Nicos Syrimis, the chairman of the Association of Certified Public Accounts of Cyprus since June 2009; Michalis Syrimis and Marios Syrimis.
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
accountant who served as the Finance Minister
Finance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
of Cyprus from 1988 until 1993. Syrimis was also the founder of the accounting firm, G. Syrimis & Co., which eventually evolved into KPMG Cyprus
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
.
Syrimis was born in Nicosia, Cyprus. However, his family was originally from Agros, Cyprus
Agros, Cyprus
Agros is a village built on the Troödos Mountains, in the region of Pitsilia, in southwest Cyprus, which has built amphitheatrically among high mountains at an altitude of 1100 metres with a population of approximately 1,000. Agros is one of the most interesting villages of Cyprus and the...
, a village in the island's southern Pitsilia region. Syrimis studied accounting in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he became a certified accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
.
He returned to his native Cyrpus from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1948. Syrimis founded his own accounting firm, G. Syrimis & Co. His firm later became part of Peat Marwick, which, in turn, was merged to become KPMG International in 1987. In 1961, Syrimis became a founding member of the Association of Certified Public Accounts of Cyprus (ICPAC), later serving as chair of the professional organization.
George Vassiliou appointed Syrimis as the country's Finance Minister
Finance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
in 1988. He continued to serve as finance minister within the Vassiliou government until 1993.
Syrismis was heavily involved in Cyriot charities and philanthropic organizations. An art collector, he sold his pieces to benefit local organizations, including the Cypriot National Guard
Cypriot National Guard
The Cypriot National Guard , also known as the "Greek Cypriot National Guard" or simply as "National Guard", is the combined arms military force of the Republic of Cyprus...
. He was also a member of the Rotary Club of Nicosia, the oldest rotary club in Cyprus.
Syrimis died on Tuesday, January 5, 2010, at the age of 88. He was survived by four children – Olympia Stylianou, the director general of the Cypriot Ministry of Education; Nicos Syrimis, the chairman of the Association of Certified Public Accounts of Cyprus since June 2009; Michalis Syrimis and Marios Syrimis.