Anthony B. Catachanas

Anthony B. Catachanas (born 21st March 1981) is a successful Greek American entrepreneur who is a founding partner of Victory Hill Capital Group LLP. He co-founded Victory Hill Capital Group LLP, in April 2020 and is its Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Catachanas is actively involved in coaching and mentoring. He is a regular Industry Speaker for the Master’s in Finance and the MBA courses at his alma mater, The University of Cambridge, Judge Business School.
== Occupation: ==
# Managing Partner and Chief executive officer at Victory Hill Capital Group LLP April 2020 to present.
# Guest Industry Speaker At Cambridge Judge Business School April 2017 to present.
== Early Life ==
Anthony B. Catachanas was born on 21st March 1981 in San Francisco, California, United States. He spent his earlier life in California and at the age of six, his family moved to Brussels, Belgium in 1987. His earlier schooling was in, Belgium at the European School, Brussels II in Woluwe St-Laurent a suburb of Brussels. In 2000 he joined Henley Business School at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom for his Bachelor's degree and completed BA (Hons) in Management and Business Administration. Central Europe. He completed a Master’s of Science in Global politics from the University of Southampton and an MBA from the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School.
== Experience ==
Anthony B. Catachanas is now the Managing Partner and Chief executive officer|Chief Executive Officer of Victory Hill Capital Advisors LLP.
He is a guest industry speaker at Cambridge Judge Business School.
He worked from April 2014 to April 2020 at Mizuho Financial Group asset management arm, Asset Management One as Director, Head of Investment Solutions EMEA.
He is a co-founder and Board of advisors of Nemera Capital Group Ltd, which he formed in May 2015 and left in February 2017.
He worked as Partner and Head of GP and LP relations from October 2013 to March 2014 at Goldman Sachs private equity spin-out, Alpha One Partners LLP.
From September 2009 to October 2012, Anthony worked as an Executive director at Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
From June 2006 to May 2009 Anthony worked at Synthetic Equity Finance at Credit Suisse Securities Europe Ltd. and Deutsche Bank AG and in the Interest Rate Derivatives division of ABN AMRO Bank Bank in London.
From April 2005 to June 2006 Anthony worked as Research analyst at European Central Bank in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
From June 2003 to September 2003, Anthony worked at the European Parliament’s Directorate-General for Foreign Affairs, in Brussels, Belgium.
== Family Background ==
His Father Basil A. Catachanas (or Katachanas) was the founder of Astro Maritime Agency Inc., a pioneering local shipping business in San Francisco, California.
Basil went to the United States in 1962 and started working as a Financial director at Southern Star Shipping, the organization that is owned by the late George S. Coumantaros in New York City. George S. Coumantaros has also helped his father setup Astro Maritime in 1973. Astro Maritime was also supported by his brother-in-law (married his sister Virginie “Nini” Katachana) Nikolaos Elias Mavroleon and George Elias Mavroleon both worked for their cousins (Basil “Bluey” M. Mavroleon) company the London & Overseas Freighters|London Overseas Freighters (LOF) in the UK.
Astro Maritime initially acted as the West Coast Shipping Agent for several prominent London and New York-based Greek ship-owners (Kouloukoundis, Chandris, Mavroleon, Coumantaros, Goulandris), after that he built a small fleet of five dry bulk carriers, he eventually sold the company in 1987 and moved back to his native Brussels, Belgium.
Basil A. Catachanas passed away on 18th May2014 in Brussels Belgium. He is survived by his wife Viviane Dominique Urech.
Anthony's grandfather Antoine (Antonios) Vassiliou Catachanas was born in Port Said in 1898, Egypt, and was educated at a Greek Orthodox Convent in Haifa, in modern-day Israel. He later graduated from the Salvagios School of Commerce in Alexandria, Egypt. A school that was founded by renowned Greek banker Constantine Salvagos.
When Antoine left Egypt in 1922, the Suez Canal was transitioned to British control. Many local Greek families who had fled Ottoman Empire invasion of Greece, moved to Egypt began immigrating to other parts of Europe. A large part of this community came from the southern Dodecanese islands. Many were from the island of Kasos in particular. Now a generation later had immigrated to London, Amsterdam, Paris and New York.
Some of these families, such as the Rethymnis, the Kulukundis, the Mavroleon amongst others, went to London and established themselves as prominent shipping names. In the case of Antoine Catachanas, who built his first career as a banker, he immigrated to Brussels, Belgium from London, first working for Westminster Bank’s Brussels Branch, then later joined the Popular Bank of Greece in Athens as personal secretary to prominent banker Dionysios P. Loverdos.
Antoine B. Catachanas was contacted by a former client of Westminster Bank in Brussels, Athanassi. Athanassopoulosto help return to Belgium and build a construction materials and steel export business. He left Athens in 1924 and joined the Ermes business in Brussels. In 1925, he became the Secretary-General of the Belgo-Hellenic Chamber of commerce. Belgium was establishing itself as one of the world’s most important steel producing and exporting nations, in the center of the “industrial triangle” of Europe. Concurrently, at the turn of the century, ship-building had begun to rely less on sails and wooden hulls and more on steel hulls and Steam engine.
Anthony’s Great Grandfather Vassileios Nikolaou Kataxanas, born in 1850, Kasos, Greece, was a canal pilot-ship captain working for the Suez Canal Company. He earned the title of Captain in the Greek Merchant Marine and eventually became a Naval Master. He originally immigrated to Port Said while under French rule in 1876. At the time, he was part of a diaspora of Greeks fleeing the Ottoman Empire occupation of Greece and particularly from the Dodecanese island of Kasos or “Kassos” (where the family is originally from). Many families from the islands had fled after the island’s destruction by the Ottomans in 1826. Many Kasioti families fled together to Egypt and were recognized as competent and able seafarers and ship captains. Many were hired to work for the Suez Canal Company.
It was during this first family migration from Kasos to Egypt under French rule in the Ionian Islands (1807–1814) that the name was Gallicised (translated into French from “Kataxanas” in Greek or “Katachanas” -> Catachanas).
== Life Incidents ==
In Belgium, the Catachanas family thrived and helped build and underpin the Greek community in Brussels.
Antoine B. Catachanas was decorated for his services to both Greek and Belgian industry. In the wake of the Second World War, as Europe needed to reconstruct and rebuild, building materials were scarce and hard to procure. After having played a key role in procurement and export of steel and building materials to help rebuild the Port of Piraeus in Greece at the request of the Greek Government, Antoine was awarded the Silver Cross of the Order of the Phoenix, by King Paul of Greece on the 10th March 1951.
In 1954 as he resigned from his long-standing position as Secretary-General of the Belgo-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, he was made Knight of the Order of Leopold II by Leopold III of Belgium for his services to Belgian industry.
Antoine was also instrumental in helping the Hellenic Women’s Association (Association des Dames Hellenes) to acquire an old church from a Flemish Jesuit Order in February 1933. The property located at number 34 Avenue de Stalingrad in Brussels Belgium was donated to the Greek Orthodox Church and help the Greek community of Belgium maintain its Greek identity. The Church was refurbished and renamed the Cathedral of Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The Greek Orthodox Church recognizes Antoine Catachanas' contributions to the Greek community to this day.
Basil A. Catachanas and Viviane Dominique Urech, Anthony’s parents, were married at the Cathedral Archangels Michael and Gabriel by the Metropolitan of Belgium and Exarchate of the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 1980. A generation later Anthony B. Catachanas and Claudia Gonzalez Cabanillas were also married at the same cathedral in July 2013 by the Metropolitan Panteleimon of Belgium. 
 
Category:1981 births
Category:American entrepreneurs