Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of EasyJet and easyhotelchain, has joined the ranks of super-rich philanthropists, having signed the Giving Pledge and dedicated the majority of his personal wealth to charity.
Sir Stelios, who according to the Sunday Times Rich List is worth an estimated £1.95bn, is one of 14 further additions to the pledge, with signatories hailing from China to Slovenia.
Half of today’s signatories are from the US, partly reflecting the network of founder members Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, and his wife Melinda, and investor Warren Buffett.
However, new additions to the 168-list of global super-wealthy include Leonard H. Ainsworth, an Australian gaming industry tycoon, and Norwegian oil magnate Kjell Inge Røkke, and his wife, Anne Grete Eidsvig.
Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said:
Philanthropy is different around the world, but almost every culture has a long-standing tradition of giving back.
Bill and Warren and I are excited to welcome the new, very international group of philanthropists joining the Giving Pledge, and we look forward to learning from their diverse experiences.