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Interview with Mr Takis Nemitsas,
Chairman of the Takis &Louki
Nemitsas Foundation
Mr Nemitsas, the Foundation recently cel-
ebrated its first two years. Tell us about its
first steps.
The idea of creating a Foundation to recognise
Cypriot scientists who either live in Cyprus or
abroad, who invent, discover, or create, came
to me early on, when I was young and full of
ideas and depending on the opportunities and
the facilities the Republic of Cyprus provided
to young people from the time of its establish-
ment.
I then devoted myself to education, to creat-
ing a family and educating my children; this,
together with my business activities in industry
and commerce, meant the idea for a foundation
had to be placed on the back burner, where for
awhile it was forgotten. Professional success
followed, as did my involvement in politics
and my election to the House (1976-1981) and
then my appointment to the Ministry of Com-
merce, Industry and Tourism (1988-1993). As
time passed and after much experience, both
pleasant and unpleasant, and after considerable
reflection, the idea returned to the foreground –
this time, however, I was possessed of far more
knowledge than I had been in my youth.
The ordeal of the death of my first wife, Daisy,
and my good fortune in meeting Louki, my sec-
ond wife, who stood by me as my first wife had
done, but even more so, helped me develop and
cultivate this idea. She embraced it, contribut-
ing both her wisdom and her breadth of knowl-
edge of classical music.
From 2005, I began studying all the literature,
statutes and websites and so on that I could find
for prestigious foundations around the world.
I was naturally particularly impressed with
the Nobel Foundation and strove, within the
financial abilities of the foundation that Louki
and I decided to establish, to emulate the No-
bel Foundation. This meant carefully selecting
the sectors the Takis & Louki Nemitsas Foun-