In 21 June 2020, Efthimios Matsoukis, Managing Director of Veridos Matsoukis Security Printing S.A., passed away suddenly.
He was an intelligent, humble, noble man, full of kindness. He was an aesthetic quality and humour enthusiast, an extrovert personality, an unflagging man when it comes to work, he was a visionary with a far-reaching sight, and nevertheless he would not overlook those standing next to him.
He had a far-reaching vision for his work and he also had a plan. He would not overlook those standing next to him because he would never forget that the key to life and success was his wife, the people closest to him, his friends and associates. He always used to consider the employees of Veridos Matsoukis as his large family.
He was third-generation offspring in the field of printing- his grandfather had been already involved with the Graphic Arts sector since 1891. Efthimios Matsoukis was born in Athens, in 1949. His first studies were at the University of Maryland in the field of Business Management, followed by a Master’s Degree in Economic Sciences at the University of Arkansas.
After completing his studies he would integrate as executive in the family business “Alexandros Matsoukis S.A.”, which was already cooperating with the German group “Giesecke + Devrient GmbH”, Munich, since 1969 in the field of security documents and travel documents.
Within a short period he would take the company’s helm, which would constantly expand in the coming years and would become one of Greece’s leading companies in its sector, while at the same time being present in foreign countries.
In 2007 he would enhance the family company’s relation with the German group, resulting in the consortium Giesecke + Devrient Matsoukis S.A., while maintaining the position of Managing Director.
At the same time, from 1985 until 2005 Efthimios Matsoukis was active member of the Federation of Lithographic Companies, he would also serve as Chairman of the Federation. Between 1991 and 2016 he would become member of Intergraf, the European federation for print and digital communication, and for a many years (2003-2016) he would be voted as Chairman.
Following the steps of his father, Efthimios Matsoukis builds a steady and mutual relation of trust with the German Associates and the new company spreads its wings over the international markets. The factory at Ilion becomes a model for producing travel documents and other security documents and it is constantly upgraded by acquiring all the international certifications.
The company remains strong during the economic crisis. It protects its employees avoiding to make wage reductions and dismissals. On the contrary, Efthimios Matsoukis, having inquiring mind, would plan for the future.
In 2015, he would stay Managing Director of the new partnership under the brand name Veridos Matsoukis S.A., after the partnership of Giesecke + Devrient GmbH with Bundesdruckerei GmbH that resulted to the creation of VERIDOS GmbH, established in Berlin.
The company skyrocketed. It makes investments of tens of millions of euros, and creates a new department for manufacturing electronic cards, a department equipped with high technology, while at the same time it doubles its staff. With loyal cooperation with the parent company Veridos, the orders from all over the world grow exponentially. Efthimios Matsoukis finds himself travelling by plane every second day and the factory of Dimocratias Avenue in Ilion constantly receives government and state delegations.
Up to this day, forty countries have their passports, ID cards and other high-security documents bearing the mark “made in Greece”. When journalists were asking Efthimios Matsoukis about the company he used to say that “Our Passport is the quality of our work”.
Veridos Matsoukis became the only private company in Greece that produces high-security travel documents. As one prominent journalist wrote, Efthimios Matsoukis became the “Greek global player”, inside this hard business field and meanwhile he became the representative and ambassador of a silent Greece that fights morally, with innovation and stands out within the global competition.
This legacy is left to us by Efthimios Matsoukis:
The special and rare quality he possessed as a man and business person.
May the earth rest lightly on him.