He was born in Istanbul on April 14, 1920. He completed his basic training in Piraeus, earning recognition for his excellent performance.
He studied in the Department of English Literature at the University of England, and upon completing his university studies, he began working alongside Eugene Eugenides while simultaneously studying economics at theUniversity of Gothenburg in Sweden.
Fluent in three languages (English, French, and Swedish) and initiated at an early age into the inner workings of a world-class business, since, at the age of 19, Eugenios Eugenides invited him to work alongside him for theoretical training and practical experience in his international trade and shipping operations, he took initiatives that led to the further development of trade and the distribution of timber and its derivatives between the Scandinavian countries and the Middle East, earning the respect of key players in a difficult and demanding market.
After Eugenides’ death, as his successor, he managed a large network of businesses from Vevey, Switzerland. Intelligent and far-sighted, he pursued bold strategies, such as the timely withdrawal of “Home Lines” from the transatlantic passenger routes before fierce competition between air travel and ocean liners broke out.
The impressive ships of this historic company, including the Oceanic (built in 1964) and the Homeric (built in 1986), after serving for a time as luxury cruise ships, were acquired by the Holland American Line and later to Carnival.
This was followed by the restructuring of the scheduled route networks and their consolidation into a single company, Niver Lines, combined with a greater shift toward the transport of unitized cargo via container ships, as well as with refrigerated ships. Nikos Vernikos-Eugenidis also made pioneering investments on land, such as in the agricultural production and processing sector in Greece.
Alongside his business activities, which provided the funds needed to operate the Foundation, and even after Eugenides’ death, he assisted Marianthi Simou in the initial stages of organizing and operating the Foundation, the administration of which he assumed in 1981. As chair of the Foundation's Board of Directors, he not only continued the work of Marianthi Simou with the same dedication, but also expanded its activities into other areas.
It was his initiative to extend the Foundation’s scholarships to graduates of the National Technical University of Athens for graduate studies, as well as the awarding of scholarships to graduates of the Hellenic Coast Guard for graduate studies abroad.
Nikos Vernikos-Eugenidis was also responsible for the decision to completely renovate and expand the Foundation’s facilities, including the design of the new, state-of-the-art Planetarium, the Interactive Science and Technology Exhibition, and spaces for numerous educational and exhibition events.
During his tenure, the Foundation donated five fully equipped special-purpose vehicles to the Ministry of Education for the transportation of students with disabilities, provided physics lab equipment to 55 high schools, offered research grants to professors at the Universities of Ioannina and Patras, donated a simulator and a complete maritime radar simulator system to the Merchant Marine Officers’ Training Center (KESEN) a simulator and a complete maritime radar simulator system, organized teacher training seminars, and much more.
One of the most significant donations made during his presidency was the allocation of 900,000.000 drachmas to cover the needs of school buildings damaged by the 1999 earthquakes in Attica.
Nikos Vernikos-Eugenides died on November 7, 2000, unfortunately without living to see the modern technical and scientific center he envisioned gracing Athens.
He can rightly be called the Foundation’s second founder. Like his predecessor, Marianthi Simou, he believed it was his duty to do what he did and did not seek recognition or publicity. He combined his business acumen, creativity, and boldness with profound culture, kindness, and modesty. “Heals quietly”, as emphasized in the citation for his award from the Academy of Athens, which honored him in 1993 for his quiet contributions to scientific, technical, and vocational education in Greece.
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