About the Scholarship
The Matti Michael Xylas (MMX) Scholarship was established by Mr Nick Comninos Xylas in 2021 and is given in honour of academic excellence, demonstration of financial need, and promise of continued growth. The Matti Michael Xylas (MMX) Scholarship was renamed The Stamatia Michael Xylas (SMX) in 2023 and is of the value of £28,000 to be offset against tuition fees.
Criteria
Eligible courses: MSc Energy, Trade and Finance; MSc Shipping, Trade and Finance
Geographical requirements: None
Academic requirements: Must be able to demonstrate academic excellence (normally evidenced by a UK First class Honours degree or the international equivalent).
Financial need: Must be able to demonstrate financial need.
Selection process
- Applications accepted until the deadline.
- Shortlisted applicants may be contacted for an interview or to supply further information.
- Deadline: 14th May 2024
- Decisions will be made over the summer, and applicants will be informed of the decision by email.
Application
Please note that in order to be considered for this scholarship you must have accepted, and paid the deposit for, a conditional or unconditional offer on MSc Energy, Trade and Finance or MSc Shipping, Trade and Finance.
About the Donor
Matti Michael Xylas (1935-2020), was the only child of Michael Mark Xylas, a highly respected and influential shipowner (1899-1982), who first built a shipping business before World War II, then after the War, moved to London, and began rebuilding it from scratch, his pre-war fleet having been sunk by enemy torpedoes. The fourth generation of the Comninos Xylas family now runs the business, known as the Phoenix Shipping Group, from Athens (through Astron Shipmanagement), and Monaco (Faros Management SAM).
Of the many things there are to say about this great man, my maternal grandfather; one thing that sticks out for me, especially in the context of the course is that many shipowners were sponsored or helped by him to create and develop their shipping businesses. He had many'clients' in his office over the decades, and many friends in his wider circle, who benefited from his advice and support, almost for a time running his own school, for which he was fairly unusual. He was a superb teacher in his own right. You could almost call him The Professor!.
Very soon after the Shipping Trade and Finance course was founded in the 1980's, Matti Michael Xylas, also a great visionary in her own right, must have seen some parallels between her father's paternalistic approach towards offering of himself to others younger than him struggling to take the first difficult steps in their careers, and that of Professor Grammenos, because she was very quick to recommend me to do the course. I followed her advice, and took the course in its formative years, and I have never regretted doing so. What is more my family went on to put three of Matti's grandchildren through the School, and they too have benefited hugely in their careers as a result.
As sponsor of this bursary in memory of my grandmother and grandfather, I am personally available to anyone who is awarded it by my good friend Professor Grammenos, both for any advice about the course, but also for their futures in business, because I believe as passionately as the previous generations of my family in helping younger people to realise their ambitions to get to the top as soon as possible.
(Nick Comninos Xylas)
