About Eduardo Eurnekian
He is an Argentine-Armenian businessman who has built an almost $1billion media empire in the 1990s and who is now the main owner of a consortiumoperating 76 airports worldwide, mostly across Argentina and elsewhere in SouthAmerica as well as in Armenia. He also owns 200,000 hectares of land and foodprocessing factories in northern Argentina.
His family established a textile manufacturer whichprospered with the Argentine economy and became an important supplier tointernational sporting apparel firm Puma; but which, like many Argentinetectile makers, nearly collapsed after Economy Minister José Alfredo Martínezde Hoz's round of free trade and deregulatory policies led to a severe crisis,in 1981.
Eurnekian also held controlling interest in"América TV", four radio stations and a Buenos Aires financial daily,El Cronista. "Aeropuertos Argentina 2000," a consortium led byEurnekian won a 30-year concession in 1998 to run 33 of the Argentina's mainairports. He also bought the Howard Johnson's master franchise in Argentinafrom Cendant, and invested in a regional airline company, LAPA.
He has been awarded as the "Business Man of theyear" in 1995. In 1999 he received in Italy the "Leonardo Award",given to the foreign businessman of the year. He also received the highestawards in Armenia for his activities.