Emmanuel ‘Manoli’ Olympitis has frequently been described by the press as not only a banker or businessman, but also a socialite and playboy. At a young age Manoli was successively a director of a London merchant bank, chief executive of a publicly listed financial services company, and executive chairman of one of the largest Lloyd’s insurance brokers. At fifty he became chairman of a well-known public company in the forefront of the e-commerce boom. There were entrepreneurial excursions in New York and Los Angeles along the way. During his undergraduate years he was a member of the British international fencing squad and a double Kent County fencing champion.

Marked Cards is a live-wire account that features three decades of life in the fast lane, charting the ascent of a youthful financier who was simultaneously a fixture in London’s social scene. All work and all play makes for a delicious memoir, as this sparkling trove of memories reminds us. #

From the Swinging Sixties into the 1990s, the author details a glittering thirty years of star-studded anecdotes set in high-end hangouts all around the world accompanied by a string of glamorous girlfriends. He recalls his life’s twists and turns, the endless parties, and the high-stakes poker games.

Emmanuel Olympitis was born in London of Greek parents. He is a British businessman who has held many public company directorships during his career. His executive roles include Bankers Trust International, Aitken Hume International plc, Johnson & Higgins Ltd, and Pacific Media plc. Under his leadership, Johnson & Higgins won a Queen’s Award for Exports. The author lives between London, Wiltshire and Greece with his wife, daughter and twin sons.