Yiannis Boutaris

Yiannis Boutaris is a Greek businessman, winemaker and Mayor of Thessaloniki.

Boutaris was born on January 6, 1942 in Thessaloniki, the son of winemaker Stelios Boutaris and great-great-grandson of Ioannis Boutaris for fought during the Macedonia uprising against the Turks in 1866.

He holds a degree in Chemistry from the University of Thessaloniki and a diploma for wine making.

Boutaris entered public life in 2002 as a candidate for the City Council of Thessaloniki. In 2006, he stood for Mayor gathering 16% of the vote in the first round.

On November 14, 2010, Boutaris was elected mayor, defeating his conservative opponent, Kostas Gioulekas, by just 309 votes.