Stelios to give his wealth to charity

The founder of easyJet has pledged to give the majority of his wealth to charity.

sir stelios Haji-ioannou is among an elite network of billionaires to sign up to the giving Pledge, an initiative launched by Bill gates and Warren Buffett to get the wealthiest to devote their money to solving society’s problems.

sir stelios, who is worth £1.9bn, is one of 14 new additions to the pledge, with signatories hailing from the Us to China and slovenia.

Pledge members promise to devote the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes either during their lifetimes or after their death, although there is no enforcement mechanism.

Participants include tycoons David Rockefeller and Mark Zuckerberg.

sir stelios said in his pledge letter: ‘i think all wealthy people have a debt to repay because it is thanks to their customers who bought their goods and/or services that they acquired their fortune. By giving more than half of one’s fortune to charity, one can balance the needs of family and friends against other good causes.’