Family members, friends, collaborators, and Rotary Club Tirana gathered together on Monday evening to commemorate Marsel Skendo, one of the first businessmen of post-communist Albania and an important contributor to the rise of the written and electronic media in the country. Skendo was also among the founders of Rotary Club Tirana.

The President of the Republic of Albania Bajram Begaj and the Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj honored this commemorative event with their presence.

The attendees brought to attention fragments of their experiences with the businessman, who, apart from having a rare sense of business and being a visionary among the few of his kind, a guru in the full sense of the word, did never let go of the humanitarian side, unsparing help and civility toward all those who worked with him, collaborators, subordinates and state officials alike.

Marsel Skendo, who passed away on November 15, 2021, is known among other things as the creator of the first private Albanian airline Ada Air and the founder of TV Klan together with Julien Roche and Aleksandër Frangaj. He became known as the first Albanian millionaire, after a television report on RAI, which also triggered political persecution by Sali Berisha's regime in the early 90s, that caused a strong international reaction.

Marsel Skëndo's entrepreneurial endeavors include the most diverse sectors, where import-export and construction are classic, but always with a special focus on new sectors such as technology and the Internet.

Historical logos of print and electronic media such as Klan TV, Klan Magazine, Korrieri newspaper, Albanian Daily News, etc. bear his name. And this, not just as an investor, owner, or co-owner and founder. He will be remembered as the modern entrepreneur, citizen, and businessman who was clear that the professional space and independence in the daily work of journalists was an indisputable element in strengthening the quality of this sector.

At the commemorative event, President Begaj also had a special detail to bring to the attendees' attention. As a doctor in the early 90s, Begaj recalled how Skendo contributed with funding to vaccination of the population against Hepatitis B, in those years a serious health threat.

For his part, the mayor Erion Veliaj emphasized that, indeed, this commemoration was not a tribute in honor of a person who has passed away, but a celebration of an active life with a significant contribution to the community, such as that of Marsel Skendo. "We often forget what it meant to be a businessman in the chaotic Albania of those years, and also to preserve the smile, humanity, the sense of lending a helping hand to others," said Veliaj. On the occasion, the mayor said that soon enough one of the streets of Tirana near Lake Park will bear the name of Marsel Skëndo.

At the end of the event, Rotary Club Tirana also organized the initiation ceremony of Marcel Skendo's daughter, Anisa Skendo, as a new member of Rotary. The family also contributed by awarding the "Marsel Skendo" award for the best photography to a student from one of the capital's 9-year schools. / ADN