Constantine Polychronis Zochonis (26 July 1894 – 17 May 1951) was a British manufacturer and international merchant. From 1929 to 1951 he was chief executive of Paterson Zochonis (PZ), a company which then had a head office in Cheshire but was operating mainly in Africa. Under C.P. Zochonis' management, PZ expanded from Sierra Leone into the Gold Coast, invested in its host countries by opening factories and shops there, took over a Nigerian soap manufacturer, and began to sell Imperial Leather bar soap. By the end of his career, he had expanded the company into three more African countries. Although the company provided employment in Africa, and profit for British trade, PZ's host countries were affected by the company's colonial attitudes. The company became PZ Cussons in 2002.

C.P. Zochonis was an active part of a dynastic and entrepreneurial business family. His father was Polychronis Basil Zochonis^{[nb 1][1]} a buyer for an African merchant. His mother was Eleni or Elene Polychronis Zochonis,^{[nb 2][2]} and his sister was Alexandra P. Zochonis.^{[nb 3]} Constantine was born on 26 July 1894 in Sale, Cheshire.^{[nb 4][3]} He was the nephew of the founder of Paterson Zochonis (now PZ Cussons), George Zochonis,^[4][5] from whom he inherited control of the family business.^[6][7]

In Chelsea, London in 1922, he married Octavia Nitza, née Stavridi (Kensington 22 October 1895 – Sumner 3 June 1981); her father was solicitor John Stavridi (1867–1948), the Greek consul-general in London.^{[nb 5][8][9]} Their son was Sir John Zochonis (2 October 1929 – 30 November 2013),^[4] who later inherited control of the company, in the form of chairmanship.^[5]

Zochonis' last address was "Westfield", St Margarets Road, Bowdon, Cheshire. He died on 17 May 1951,^{[nb 6][10]} in Bucklow Rural District, Cheshire, England, and left £253,115 9s 11d (equivalent to £10,042,150 in 2023).^[11][10] He was buried on 22 May 1951 in Greater Manchester.^[12]

Zochonis was involved in the family shipping merchant business Paterson Zochonis & Co., known as PZ (now PZ Cussons). The company was started in 1879 in Sierra Leone by a pair of trading company workers, Zochonis' uncle George Basil Zochonis (1852–1929) from Greece, and George Henry Paterson (c.1845–1939) from Manchester. They set up a trading post, after working for Fisher & Randall of Freetown.^[13][14] The Dictionary of National Biography describes what happened next:^[8]

Incorporated in 1884, PZ grew from a trading merchant into a merchant-supported network of retail and wholesale stores across west Africa. Paterson had no issue and the firm passed to Constantine Polychronis Zochonis, nephew of the founder, in 1932. After 1945 African aspirations for self-sufficiency and industrial progress demanded changes from the half dozen or so European firms in the west African trading system. Constantine Zochonis, as chairman and managing director, chose to invest in African manufacturing. In 1948 PZ purchased a small soap factory at Aba in Nigeria.^[8]

Constantine Zochonis became chief executive in 1929 when George Zochonis died,^[6][7] and he expanded the company into the Gold Coast,^[13][7] opening an office in Tema in 1934.^[15][16] Under C.P. Zochonis' direction, Paterson Zochonis "remained a British registered company managed by Greeks doing almost all of its business in Africa". By the end of his career, the company was "investing heavily in sub-Saharan Africa",^[7] it had bought the Nigerian soap-manufacturing firm Bayley's, and Imperial Leather bar soap was on sale under the company name. PZ had its own shops in Africa, and Zochonis was beginning expansion plans into French Guinea, Liberia and Cameroon.^[15][16] PZ was one of the group of Greek merchants which "dominated the Cameroonian trading space" directly after World War II. They were involved with local growers, and also sold imports in the area.^[14]

The Zochonis family remained in "key positions" in the firm throughout its history.^[15][16] Zochonis was also a member-shareholder in Martins Bank.^[17] In its day, PZ was one of the most successful companies in Sierra Leone,^[18] and in Nigeria where the firm had "branches in practically every inland river port".^[19] Not everything went well, though. During World War II the company was under pressure to supply rubber to the UK, but there were difficulties in supply, price and logistics - and there were rumours of corruption - so PZ received one shipment of rubber and then gave up that line of business.^[20]

Constantine Zochonis died suddenly in 1951. He was the primary shareholder in the business, so his family was hit with death duties, and that is why the company went public in 1953 — for the protection of the family.^[8] Zochonis' cousin Alexander Loupos took charge until Zonchonis' son John became chairman in the 1970s.^[6] Zochonis' unexpected death, his son's promotion and political factors facilitated an increase in business. "Between 1974 and 1993 PZ's turnover rose from £75 million to £233 million, attaining over £450 million in the profitable 1970s and 1980s. Employee numbers varied between around 4000 and 5000 during [John] Zochonis's chairmanship". PZ purchased Cussons in 1975,^[8][21] and was renamed PZ Cussons plc in 2002.^[22] So, C.P. Zochonis functioned in the early days of what is now a market leader.^[23]

Although Paterson Zochonis profited, colonial attitudes caused problems in Africa where the company was flourishing. By the time C.P. Zochonis took charge, influenza and smallpox epidemics had followed the Europeans to Sierra Leone. This interrupted the trade, farm work and travel of local people, while colonial companies like PZ were still expecting people to work, produce food, and support the company shops. There were local riots.^[24]

In Africa in 1929, C.P. Zochonis inherited from his uncle a situation of fierce competition and rivalry between European and Lebanese merchants. Those merchants, headed by PZ and apparently with humanitarian intentions, had already banded together with local Africans to eject the projected plantation economy of the oil company Lever Brothers from Yonnibanna in Sierra Leone, and that had benefited Temne farmers who were already able to earn more by producing oil themselves, than by working for Lever. However, under pressure of the Great Depression other rivalries between colonialists during the C.P. Zochonis era caused some African peoples to be alternately beneficiaries and casualties of that business competition which was now driven primarily for profit.^[25]

• Al Jazeera: photo of the 19th-century trading post on Sherbro Island (Bonthe), Sierra Leone. It was built for Paterson Zochonis (PZ)