Nicky Oppenheimer

{{short description|South African billionaire businessman (born 1945)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Nicky Oppenheimer

| image = NickyOppenheimer.jpg

| caption = Nicky Oppenheimer in 2006

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1945|06|08}}

| birth_place = Johannesburg, South Africa

| education = Harrow School
Christ Church, Oxford (MA)

| occupation = Businessman

| spouse = {{marriage|Orcillia Lasch|1968}}

| children = Jonathan Oppenheimer

| father = Harry Oppenheimer

| mother = Bridget McCall

}}

Nicholas F. Oppenheimer (born 8 June 1945) is a South African billionaire businessman. He was formerly the chairman of De Beers diamond mining company and of its subsidiary, the Diamond Trading Company, and former deputy chairman of Anglo American. He is the third richest man in Africa with an estimated net worth of US$12.3 Billion as of 2025 according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/africa-billionaires/list/|title=Africa's 50 Richest List|date=2025|author=Forbes|website=Forbes |author-link=Forbes}}

Early life

Born on 8 June 1945 in Johannesburg,{{Cite web |last=Macalister |first=Terry |date=1 July 2005 |title=I am an African |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2005/jul/02/southafrica.internationalnews |work=The Guardian}} Oppenheimer is the son of Bridget (née McCall) and Harry Oppenheimer, and grandson of Anglo American founder Ernest Oppenheimer (the first generation to chair De Beers, from 1929).[http://www.debeersgroup.com/en/our-story/our-history.html De Beers: "Our History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910094427/http://www.debeersgroup.com/en/our-story/our-history.html |date=10 September 2018 }} 2014 His father was of German Jewish descent. He was educated at Ludgrove School, Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics, earning an Oxford MA.{{cite news |last1=Prest |first1=Michael |title=Mammon: Oppenheimer's diamond jubilee De Beers man celebrates victory over the Russians |work=The Observer |date=3 March 1996 |page=7}}[http://www.debswana.com/About%20Debswana/Board%20of%20Directors/Pages/Nicky%20Oppenheimer.aspx DEbswana: "Nicky Oppenheimer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202052647/http://www.debswana.com/About%20Debswana/Board%20of%20Directors/Pages/Nicky%20Oppenheimer.aspx |date=2 December 2014 }} 2000.

Business career

Oppenheimer joined Anglo American in 1968, was appointed a director in 1974, then became deputy chairman in 1983. He resigned in 2001, remaining a non-executive director until 2011.

He was appointed deputy chairman of the then Central Selling Organisation (now Diamond Trading Company) in 1984, and deputy chairman of De Beers Consolidated Mines in 1985. He was also appointed chairman of the Diamond Trading Company in 1985.[http://www.miningweekly.com/article/mining-man-2012-08-24 Mining Weekly: "De Beers' Nicky Oppenheimer to receive lifetime achievement award"] 24 August 2012 Chairman of the De Beers Group from 1998 to 2012, he retired when the family stake was sold to Anglo American.[http://rough-polished.com/en/expertise/58666.html Rough and Polished: "After De Beers, what's next for the Oppenheimers?"] 12 January 2012.

Oppenheimer appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List 2018 as the 23rd richest person in the United Kingdom, with a reported fortune of £5.5 billion.[https://businesstech.co.za/news/wealth/244439/meet-the-ultra-rich-south-africans-youve-probably-never-heard-of/ "Meet the ultra-rich South Africans you’ve probably never heard of", Business Tech, 18 May 2018. Accessed 22 March 2019.] He was ranked as the richest person in South Africa on Forbes list of The World's Billionaires for 2019, with a fortune reported as US$7.3 billion[https://businesstech.co.za/news/wealth/303238/5-south-africans-on-forbes-list-of-the-richest-people-in-the-world/ "5 South Africans on Forbes’ list of the richest people in the world", Business Tech, March 6, 2019.] and, again, on its 2020 list,{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#19679fd33d78|title=The World's Real-Time Billionaires|work=Forbes|date=2020|access-date=August 14, 2020}} with a reported fortune of US$7.6 billion in August 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/nicky-oppenheimer/?list=rtb/#54fbcd143b93|title=#258 Nicky Oppenheimer & family|work=Forbes|date=August 14, 2020|access-date=August 14, 2020}}

Philanthropy

The Oppenheimer family has directed much of its philanthropic efforts towards preserving the heritage and cultural importance of the Southern African region, as well as to broader community upliftment in the areas of education, health, nature conservation and the arts. Nicky Oppenheimer and his son Jonathan Oppenheimer established the Brenthurst Foundation in 2005 as a way to contribute to the debate around strategies and policies for strengthening Africa's economic performance and enabling inclusive and sustainable development.

The family has also long been involved in environmental and conservation issues.{{cite web|url=http://www.tswalu.com/about-us/the-oppenheimer-story|title=The Oppenheimer Story {{!}} Tswalu Kalahari|website=www.tswalu.com|access-date=2017-09-12|archive-date=21 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221155352/http://www.tswalu.com/about-us/the-oppenheimer-story|url-status=dead}} The Oppenheimer family partnered with De Beers to establish the Diamond Route in 2006 to maximise the potential of their properties for conservation, research and environmental awareness purposes. The Diamond Route links 8 sites across northern South Africa, stretching from Namaqualand on the west coast, to Kimberley, north to Tswalu in the Kalahari, and to the Brenthurst Gardens in Johannesburg, eastwards to Ezemvelo Nature Reserve and northwards to the Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve in Limpopo Province.{{cite web|url=http://www.diamondroute.com/our-story.htm|title=The Diamond Route Story|last=Mostert|first=© Duncan MacFadyen, © Warwick|website=www.diamondroute.com|access-date=2017-09-12}} Since 2015 Oppenheimer is also a Rhodes Trustee.{{cite web|url=https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/about/trustees/|title=Current Trustees|website=Rhodes House|language=en|access-date=22 November 2018}}

Awards

In 2003, the Technikon Witwatersrand awarded Oppenheimer an honorary doctorate.{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/people/1476188-nicholas-frank-oppenheimer|title=Nicholas Oppenheimer, Anglo American Gold Investment Co Ltd: Profile & Biography|website=Bloomberg|access-date=2017-09-12}} He received the Presidential Order of Honour (2004) from the former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae,[http://polishedprices.com/go/market-news/weekly-market-reports~4612 Polished Prices: "Weekly Market Report"] 5 September 2010 and an honorary fellowship (2009) from the London Business School.[http://www.israelidiamond.co.il/English/NEWS.aspx?boneID=918&objID=7812&SearchS=nicky+oppenheimer Israeli Diamond: "Nicky Oppenheimer Takes helm as Debswana Chairman"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020800/http://www.israelidiamond.co.il/English/NEWS.aspx?boneID=918&objID=7812&SearchS=nicky+oppenheimer |date=29 November 2014 }} 1 September 2010

Personal life

In 1968, he married Orcillia "Strilli" Lasch, daughter of industrial tycoon Helli Lasch; both are Anglican. His father was born Jewish and converted to Anglicanism.{{cite news |url=http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2013/06/11/diamonds-may-not-be-for-ever-but-at-the-moment-they-look-pretty-good |title=Diamonds May Not Be For Ever – But at the Moment They Look Pretty Good |work=Jewish Business News |author=Minchom, Clive |date=11 June 2013 |access-date=3 May 2014 }}

Publications

{{cite book |title=Waltham Place: and its Surrounding Parish |date=2001 |author1=Over, Luke |author2=Oppenheimer, Nicky |author3=Tyrrell, Chris (illustrator) |isbn=0-9541669-0-6 }}{{cite book |title=Waltham Place: and its Surrounding Parish |author=Nicholas Oppenheimer |date=November 2001 |id={{ASIN|0954166906|country=uk}} }}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20080308061545/http://www.debeersgroup.com/debeersweb/About+De+Beers/De+Beers+Structure/Directorate/Nicky+F+Oppenheimer.htm Biography from De Beers]
[http://www.walthamplace.com Oppenheimer's Waltham Place Gardens and Farm]
[https://www.theguardian.com/southafrica/story/0,13262,1519700,00.html Interview in The Guardian, 2005]
[http://www.economist.com/people/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1974148 Profile in The Economist, 2003]

{{succession box

| before=Harry Frederick Oppenheimer

| title=Chairman of De Beers Consolidated Mines

| years=circa 1983–2012

| after=Cynthia Carroll}}

Category:1945 births

Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford

Category:South African mining businesspeople

Category:Living people

Category:Diamond dealers

Nicky

Category:People educated at Harrow School