Wikipedia

Johann Rupert

Johann Peter Rupert(born 1 June 1950) is a South African billionaire businessman, who is the eldest son of business tycoonAnton Rupertand his wife Huberte. He is the chairman of the Swiss-based luxury-goods companyRichemontand the South Africa-based companyRemgro.Since April 2010, he has been the CEO ofCompagnie Financiere Richemont.Rupert and family were ranked the second richest in South Africa; behindElon Musk;on the 2025Forbeslist, with an estimated net worth of US$14.6 billion and US$17.2 billion according toBloomberg Billionaires Index.[2]

Johann Rupert
Born(1950-06-01)1 June 1950(age 74)
Stellenbosch,Cape Province,Union of South Africa
Alma materStellenbosch University
Occupation(s)Founder and Chairman ofCompagnie Financiere Richemont SA[1]
Known forLuxury goods
SpouseGaynor Rupert
Children3
ParentAnton and Huberte Rupert

Personal life

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Rupert grew up inStellenbosch,where he attendedPaul Roos Gymnasiumand theUniversity of Stellenbosch,studying economics and company law. He dropped out of the university to pursue a career in business, however, in 2004, the university awarded him anhonorary doctoratein Economics.[3]

In 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate fromNelson Mandela Metropolitan University.[4]Described as "reclusive" by theFinancial TimesandBarron's,Rupert rarely gives interviews and shuns public events. He's nicknamed "Rupert the Bear".[5]

Rupert has declared his sympathy for and belief in the idea of auniversal basic income.[6]

Business career

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Rupert served his business apprenticeship in New York City, where he worked forChase Manhattanfor two years and forLazard Freresfor three years. He then returned to South Africa in 1979 and foundedRand Merchant Bankof which he was CEO.[7]: 231 

  • 1984: Merged RMB and Rand Consolidated Investments, formingRMB Holdings,[7]: 231 and left to join his father's company, theRembrandt Group.
  • 1988 FoundedCompagnie Financiere Richemontin 1988 and was appointed Non-Executive Director ofRothmans Internationalplc in 1988. He was named "Businessman of the Year" by theSunday Timesin the same year.
  • 1989: Appointed Vice Chairman of the Rembrandt Group.
  • 1990: Named business leader of the year byDie Burgernewspaper and theCape TownChamber of Commerce. FormedRichemontsubsidiary Vendôme Luxury Group SA.
  • 1991: Appointed Chairman of Rembrandt Group Limited and in 1992 he was named one of 200 "Global Leaders of Tomorrow" by theWorld Economic Forum,Davos,Switzerland.
  • 1993: Received the M.S. Louw Award from the A.H.I. ( "Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut" ).
  • 1996: NamedSunday TimesBusiness Times's Businessman of the Year for second time.
  • 1997: Appointed Non-Executive Chairman ofGold FieldsSouth Africa Ltd.
  • 1999: Awarded the 1999 Free Market Award by TheFree Market Foundationof South Africa.
  • 2000: Restructured Rembrandt Group Limited and formed Remgro Limited and VenFin Limited. Appointed Chairman and Chief Executive of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA. Voted "Most influential Business Leader" in South Africa by CEOs of top 100 Listed Companies
  • 2004: Awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Economics by the University of Stellenbosch.
  • 2008 Voted South Africa's Business Leader of the Year by the CEOs of the Top 100 Companies, for the third time.
  • 2009 Appointed "Officier" of the French "Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur" by the President of the French Republic
Selected as the 2009 International Wine Entrepreneur of the Year at the Meininger "Excellence in Wine and Spirit" awards ceremony in Düsseldorf, Germany.[8]
  • 2009: Appointed Chancellor of Stellenbosch University[9]
  • 2010 Made Honorary Vice President of the European Golf Tour[10]
Awarded honorary doctorate by the University of St Andrews, Scotland[11]

Other interests

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Rupert is a formercricketerand founded theLaureus Sport for Good Foundationin 1990. Laureus funds 65 projects globally, with the goal of using sport to tackle social issues, having a particular emphasis on underprivileged children. He co-founded theSports Science Institute[12]with his friendsMorne du PlessisandTim Noakes. Rupert also developed the Gary Player designed, Leopard Creek Golf Club in Mpumalanga, South Africa which is one of South Africa's top three golf courses, and rated number 25 outside the United States of America (Golf Digest). He has also played in the annual Gary Player Invitational golf tournament to assist fellow South African and friend Gary Player raise funds for various children's charities. He serves as Chairman of the South African PGA Tour and Chairman of the South African Golf Development Board. In 2007 he was elected into South African Sports Hall of Fame and in 2009 was inducted into South African Golf Hall of Fame.[13]

In 2008, Rupert bought a 50% stake in EnglishPremiership RugbyclubSaracensthrough his Remgro company. In 2018, having won three premiership titles and twoChampions Cups,Rupert sold his stake to chairman Nigel Wray.[14][15]

Following his younger brother Anthonij's death in a car accident in 2001 he took over the L'Ormarins wine estate. Anthonij, was head of Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons. Rupert initiated a project to enhance the farm in memory of his late brother.[16]

He was council member of TheSouth Africa Foundationand trustee of the Southern African Nature Foundation, The Institute of Directors in Southern Africa, Business South Africa andDie Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kunsand Managing Trustee and member of the investment committee, Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. He served on the Daimler Chrysler International Advisory Board.[17]

Following in the footsteps of his father, Anton, Johann Rupert is also a committed conservationist. In addition to conserving about 25,000 hectares in the Graaff Reinet area, he is also Chairman of the Peace Parks Foundation.[18]

Controversies

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When the British design magazineWallpaper*described theAfrikaans languageas "one of the ugliest languages in the world" in its September 2005 edition (in reference to theAfrikaans Language Monument), Rupert responded by withdrawing advertising for his companies' brands such asCartier,Van Cleef & Arpels,MontblancandAlfred Dunhillfrom the magazine.[19]

In December 2016, it was reported that Rupert had droppedBell Pottingeras the PR agency ofRichemont,accusing Bell Pottinger of running a social media campaign against him, to divert attention away from persistent 'state capture' allegations levelled at theGupta family.[20][21]

The Interpol has issued red notices against Atul and Rajesh Gupta — two of the three Indian-origin Gupta brothers — who fled South Africa with their families amid investigations into their alleged looting of billions of rands from state-owned enterprises.[22]

In September 2017, Rupert, duringRichemont’s annual general meeting in Geneva, described the use of the term "Radical Economic Transformation" by Bell Pottinger as "just a code word for theft”, in order to cover up the "State Capture" by their clients, the notorious Gupta family. Radical Economic Transformation is a policy championed by PresidentJacob Zumato reduce racial inequality in South Africa.[23]

In 2018, Rupert caused some controversy in South Africa for comments he made during an interview withPowerFM.He was criticised for denying the alleged existence ofwhite monopoly capital,his account of the process of Afrikaner economic-upliftment, and for comments he made regarding the saving habits of black South Africans.[24][25][26]Following the incident Rupert issued an apology for his comments.[27]The controversial leader of theBlack First Land FirstpartyAndile Mngxitamastated afterwards that Rupert's comments were a reason to commit violence against white South Africans.[28][29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Johann Rupert & family".Forbes.Retrieved7 August2023.
  2. ^"Johann Rupert & family".Forbes.Retrieved16 January2025.
  3. ^"Chancellor".sun.ac.za.Retrieved13 October2015.
  4. ^"Synchronised Speakers | Johann Rupert".synchronisedspeakers.co.za. Archived fromthe originalon 3 September 2018.Retrieved13 October2015.
  5. ^"7 Business Lessons to Learn from Johann Rupert".businesselitesafrica.com.Retrieved4 May2023.
  6. ^"Richemont founder backs universal basic income".Financial Times.Archivedfrom the original on 11 December 2022.Retrieved24 January2018.
  7. ^abThe 50 most promising companies in South Africa.Zebra Press. 1998.ISBN978-1-86872-143-6.
  8. ^"Meininger Award 2006".Archived fromthe originalon 25 March 2008.Retrieved27 July2012.
  9. ^"Chancellor - Profile of Dr Johan Rupert".Sun.ac.za. Archived fromthe originalon 11 October 2012.Retrieved27 July2012.
  10. ^"Johann Rupert becomes Honorary Life Vice President".European Tour. 23 May 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 17 June 2011.Retrieved27 July2012.
  11. ^"2010".St-andrews.ac.uk. 13 July 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 21 June 2012.Retrieved27 July2012.
  12. ^"Home".Ssisa.com.Retrieved27 July2012.
  13. ^"Class of 2009 inductees".Karlkoof Safari Spa Southern Africa Golf Hall of Fame. 17 February 2017.
  14. ^"Saracens' South African co-owners sell 50% stake to chairman Nigel Wray".The Guardian.Retrieved1 February2024.
  15. ^"Saracens co-owners ready to sell their 50% stake in club - report".RTE.Retrieved1 February2024.
  16. ^"La Motte".Retrieved4 May2023.
  17. ^"Appeal of Conscience Foundation Honors Christine Lagarde".prnewswire.Retrieved4 May2023.
  18. ^"Peace Parks Foundation Structure".Peace Parks Foundation. 17 February 2017.
  19. ^"Rupert snubs mag over Afrikaans slur".Business Africa. 5 December 2005. Archived from the original on 16 February 2006.Retrieved31 December2016.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ^Hasenfuss, Marc (2 December 2016)."Johann Rupert vexed by 'spin campaign'".Business Day.Retrieved7 April2017.
  21. ^du Toit, Pieter (25 January 2017)."How Rupert Was Warned About Bell Pottinger: 'They're Behind It.'".Huffington Post.Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2017.Retrieved7 April2017.
  22. ^Interpol issues red notices against two Gupta brothers who fled South Africa,Indian Express(1 March 2022). Retrieved: 18 August 2023.
  23. ^"Johann Rupert: Radical economic transformation just a code word for theft".Fin24.Retrieved15 October2017.
  24. ^Mjo, Odwa (5 December 2018)."Johann Rupert and the interview that went so wrong".www.timeslive.co.za.Retrieved18 December2018.
  25. ^John Bowker and Loni Prinsloo (6 December 2018)."White monopoly capital according to Johann Rupert".Fin24.Retrieved18 December2018.
  26. ^Bateman, Chris (7 December 2018)."Rupert's had enough of his detractors – what it could mean".BizNews.com.Retrieved18 December2018.
  27. ^"'Apology, no insult intended': Johann Rupert takes to Twitter to apologise for comments made in PowerFM interview ".News24.5 December 2018.Retrieved18 December2018.
  28. ^Zulu, Makhosandile."Mngxitama says killing whites and their pets is a response to Johann Rupert".The Citizen.Retrieved18 December2018.
  29. ^Dlulane, Bonga."Agang SA condemns Andile Mngxitama's 'kill white people' comments".ewn.co.za.Retrieved18 December2018.
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