The South African billionaire Nicholas F. Oppenheimer has a net worth of 8.5 billion USD. He was formerly the deputy chairman of Anglo American and the chairman of the De Beers diamond mining company.
He also chairs its subsidiary, the Diamond Trading Company, ranking third among African billionaires.
Nicky Oppenheimer Earnings and Networth
Full Name - Nicky Oppenheimer
Date of Birth- June 8, 1945
Age - 77 years
Profession - Businessman
Height - Average
Nationality - South African
Source of wealth - Business
Annual Salary - Under review
Net worth - 8.5 billion USD
Last updated - December 2022
Nicky Oppenheimer Biography and Early life
Nicky Oppenheimer was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 8, 1945. Oppenheimer is the grandson of Anglo-American founder Ernest Oppenheimer and the son of Bridget (née McCall) and Harry Oppenheimer (the first generation to chair De Beers, from 1929).
His father was a Jew from Germany. He received his education at Christ Church, Oxford, Ludgrove School, and Harrow School, where he studied philosophy, politics, and economics and received an Oxford MA.
Nicky Oppenheimer Career and Earnings
In 2012, Oppenheimer, the heir to his family's fortune, sold his 40% interest in Anglo American mining company for $5.1 billion in cash. He took DeBeers private in 2001, making him the third family member to run the company.
The Oppenheimer family held a dominant position in the diamond trade for 85 years until 2012. Anglo-American, which Nicky Oppenheimer's grandfather founded in 1917, is now estimated to have a 1% ownership stake in the company.
In 1968, Oppenheimer joined Anglo-American; in 1974, he was made a director; in 1983, he was made deputy chairman. He left in 2001 but continued to serve as a non-executive director until 2011.
In 1985, he was named De Beers Consolidated Mines deputy chairman after serving as deputy chairman of the Central Selling Organization (now known as the Diamond Trading Company) from 1984 to 1984.
In 1985, he was also made chairman of the Diamond Trading Company. From 1998 to 2012, he served as chairman of the De Beers Group. After the family's stake was sold to Anglo American, he stepped down.
Oppenheimer was ranked as the 23rd richest person in the UK on the Sunday Times Rich List 2018, with an estimated net worth of £5.5 billion.
He was listed as having a reported fortune of US$7.3 billion on the 2019 World's Billionaires Forbes list and again on its 2020 list, with a reported end of US$7.6 billion in August 2020. He was also listed as having the highest net worth in South Africa.
The family has also long been active in conservation and environmental issues. To maximize the potential of their properties for conservation, research, and ecological awareness purposes, the Oppenheimer family partnered with De Beers to establish the Diamond Route in 2006.
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Nicky Oppenheimer Philanthropic records
The Brenthurst Foundation was founded in 2005 by Nicky Oppenheimer and his son Jonathan Oppenheimer.
It was established to contribute to the discussion surrounding strategies and policies for enhancing Africa's economic performance and facilitating inclusive and sustainable development.
The family has also long been active in conservation and environmental issues. To maximize the potential of their properties for conservation, research, and ecological awareness purposes, the Oppenheimer family partnered with De Beers to establish the Diamond Route in 2006.
The Diamond Route connects eight locations throughout northern South Africa.
From Namaqualand on the west coast to Kimberley, north to Tswalu in the Kalahari, to the Brenthurst Gardens in Johannesburg, east to the Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, and north to the Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve in Limpopo Province.
Oppenheimer has served as a Rhodes Trustee since 2015.
Nicky Oppenheimer Awards and Achievements
In 2003, South Africa's Technikon Witwatersrand awarded Nicky Oppenheimer an honoris causa doctorate in technology. He was the first individual in the public and private sectors to receive such an honorary doctorate from Technikon.
Additionally, the former Republic of Botswana's president, Mr. Festus Mogae, presented him with the Presidential Order of Honor in 2004. In 2009, the London Business School awarded him an Honorary Fellowship.
