Ivor Ichikowitz
Encyclopedia
Ivor Ichikowitz, born 1966, is a South African industrialist of Lithuania
n descent. He is founder and Executive Chairman of the Paramount Group
, and Executive Chairman of TransAfrica Capital. He has supported the ANC
(African National Congress) since the early 1990s and co-owns the Golden Lions Rugby Club of South Africa
.
where he graduated with a BA
in 1987.
, Africa's largest privately owned defence company. a produced of mine- and IED-protected armoured vehicles and a provider of related services. The group has a 19% stake in Aerosud, South Africa’s largest independent aerospace
company, and a 30% stake in Emcom Wireless, a South African specialist communications company. The group also has partnerships with to manufacture armoured vehicles Azerbaijan, India and Abu Dhabi,
Ichikowitz owns a 49.9% stake of South Africa’s oldest rugby club, the Golden Lions Rugby Club, based in Johannesburg.
He is Executive Chairman of TransAfrica Capital (Pty) Limited, a private equity group with interests in aerospace, property, luxury hospitality, retail, and agribusiness. He is also Executive Chairman of Enercorp Ltd. South Africa, a consulting firm dealing with fuel extraction, and a founding partner of Afroneft, a fuel supplier
He co-owns Molori Lodge, a luxury safari lodge
in the Madikwe Game Reserve
in the North West Province bordering Botswana
.
(ANC) and its President Jacob Zuma
, in the form of a R6 million pledge to Zuma’s 2008 election campaign. He has cultivated close relationships with key power brokers in South Africa, and heads of state and government ministers in Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere.
In an interview with the South African City Press
in 2010, he said, “There is no denying the relationships are there. It is what I do for a living…We sell to governments. I cannot do my job without having close relationships with heads of state, and ministers of defence and finance. They are the only people authorised to deal in our kind of business.” The International Herald Tribune
reports him as stating, “You cannot be in business in Africa if you are not respectful of the political environment… A lot has to do with faith in people, trust and personal relationships.”
; and the African Oral History Archive, which showcases some of Africa's history makers.
He has also made donations to the AAD Youth Development Programme, which facilitates training and education in the defence and aerospace sector; and the Department of Defence’s Military Skills Development System (MSDS). He is also Director of the Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation SA,
On behalf of his defence business, Paramount Group, he has been active in pursuing a new model of defence industry investment rooted in developing countries and responding to their requirements.
In 2010, he called for more investment into development of young engineers, stating that: “home-grown talent and skills are crucial to continuing to establish the African defence and aerospace industry worldwide and Paramount recognises that the continent’s youth is the sector’s future”.. He supported UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s
call for greater support, equipment and training for African peacekeeping forces, stating that African Union troops should receive the same support as UN personnel.
In an interview with CNBC
in 2010, Ichikowitz said: “The unveiling of Mbombe is really a very very important point in the history of the South African defence industry. It’s the first time, in the world, that an armoured personnel carrier and infantry fighting vehicle of this nature has been fielded with the levels of ballistic protection that properly meet the realities of today’s modern threats.” During an interview with BBC World News in June 2010, he said: “This (Paramount Group) is an African technology competence. The technology that exists in South Africa, the defence and aerospace sector, is an asset of the continent” '
In a report on CNN Marketplace Africa
, he said: “ we think that there’s a great opportunity for private sector to base itself in South Africa, work in Africa and work globally”
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n descent. He is founder and Executive Chairman of the Paramount Group
Paramount Group
The Paramount Group is a group of internationally based companies offering programs and manufacturing products with a focus on defense, internal security and correctional services. The Executive Chairman of the Group is Ivor Ichikowitz, a South African industrialist of Lithuanian...
, and Executive Chairman of TransAfrica Capital. He has supported the ANC
ANC
ANC commonly refers to the African National Congress, a revolutionary movement which became the ruling political party in South Africa in the 1994 election.ANC may also refer to:-Organizations:...
(African National Congress) since the early 1990s and co-owns the Golden Lions Rugby Club of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Education
Ichikowitz was born and raised in the mining town of Springs in South Africa. He was educated at the University of Witwatersrand in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
where he graduated with a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1987.
Business
Ichikowitz is the founder and Executive Chairman of Paramount GroupParamount Group
The Paramount Group is a group of internationally based companies offering programs and manufacturing products with a focus on defense, internal security and correctional services. The Executive Chairman of the Group is Ivor Ichikowitz, a South African industrialist of Lithuanian...
, Africa's largest privately owned defence company. a produced of mine- and IED-protected armoured vehicles and a provider of related services. The group has a 19% stake in Aerosud, South Africa’s largest independent aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
company, and a 30% stake in Emcom Wireless, a South African specialist communications company. The group also has partnerships with to manufacture armoured vehicles Azerbaijan, India and Abu Dhabi,
Ichikowitz owns a 49.9% stake of South Africa’s oldest rugby club, the Golden Lions Rugby Club, based in Johannesburg.
He is Executive Chairman of TransAfrica Capital (Pty) Limited, a private equity group with interests in aerospace, property, luxury hospitality, retail, and agribusiness. He is also Executive Chairman of Enercorp Ltd. South Africa, a consulting firm dealing with fuel extraction, and a founding partner of Afroneft, a fuel supplier
He co-owns Molori Lodge, a luxury safari lodge
Safari lodge
A safari lodge is a type of tourist accommodation in southern and eastern Africa. Lodges are mainly used by tourists on wildlife safaris, and are typically located in or near national parks or game reserves....
in the Madikwe Game Reserve
Madikwe Game Reserve
The Madikwe Game Reserve is a part of the latest park developments in South Africa. It was opened in 1991 and comprises 750 km² of bushland north of the small town Groot-Marico up to the Botswana border. Madikwe lies on what used to be farm land, but owing to the poor soil type, farming was not...
in the North West Province bordering Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
.
Politics
Ichikowitz has publicly declared his financial backing for African National CongressAfrican National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
(ANC) and its President Jacob Zuma
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is the President of South Africa, elected by parliament following his party's victory in the 2009 general election....
, in the form of a R6 million pledge to Zuma’s 2008 election campaign. He has cultivated close relationships with key power brokers in South Africa, and heads of state and government ministers in Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere.
In an interview with the South African City Press
City Press
City Press may refer to:* City Press, a newspaper in South Africa.* The City Press, a newspaper in London publishing in the 19th and early 20th centuries....
in 2010, he said, “There is no denying the relationships are there. It is what I do for a living…We sell to governments. I cannot do my job without having close relationships with heads of state, and ministers of defence and finance. They are the only people authorised to deal in our kind of business.” The International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
reports him as stating, “You cannot be in business in Africa if you are not respectful of the political environment… A lot has to do with faith in people, trust and personal relationships.”
Philanthropy
Ichikowitz in 2010 founded the Umoja Foundation—"Umoja" is the Swahili word for ‘spirit of togetherness’. It has sponsored projects including “Children of Africa”, a photography collection showing the many faces of Africa’s children; BUSKAID, a charitable trust supporting young musicians in SowetoSoweto
Soweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
; and the African Oral History Archive, which showcases some of Africa's history makers.
He has also made donations to the AAD Youth Development Programme, which facilitates training and education in the defence and aerospace sector; and the Department of Defence’s Military Skills Development System (MSDS). He is also Director of the Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation SA,
Public affairs
Ichikowitz is often reported in the press commenting on issues relevant to the defence and aerospace sector, peacekeeping, and the economic development of emerging economies.On behalf of his defence business, Paramount Group, he has been active in pursuing a new model of defence industry investment rooted in developing countries and responding to their requirements.
In 2010, he called for more investment into development of young engineers, stating that: “home-grown talent and skills are crucial to continuing to establish the African defence and aerospace industry worldwide and Paramount recognises that the continent’s youth is the sector’s future”.. He supported UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
call for greater support, equipment and training for African peacekeeping forces, stating that African Union troops should receive the same support as UN personnel.
In an interview with CNBC
CNBC
CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
in 2010, Ichikowitz said: “The unveiling of Mbombe is really a very very important point in the history of the South African defence industry. It’s the first time, in the world, that an armoured personnel carrier and infantry fighting vehicle of this nature has been fielded with the levels of ballistic protection that properly meet the realities of today’s modern threats.” During an interview with BBC World News in June 2010, he said: “This (Paramount Group) is an African technology competence. The technology that exists in South Africa, the defence and aerospace sector, is an asset of the continent” '
In a report on CNN Marketplace Africa
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, he said: “ we think that there’s a great opportunity for private sector to base itself in South Africa, work in Africa and work globally”
Affiliations and honours
- Director of the Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association of South Africa.
- Trustee of the Oral History Foundation
- Member of the Young President’s Organisation, 2003–present
- Member of the South African Institute of International AffairsSouth African Institute of International AffairsThe South African Institute of International Affairs was founded in Cape Town in 1934 and has been located since 1960 in Jan Smuts House in central Johannesburg, on the campus of the University of the Witwatersrand with which it has strong links...
, 2007–present - Member of the International Association of Chiefs of PoliceInternational Association of Chiefs of PoliceThe International Association of Chiefs of Police was founded in Chicago in 1893 as the National Chiefs of Police Union. The primary goal of this organization was to apprehend and return criminals who had fled the agency jurisdictions in which they were wanted...
1995–present - Honorary Consul of DjiboutiDjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
in South Africa since 2001.