Robert Agostinelli
Encyclopedia
Robert Frank Agostinelli (born May 21, 1953) is an American
businessman and investor and the chairman and the co-founder of the Rhône Group
, the private-equity
and financial advisory firm. According to the Sunday Times Rich List
and the Financial News
Agostinelli has an estimated net worth
of £625 million as of 2011 ranking him as the 124th wealthiest individual in the United Kingdom
and the 17th wealthiest financier
and the number #1 richest former Goldman Sachs
banker to start his own business.
in suburban Rochester
. He went on to obtain his BA from St. John Fisher College in 1976 and then attended Columbia University
where he received his MBA and graduated in 1981 with highest honors and is on the Alumni Board. Agostinelli is also a Certified Public Accountant
(CPA).
where he worked for five years and founded the firm's international mergers and acquisitions business in London
and was involved in a number of the largest transactions in European takeover history. Agostinelli then went on to become a senior partner at Lazard Frères in New York
from 1987 to 1995. After which point Agostinelli together with partner Steven Langman
then went on to start their own firm, the Rhône Group
where he continues to work today.
(CFR) and a major supporter of Zionist and neoconservative causes. He is one of the Founding Members of the Friends of Israel Initiative
(FII). He is former Vice-Chairman of the Council of the United States
and Italy
as well as a member of The Investment Committee of Corporate World Opportunities of BSI/Generali Group; and a director and advisor to a number of European
and U.S. philanthropic and civic institutions. In 2008 Agostinelli provided substantial funding to the Presidential Campaigns of John McCain
and Rudy Giuliani
.
Under pressure from the French media, president Nicolas Sarkozy
admitted to Le Monde
in 2007 that Agostinelli had paid the $60k per week fee on a luxury villa for him and his family during his controversial 2006 holiday to the United States. Agostinelli is often seen jogging with Sarkozy in various places around the world. He is also a senior member of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
led by The American Patriots Campaign Cabinet. He is a Senior Board Director on the American Italian Cancer Foundation. Agostinelli is known for regularly writing articles in the Wall Street Journal on various controversial political, economic and social issues. As well as supporting The American Jewish Committee
Magazine. In August 2011 The National Review
reported that Agostinelli gave a speech at the U.S Naval War College
where he was later interviewed by The Washington Times
.
Agostinelli is a regular guest speaker at conferences and seminars worldwide
and was listed in 2010 by Bilderberg.org as a member of the Bilderberg Group
from the membership roster of The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). In 2007 Agostinelli was listed in a publication by the 'Secret Societies and Undue Influence'.
met with President Shimon Peres
at Beit HaNassi
in Jerusalem in July 2011. The delegation included former Spanish Prime Minister José Aznar, former US Ambassador to the United Nations
John R. Bolton
, and Noble Peace Prize laureate Lord David Trimble
. The President held a working meeting with Agostinelli and presented an overview of the situation in Israel
and the region at large. Agostinelli stated;
, for the most part Agostinelli is critiqued.
In Chapter 14, entitled It's A White Man's World Agostinelli is further portrayed;
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman and investor and the chairman and the co-founder of the Rhône Group
Rhône Group
Rhône Group is a private equity firm, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and partnerships with particular focus on European and Trans- Atlantic investments...
, the private-equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
and financial advisory firm. According to the Sunday Times Rich List
Sunday Times Rich List
The Sunday Times Rich List is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families in the United Kingdom, updated annually in April and published as a magazine supplement by British national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times since 1989...
and the Financial News
Financial News
The Financial News, is a financial newspaper and news website published in London. It is a weekly investment banking, fund management and securities industries newspaper, published by eFinancial News Limited. Financial News was founded in 1996....
Agostinelli has an estimated net worth
Net worth
In business, net worth is the total assets minus total outside liabilities of an individual or a company. For a company, this is called shareholders' preference and may be referred to as book value. Net worth is stated as at a particular year in time...
of £625 million as of 2011 ranking him as the 124th wealthiest individual in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the 17th wealthiest financier
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
and the number #1 richest former Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
banker to start his own business.
Early Life and Education
Agostinelli was born to Italian immigrant parents outside of Rochester, New York and attended the Aquinas InstituteAquinas Institute
The Aquinas Institute is a co educational catholic school Rochester, New York established in 1902. Aquinas Institute was founded as an all boys christian academy, but became an co-educational school in 1982. It is located within City of Rochester. It has stood at its current location on Dewey...
in suburban Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. He went on to obtain his BA from St. John Fisher College in 1976 and then attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
where he received his MBA and graduated in 1981 with highest honors and is on the Alumni Board. Agostinelli is also a Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
(CPA).
Career
Agostinelli began his career in financial services at the Investment Bank Jacob Rothschild from 1981–1982 and then joined Goldman SachsGoldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
where he worked for five years and founded the firm's international mergers and acquisitions business in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and was involved in a number of the largest transactions in European takeover history. Agostinelli then went on to become a senior partner at Lazard Frères in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
from 1987 to 1995. After which point Agostinelli together with partner Steven Langman
Steven Langman
Steven M. Langman is a businessman and investor and the chairman and co-founder of the Rhône Group, the private-equity and financial advisory firm.-Background:...
then went on to start their own firm, the Rhône Group
Rhône Group
Rhône Group is a private equity firm, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and partnerships with particular focus on European and Trans- Atlantic investments...
where he continues to work today.
Politics and Philanthropy
Agostinelli is a member of the Council on Foreign RelationsCouncil on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
(CFR) and a major supporter of Zionist and neoconservative causes. He is one of the Founding Members of the Friends of Israel Initiative
Friends of Israel Initiative
The Friends of Israel Initiative is an international effort, to "seek to counter the attempts to delegitimize the State of Israel and its right to live in peace within safe and defensible borders", initiated and led by former Prime Minister of Spain and People's Party leader José María Aznar in...
(FII). He is former Vice-Chairman of the Council of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as well as a member of The Investment Committee of Corporate World Opportunities of BSI/Generali Group; and a director and advisor to a number of European
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and U.S. philanthropic and civic institutions. In 2008 Agostinelli provided substantial funding to the Presidential Campaigns of John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
and Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
.
Under pressure from the French media, president Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
admitted to Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
in 2007 that Agostinelli had paid the $60k per week fee on a luxury villa for him and his family during his controversial 2006 holiday to the United States. Agostinelli is often seen jogging with Sarkozy in various places around the world. He is also a senior member of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is a privately-funded, 501 non-profit organization that provides academic scholarships to children of United States Marines, with particular attention given to children whose parent was killed or wounded in combat. This funding is provided by private...
led by The American Patriots Campaign Cabinet. He is a Senior Board Director on the American Italian Cancer Foundation. Agostinelli is known for regularly writing articles in the Wall Street Journal on various controversial political, economic and social issues. As well as supporting The American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
Magazine. In August 2011 The National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
reported that Agostinelli gave a speech at the U.S Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
where he was later interviewed by The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
.
Agostinelli is a regular guest speaker at conferences and seminars worldwide
Worldwide
Worldwide may refer to:* Worldwide , 1991* Worldwide , a 2003 Christian rock album* "Worldwide", a song on Outlawz's 2001 album Novakane...
and was listed in 2010 by Bilderberg.org as a member of the Bilderberg Group
Bilderberg Group
The Bilderberg Group, Bilderberg conference, or Bilderberg Club is an annual, unofficial, invitation-only conference of approximately 120 to 140 guests from North America and Western Europe, most of whom are people of influence. About one-third are from government and politics, and two-thirds from...
from the membership roster of The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). In 2007 Agostinelli was listed in a publication by the 'Secret Societies and Undue Influence'.
Friends of Israel Initiative
Agostinelli along with his delegation of senior leaders from the Friends of Israel InitiativeFriends of Israel Initiative
The Friends of Israel Initiative is an international effort, to "seek to counter the attempts to delegitimize the State of Israel and its right to live in peace within safe and defensible borders", initiated and led by former Prime Minister of Spain and People's Party leader José María Aznar in...
met with President Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
at Beit HaNassi
Beit HaNassi
Beit HaNassi , also known as Mishkan HaNassi "Presidential Residence" is the official residence of the President of Israel. It is located in the Talbiya neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel.-History:...
in Jerusalem in July 2011. The delegation included former Spanish Prime Minister José Aznar, former US Ambassador to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
John R. Bolton
John R. Bolton
John Robert Bolton is an American lawyer and diplomat who has served in several Republican presidential administrations. He served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 2005 until December 2006 on a recess appointment...
, and Noble Peace Prize laureate Lord David Trimble
David Trimble
William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC , is a politician from Northern Ireland. He served as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party , was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland , and was a Member of the British Parliament . He is currently a life peer for the Conservative Party...
. The President held a working meeting with Agostinelli and presented an overview of the situation in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the region at large. Agostinelli stated;
The Last Tycoon
In William D. Cohen's best selling book "The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co., Agostinelli is described as: Cohan mentions how Agostinelli played a pivotal role in building LazardLazard
Lazard Ltd is the parent company of Lazard Group LLC, a global, independent investment bank with approximately 2,300 employees in 42 cities across 27 countries throughout Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, Central and South America...
, for the most part Agostinelli is critiqued.
In Chapter 14, entitled It's A White Man's World Agostinelli is further portrayed;
See also
- Rhône GroupRhône GroupRhône Group is a private equity firm, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and partnerships with particular focus on European and Trans- Atlantic investments...
- Council on Foreign RelationsCouncil on Foreign RelationsThe Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
- Friends of Israel InitiativeFriends of Israel InitiativeThe Friends of Israel Initiative is an international effort, to "seek to counter the attempts to delegitimize the State of Israel and its right to live in peace within safe and defensible borders", initiated and led by former Prime Minister of Spain and People's Party leader José María Aznar in...
- List of private equity firms
- Liverpool F.C.Liverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
- QuiksilverQuiksilverQuiksilver, Inc. , is an American company based in Huntington Beach, California, one of the world's largest manufacturers of surfwear and other boardsport-related equipment...
- LazardLazardLazard Ltd is the parent company of Lazard Group LLC, a global, independent investment bank with approximately 2,300 employees in 42 cities across 27 countries throughout Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, Central and South America...