Nicky Oppenheimer & family (2024)

About Nicky Oppenheimer & family

  • Nicky Oppenheimer, heir to the DeBeers diamond fortune, sold his 40% of the firm to mining group Anglo American for $5.1 billion in cash in 2012.
  • He was the third generation of his family to run DeBeers, and took the company private in 2001.
  • For 85 years until 2012, the Oppenheimer family occupied a controlling spot in the world's diamond trade.
  • In 2014, Oppenheimer started Fireblade Aviation in Johannesburg, which operates chartered flights.
  • He owns at least 720 square miles of conservation land across South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

Wealth History

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Personal Stats

Age
77
Source of Wealth
Diamonds
Residence
Johannesburg, South Africa
Citizenship
South Africa
Marital Status
Married
Children
1
Education
Bachelor of Arts/Science, Oxford U Christ Church; Master of Arts, Oxford U Christ Church

Did you know

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Oppenheimer donated more than $110 million to South African small businesses.

Oppenheimer is a sports fan and plays squash, golf and cricket. Notepads in his office read: "Things I must do before cricket".

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Nicky Oppenheimer & family (2024)

FAQs

Why is the Oppenheimer so rich? ›

Oppenheimer sold his family's 40% stake in De Beers, the world's biggest diamond producer, to mining company Anglo American in 2012 for $5.2 billion in cash. He maintains private equity investments in Africa, Asia, the US and Europe through London-based Stockdale Street and Johannesburg-based Tana Africa Capital.

Does Nicky Oppenheimer have children? ›

Who is Nicky Oppenheimer's wife? Nicky married Orcillia 'Strilli' Lasch, the daughter of industrial tycoon Helli Lasch. The two got married in a lavish ceremony in 1968. The two were blessed with a son known as Jonathan Oppenheimer, who followed in his father's footsteps and became a businessman.

Where is the Oppenheimer family now? ›

Oppenheimer Generations, which was created after Anglo American bought the family's 40% stake in the diamond firm, now has more than two dozen employees in South Africa, the U.K. and Jersey, according to LinkedIn data.

What is the wealth of Oppenheimer family? ›

South African Nicky Oppenheimer, who formerly ran diamond mining firm DeBeers before selling it to mining firm Anglo American a decade ago, ranks No. 3, worth an estimated $8.4 billion. This year's list sees the return of South Africa's Christoffel Wiese, who lands at No. 18 with $1.1 billion.

Who is No 1 richest person in the world? ›

Who is the richest man in the world? As of July 1, 2023, the richest man in the world is Elon Musk, the CEO of electric car company Tesla; he's worth $237.7 billion. He moved into the number one spot in June, overtaking Bernard Arnault of France.

Who is the richest family in the world? ›

The title currently goes to the Walton family with a net worth of $173.1 billion. Keep reading to find out what other families made the list of the top 10 richest families in the world.

How did Nicky Oppenheimer make his money? ›

For 85 years until 2012, the Oppenheimer family occupied a controlling spot in the world's diamond trade. In 2014, Oppenheimer started Fireblade Aviation in Johannesburg, which operates chartered flights. He owns at least 720 square miles of conservation land across South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

How much is Nicky Oppenheimer worth? ›

Richest people in South Africa 2022. As of June 2022, the richest people in South Africa, second richest in the African continent, and 228th in the world were Nicky Oppenheimer and his family, with a net worth of 8.7 billion U.S. dollars. Their net worth source was especially via the diamond market.

Who is the richest man in Africa? ›

President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has maintained his position as Africa's richest man, despite a fluctuating Nigerian currency against the dollar, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

What race is Oppenheimer? ›

Oppenheimer was born on April 22, 1904 to a wealthy German-Jewish couple, Julius and Ella Oppenheimer, and grew up on Riverside Drive in Manhattan (Bird & Sherwin, 2005, pp. 9-11).

What happened to Oppenheimers daughter? ›

She became a recluse in her family's old cottage, with few friends on the remote island. She committed suicide in January, 1977, a month after her 33rd birthday. For more information on Toni Oppenheimer's life, read American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin. 1944 Dec 7th Born in Los Alamos, NM.

Do the Oppenheimers still own De Beers? ›

In 2011, Anglo American took control of De Beers after buying the Oppenheimers' family stake of 40% for US$5.1 billion (£3.2 billion) and increasing its stake to 85%, ending the 80-year Oppenheimer control of the company.

What religion was the Oppenheimer family? ›

Oppenheimer was born on May 22, 1880, in Friedberg, Hesse, a state in central Germany. His family was Jewish, and his cigar-maker father, Edward, encouraged Oppenheimer and his brothers to leave Germany and its anti-Semitic tendencies in order to make their fortunes elsewhere.

Who is the head of Oppenheimer family? ›

Nicky Oppenheimer & family He is currently the director of E. Oppenheimer & Son Ltd. In 2003, Jonathan and Nicky Oppenheimer published The Brenthurst Initiative, a policy paper on black economic empowerment in South Africa.

What company owns Oppenheimer? ›

OppenheimerFunds, Inc.
IndustryFinancial services
FateAcquired by Invesco
HeadquartersNew York , United States
Key peopleArt Steinmetz, Chairman and CEO
AUM$260 billion (As of 28 February 2019)
4 more rows

Who is the poorest person in the world? ›

Meet Jerome Kerviel, The World's Poorest Man With a Huge Debt In His Journal.

What profession has the most billionaires? ›

In broader terms, the finance and investment profession has the most millionaires. It also has the most billionaires, with 371. Here's a list of the seven best careers if you want to be a millionaire.

Who has most cash in the world? ›

Luxury Mogul Takes Top Spot. The world's richest person is France's Bernard Arnault, the chief executive of LVMH. With 75 brands, the luxury conglomerate owns Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Tiffany.

Who is the richest child ever? ›

List Of 10 Richest Kids In The World
  • Princess Charlotte of Cambridge: Net worth $5 billion. ...
  • Prince George Alexander Louis: Net worth $3.6. ...
  • Blue Ivy Carter: Net worth $1 billion. ...
  • Stormi Webster: Net worth $726 million.
  • Prince Louis of Cambridge: Net worth $400 million. ...
  • Valentina Paloma Pinault: Net Worth Over $12 million.
Jun 2, 2023

Who is the richest old money family in the world? ›

The Rothschild family possessed the largest private fortune in the world during the 19th century, even in modern world history, but the family's wealth declined over the 20th century and was divided among many descendants, of whom only a few remain billionaires individually.

Who are the 3 richest families in America? ›

The top 10 richest families in 2022 by estimated wealth are: The Walton family with $224.5 billion. The Mars family with $160 billion. The Koch family with $128.8 billion.

Who is the godfather of the atomic bomb? ›

J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) was an American theoretical physicist. During the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer was director of the Los Alamos Laboratory and responsible for the research and design of an atomic bomb. He is often known as the “father of the atomic bomb.”

Did Oppenheimer become rich? ›

When Julius Oppenheimer died in 1937, Oppenheimer became a wealthy man.

How many employees does Oppenheimer have? ›

Oppenheimer & Co has 2,908 employees.

What does the Oppenheimer family own? ›

The Oppenheimer family contribute to conservation efforts in Southern Africa and owns 720 square miles of land across South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

Which race is the richest in South Africa? ›

The unofficial title of Africa's richest ethnic group goes to the Bafokeng people of South Africa whose population totals a princely 300,000 subjects. At the last count, they were worth $4 billion.

How many African billionaires are there? ›

The African continent is home to 46 billionaires, the second-lowest total of any global region. The number of wealthy individuals in Africa is growing, however.

Who is the richest black man in the world? ›

Aliko Dangote has been the richest man in Africa for ten years in a row, with a net worth of around $13.5 billion. Dangote's fortune is primarily built from his company, Dangote Cement, although he started his business empire by selling commodities such as sugar, salt, and flour.

Who is the richest woman in the world? ›

Francoise Bettencourt Meyers

Who is the trillionaire in Africa? ›

2021. As of 2021, Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote is the richest person in Africa, and the African countries with the most billionaires are Egypt (5), South Africa (5), Nigeria (3), and Morocco (2).

What languages did Oppenheimer speak? ›

His early education was at the Ethical Culture School in New York. He took math and science classes, but also enthusiastically studied Greek, Latin, French, and German. He had a feel for languages and often learned one quickly just to read something in its original language.

Why is it called Oppenheimer? ›

According to the Pulitzer Prize–winning biography American Prometheus, Oppenheimer was named after his father, a Jewish textile importer.

What nationality is the last name Oppenheimer? ›

About us. The Oppenheim / Oppenheimer name was adopted by Ashkenazi in Germany as early as the 16th Century. Though derived from the name of a village in the province of Hessen, Germany, families bearing the surname and its derivations spread throughout Western and Eastern Europe.

Who is Nicky Oppenheimer married to? ›

Personal life. In 1968, he married Orcillia "Strilli" Lasch, daughter of industrial tycoon Helli Lasch; both are Anglican.

Did Oppenheimer know Einstein? ›

According to Oppenheimer's 1966 article "On Albert Einstein," Oppenheimer and Einstein knew each other for two or three decades, although they become close friends in the last decade leading up to Einstein's death.

How old was Oppenheimer when he died? ›

Oppenheimer died in 1967 at age 62. Many of the Manhattan Project veterans we have interviewed for our “Voices of the Manhattan Project” website fondly recall working with Oppenheimer at Los Alamos.

What family owns all the diamonds? ›

Thanks to a stockpile of the world's rough diamond supply, indelible marketing schemes and even negotiations with foreign governments for their diamonds, De Beers — owned by the Oppenheimer family since the 1920s — has been the most important name in one of the world's most lucrative businesses for almost a century.

Who is the richest diamond merchant in the world? ›

Savji Dhanji Dholakia (born 12 April 1962) is an Indian businessman. He is the founder and chairman of Hari Krishna Exports, a diamond manufacturing and exporting company. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2022.

Who is the largest diamond supplier in the world? ›

When ranked by the value of the diamonds they have extracted, De Beers group is the world's largest diamond producer. A joint venture by De Beers and the Botswanian government, Debswana was founded in 1969 after rough diamond deposits were discovered in Orapa.

Why was Oppenheimer shunned? ›

Oppenheimer recognized no affiliation with any communist organizations, but there was some sympathy on his part. As a result, his security privileges were revoked and he was condemned to political ostracism.

Is Oppenheimer black and white? ›

The filmmaker has now explained why Oppenheimer switches from color to black-and-white throughout its 3 hour runtime. Nolan told Total Film: "I wrote the script in the first person, which I'd never done before. I don't know if anyone has ever done that, or if that's a thing people do or not.

Is Oppenheimer historically accurate? ›

This movie, set to hit theaters on July 21, delves into the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, an influential figure in the development of nuclear weapons during World War II. starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon, the movie presents an accurate portrayal of Oppenheimer's life story and the intricate web of ...

Did Oppenheimer quit? ›

'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds'. The story of Oppenheimer's infamous quote. As he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945, a piece of Hindu scripture ran through the mind of Robert Oppenheimer: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”.

What does Oppenheimer mean in German? ›

Oppenheimer was a name for someone who lived in the region of Oppenheim in the town of Hesse, between Mainz and Worms. Oppenheimer is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

Who testified against Oppenheimer? ›

Edward Teller testified against Oppenheimer, and when asked if he believed Oppenheimer to be a security risk, responded: “In a great number of cases, I have seen Dr. Oppenheimer act – I understand that Dr. Oppenheimer acted – in a way that for me was exceedingly hard to understand.

What does Nicky Oppenheimer do for a living? ›

Nicky is a South African business magnate renowned for his role in De Beers, one of the country's largest diamond mining companies.

Is Oppenheimer a good company? ›

Oppenheimer Holdings has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 489 reviews left anonymously by employees.

How did Ernest Oppenheimer earn his money? ›

This diamond prospecting corporation was so successful that he gained control of the De Beers Consolidated Mines, which once dominated the world diamond market, and in 1930 established The Diamond Corporation, Ltd.

What is special about Oppenheimer? ›

Scientific work. Oppenheimer did important research in theoretical astronomy (especially as related to general relativity and nuclear theory), nuclear physics, spectroscopy, and quantum field theory, including its extension into quantum electrodynamics.

How did Harry Oppenheimer make his money? ›

Harry Oppenheimer was one of the richest and most successful businessmen in South Africa. As chairman of the companies Anglo American and De Beers, he was in charge of the world's largest suppliers of diamonds, gold, platinum, coal, and other minerals.

Who is Oppenheimer owned by? ›

The company was founded in 1959. In 1987, British and Commonwealth Holdings acquired Mercantile House and gained control of OppenheimerFunds. In 1990, the company was acquired by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Who is the richest Oppenheimer? ›

Nicky Oppenheimer inherited an incredible fortune in the form of the De Beers group – the worlds leading diamond mining company. Nicky's father, Harry, was the chairman of De Beers and the mining giant Anglo American. He was in charge of the world's largest coal, diamonds, gold, and platinum suppliers.

Was Oppenheimer a hero? ›

He became a hero, the man credited by many Americans for ending the war early and sparing their families the loss of a husband or brother or son. Oppenheimer remained in the public eye. During the postwar decade he spoke out on the decisions facing the United States.

Will Oppenheimer be black and white? ›

The filmmaker has now explained why Oppenheimer switches from color to black-and-white throughout its 3 hour runtime. Nolan told Total Film: "I wrote the script in the first person, which I'd never done before. I don't know if anyone has ever done that, or if that's a thing people do or not.

Was Oppenheimer a leftist? ›

Around 1936, Oppenheimer became involved in leftwing political movements, such as fundraising for the Spanish Civil War and in organizing for Local 349 of the East Bay Teacher' Union (pp. 121, 124).

Why is Oppenheimer a hero? ›

Oppenheimer used bravery, and his selflessness to forever change the face of the world for the better. His heroic actions of stopping World War 2, and trying to stop an arms race makes him a hero. Oppenheimer was an inspiration to many of his fellow scientists, friends, and many more.

What was the religion of the Oppenheimer family? ›

Oppenheimer was born on May 22, 1880, in Friedberg, Hesse, a state in central Germany. His family was Jewish, and his cigar-maker father, Edward, encouraged Oppenheimer and his brothers to leave Germany and its anti-Semitic tendencies in order to make their fortunes elsewhere.

Is Oppenheimer still in business? ›

The company, which once occupied the One World Financial Center building in Manhattan, now bases its operations at 85 Broad Street in New York City. Oppenheimer Holdings Inc.

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