Nicolas Berggruen
 Nicolas Berggruen       (billionaire, businessman) | |
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| Born | 1961-08-10 Paris, France |
| Nationality | Germany, United States |
| Alma mater | Le Rosey, New York University |
| Parents | • Heinz Berggruen • Bettina Moissi |
| Member of | 21st Century Council, Council on Foreign Relations/Members, Council on the Future of Europe, Jeffrey Epstein/Black book, The Giving Pledge |
| Interests | transhumanism |
Sponsor of influential think-tanks | |
Nicolas Berggruen is a billionaire investor (net fortune $2.3 billion) and sponsor of many think tanks and projects to promote elite ideas. His foundations are lavishly paying top politicians in both Europe and the US to be members. A dual American and German citizen, he is the founder and president of Berggruen Holdings, a private investment company and the Berggruen Institute, a think tank that works on addressing governance issues as well as the "cultures and philosophies behind political systems". He also finances the Think Long Committee for California and the Council for the Future of Europe. Through the Berggruen Institute he is also a co-founder, with the Washington Post, of The WorldPost, a media publication dedicated to global issues.
Contents
Character
The press has referred to Berggruen as "the homeless billionaire", because he decided to get rid of his material possessions and live out of five-star hotels, rather than owning any homes.[1] He is interested in transhumanism.
Background
Berggruen was born in Paris, the son of art collector Heinz Berggruen and actress Bettina Moissi. His father was of German-Jewish descent and his mother a Catholic of German and Italian/Albanian descent. Berggruen attended the École alsacienne in Paris and the boarding school Le Rosey in Switzerland, before completing a baccalauréat in Paris as a candidat libre in 1978. He worked as a trainee at London Merchant Securities in London, known today as LMS Capital Plc. He subsequently obtained a Bachelor of Science in Finance and International Business from New York University in 1981. He later worked for the investment company Bass Brothers Enterprises, in its real estate group. Between 1983 and 1987, Berggruen was a Principal at Jacobson and Co.
In New York, based on a trust fund worth about $250,000, Berggruen began buying real estate before moving on to stocks, bonds and a portfolio of private equity and venture funds as well as hedge funds. He founded Berggruen Holdings, Inc. in 1984 to act as investment adviser to a Berggruen family trust. In 1988, he and Julio Mario Santo Domingo co-founded Alpha Investment Management, a hedge fund that was sold to Safra Bank in 2004.
Connections
Nicolas Berggruen is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Director on the Board of the Pacific Council on International Policy, a member of Foro Iberoamericano, a member of the Helena Group, and a member of the Commission on Global Ethics and Citizenship. In 2013 he was appointed by Harvard's Center for European Studies as its first non-resident Senior Fellow, and was named a member of the Brookings International Advisory Council and the NYU President's Global Council. In 2014 he was named a member of the Leadership Council at Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership, a member of Harvard University's Global Advisory Council, as well as a trustee of the Asia Society. He is also a member of the World Economic Forum.
Berggruen Governance Center
The Berggruen Governance Center is dedicated to the design and implementation of new ideas of good governance relevant to the common challenges of globalization in the 21st century. This is primarily being done through three projects: the 21st Century Council, the Council on the Future of Europe, and the Think Long Committee for California.
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/2014 | 29 May 2014 | 1 June 2014 | Denmark Copenhagen Marriott Hotel | The 62nd Bilderberg, with 136 guests, held in Copenhagen |
| WEF/Annual Meeting/2011 | 26 January 2011 | 30 January 2011 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | 2229 guests in Davos, with the theme: "Shared Norms for the New Reality". |
| WEF/Annual Meeting/2012 | 25 January 2012 | 29 January 2012 | Switzerland | 2113 guests in Davos |
| WEF/Annual Meeting/2013 | 23 January 2013 | 27 January 2013 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | 2500 mostly unelected leaders met to discuss "leading through adversity" |
| WEF/Annual Meeting/2014 | 22 January 2014 | 25 January 2014 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | 2604 guests in Davos considered "Reshaping The World" |
