Gilbert de Botton

Gilbert de Botton
Gilbert de Botton on holiday
Born (1935-02-16)16 February 1935
Alexandria, Egypt
Died 27 August 2000(2000-08-27) (aged 65)
France[1]
Citizenship British
Education Victoria College, Alexandria
Alma mater Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Columbia University
Occupation Financier
Known for founder, Global Asset Management
Spouse(s) Jacqueline Burgauer (1962-1988)
Janet Green (1990-2000)
Children Alain de Botton
Miel de Botton
Parent(s) Jacques de Botton
Yolande Harmer
Relatives Leonard Wolfson, Baron Wolfson (father-in-law)

Gilbert de Botton (16 February 1935 – 27 August 2000) was an Israeli financial pioneer active in the 20th century, who is considered the inventor of the open architecture model of asset management.[2] He was reportedly fluent in nine languages, and was a prominent art collector.[3]

Early life

Gilbert de Botton was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to a distinguished Sephardic Jewish family. Among his ancestors was the rabbinical scholar Abraham de Boton. Gilbert was brought up largely by his mother's parents. His mother Yolande Harmer, a journalist and Israeli intelligence officer, died in 1959. He also saw little of his father, who was an oil company representative.[4]

De Botton was educated at Victoria College, Alexandria; the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he studied economics; and Columbia University in the United States, where he took a master's degree.[4]

Career

In 1968, when the British and French Rothschild banking houses decided jointly to establish an operation in Zurich, de Botton was recruited as its first managing director. He went on to serve briefly as president of Rothschilds in New York in 1982.[4]

In 1983, Gilbert de Botton founded the Global Asset Management financial firm, a multinational asset management firm, later incorporated into UBS AG until December 2005, when it was acquired by Julius Baer.[5] Upon selling his stakes in the company in 1999, de Botton received a large sum of money, whose size has never been officially confirmed by buyer or seller. His wealth was estimated by one source to have reached £234 million in 1999.[6]

In 2003, GAM and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) announced the creation of the GAM Gilbert de Botton Award in Finance Research, an annual award given in recognition of outstanding research in finance, in honour of Gilbert de Botton.[7]

Personal life

Gilbert de Botton married Jacqueline Burgauer in 1962. The marriage was dissolved in 1988. They had two children: a son, the writer Alain de Botton, and a daughter, Miel de Botton, a philanthropist and art collector. In 1990, he married Janet Green (née Wolfson), the eldest daughter of businessman Leonard Wolfson, Baron Wolfson, of the Great Universal Stores family, and previously the wife of broadcasting executive Michael Green. Dame Janet Wolfson de Botton is also a prominent collector of modern art.[4][8]

References

  1. ↑ Lewis, Paul. "Gilbert de Botton, 65, Money Manager for Rich, Dies". Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  2. ↑ "LSE collections". Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  3. ↑ "About Miel de Botton | Biography | New Album Magnetic". Mielmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Gilbert de Botton obituary, The Telegraph, 30 August 2000.
  5. ↑ "Global Asset Management: History". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  6. ↑ "Sunday Times Rich List". Thesundaytimes.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  7. ↑ "London School of Economics and Political Science tribute to Gilbert de Botton". Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  8. ↑ "Life and times of Michael Green", BBC News, Monday, 20 October 2003, accessed 2 July 2010.
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