Robert Hanson (financier)

Robert Hanson
Born (1960-10-03) October 3, 1960
Alma mater St Peter's College, Oxford
Occupation
  • Financier
  • Company chairman
Spouse(s) Fiona Masha Markova
Children Max william Hanson (born 2002) Elliott James Hanson (born 1996)
Parent(s) Lord Hanson

The Hon. Robert William Hanson (born 3 October 1960) is a British financier and business man. He is Chairman of Hanson Family Holdings, a private company which owns businesses in the fields of logistics, investment banking, news media, and chemicals.

Early life

Hanson is the elder son of James Hanson, by his marriage in 1959 to Geraldine Kaelin, an American. He had a younger brother, Brook Hanson (1964–2014).[1]

Educated at Eton and St Peter's College, Oxford, Hanson's first job was as an assistant keeper of reptiles at the Windsor Safari Park.[2]

Career

In the 1980s, Hanson joined N M Rothschild & Sons, then went to work for his father,[3] who was created a life peer in 1983.

At the end of 1997 Hanson resigned from his father's public company, when it was broken up, to become chairman of Hanson Transport Group. In 1998 he founded Hanson Capital, a group of financial services companies aiming to capitalise on his worldwide network of relationships with major investors. This continues as part of the present group of companies.[2]

Hanson is now the chairman of Hanson Family Holdings, a private company which owns a wide range of businesses in logistics, investment banking and chemicals around the world.[2]

In 2010 Hanson was sued for £358,000 by David Newnham, the former chief executive of Pierre Woodman's pornographic film company, claiming Hanson had guaranteed the payment of his salary.[3]

In 2013 Hanson used Hanson Family Holdings to buy Venezuela's best-selling newspaper, Ultimas Noticias, for a figure reported as $US98 million. In 2014, he was accused by newspaper staff of turning it into "a Socialist Party mouthpiece", but the editor, Hector Davila, replied that his only instructions from Hanson were "to run a balanced and profitable newspaper".[4]

Private life

Once linked with Sophie Anderton, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson,[4] Birgit Cunningham,[5] and a string of models, Hanson's name appeared in many gossip columns.[2] It was reported at one point that he was "helping to cheer up the near-bankrupt Duchess of York".[3]

He eventually married the English multimillionaire heir Fiona masha thorpe, and moved to Los Angeles.[1] The engagement was reported in March 1990 as coming as a shock to London society,[6] and their son Max was born in february .[2]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Sebastian Shakespeare, 'SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Shock death of tycoon Lord Hanson's son in Belgravia bar' in The Daily Mail online dated 23 May 2014, accessed 11 May 2017
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Profile - Robert Hanson: The happy family man steering Hanson empire into new territory in The Yorkshire Post dated 29 March 2011, accessed 11 May 2017
  3. 1 2 3 Richard Kay, 'Robert Hanson's X-rated lawsuit in The Daily Mail dated 26 August 2010, accessed 11 May 2017
  4. 1 2 Ian Burrell, 'Robert Hanson - his dad was Thatcher’s favourite tycoon, but now he’s accused of selling out Venezuelan newspaper to socialists' in The Independent online dated 16 November 2014, accessed 11 May 2017
  5. ↑ Beth Hale, 'The Roedean girl who lost her way on Sunset Strip' in The Daily Mail dated 24 January 2011
  6. ↑ Tim Walker, Society shock as Lord Hanson’s eligible son Robert finally settles down in The Daily Telegraph dated 9 March 2010, accessed 12 May 2017
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