Ivor Ichikowitz | |
|---|---|
 Ivor Ichikowitz | |
| Born | Springs, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Alma mater | University of the Witwatersrand |
| Occupations | Business Executive and Philanthropist |
| Known for | Founder and former executive chairman ofParamount Group, Ichikowitz Family Foundation |
| Website | http://www.ivorichikowitz.com/profile |
Ivor Ichikowitz (born September 1966) is a South African businessman, founder and former executive chairman ofParamount Group.[1][2][3][4] He is also an executive chairman of TransAfrica Capital[5] and the Ichikowitz Family Foundation.[6]
Ivor Ichikowitz was born in the mining town ofSprings, South Africa.[7] His father, Louis, importedSuzuki motorcycles, establishing the foundations upon which Ichikowitz would later build his own company.[7][8]
Ichikowitz studied drama at theUniversity of the Witwatersrand inJohannesburg.[9] During his time at university he became involved with protest theatre, before travelling throughout Africa and studying African literature.[9]
Ichikowitz is married with two children. Ichikowitz's brother Eric is the group marketing director of the Paramount Group.[10]
Over the course of his career, Ichikowitz has developed a diverse porfolio of businesses in the spheres ofdefence andaerospace,[11] mining, oil and gas, agriculture and sustainable development,property, retail and tourism.[7]
Ichikowitz founded theParamount Group in 1994, to operate in the global defence, internal security and peacekeeping industries.[7][12][13] The group operates in countries in the Middle East, South America and Africa, as well as inIndia.[14] It manufactures a range ofarmoured vehicles[15][16] and deals in surplus South African military equipment,[17] including fighter aircraft.[18]
In 2011 the Paramount Group launched theAdvanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft.[19][20] By February 2015, the first prototype had completed 65 hours of incident-free flying and the test program proceeded to the next phase, under which theflight envelope was expanded to explore and evaluate its handling, center of gravity, flight performance, airframe qualities, andrough field capabilities.[21] Now called the Mwari, it is the first new military aircraft designed, developed and manufactured in South Africa since the 1980s.[22]
In addition to his role at Paramount Group, Ichikowitz is the executive chairman of private equity group TransAfrica Capital, which invests in scientific research and development projects.[7]
Ichikowitz is the founder of theIchikowitz Family Foundation, established in 2010. The Foundation is actively involved inwildlife conservation of endangered species, especially the protection of Africa's rhinos and elephant population.[23][24][25][26]
In 2012, Ichikowitz joined forces with the South African Board of Deputies to produce a book about the Jewish contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.Jewish Memories of Mandela, documents the story of the Jews who were active in the freedom struggle, among themJoe Slovo,Ruth First, Nelson Mandela’s lawyer Sidney Kentridge andAlbie Sachs.[27]
Regarding theSouth Africa v. Israel (Genocide Convention), Ichikowitz criticized the South African government for hypocrisy and double standards, recalling that South Africa failed to arrest Sudanese PresidentOmar al-Bashir during his visit to South Africa, despite Bashir being accused ofgenocide and wanted by theInternational Criminal Court (ICC), and did not condemn Russia'sinvasion of Ukraine, reluctant to comply with the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Russian PresidentVladimir Putin.[28]
In 2013, Ichikowitz was criticised for being an ally of theAfrican National Congress (ANC),[29] and for providing PresidentJacob Zuma with a plane for an ANC fundraising and business trip to Lebanon and Kazakhstan.[30][31] Another flight by Zuma to the United States on an aircraft owned by Ichikowitz led to an outcry by politicians who questioned the high cost (R6.3 million).[32]
Ichikowitz was also accused of involvement in the Oil-for-Food Programme in the aftermath of the Gulf War. In an interview with theSunday Times,Ichikowitz denied the charge and said he was in the business of "protecting democracies." While some "play the 'lord of war' game," he asserted that "one of the reasons I'm in this business is to push those people out."[33]
In September 2020, Ichikowitz and his company Paramount were listed in theFinCEN Files by the US Dept of Treasury for suspicious transactions such as possible money laundering exceeding $250m.[34]
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