Who is Johann Rupert & Family - Richest Person in South Africa: Biography, Personal Life And Net Worth

Who is the Richest Person in South Africa Today?

• Richest Person: Johann Rupert & family

• Age: 73

• Net Worth: $12.2 Billion

• Rank: 162

• Source of Wealth: Luxury goods

• Residence: Cape Town, South Africa

• Marital Status: Married

• Children: 3

Johann Rupert

With a $12.2 billion net worth, Johann Rupert is a name that connotes success in the South African business community. The main source of Rupert's wealth is his dominance over the Richemont luxury goods conglomerate. At Richemont, a holding company for luxury goods with headquarters in Switzerland and ownership of Cartier, Dunhill, and Mont Blanc, Rupert holds a 51% voting stake.

Johann Rupert: Early Life and Education

Born on June 1, 1950, Johann Peter Rupert is a billionaire businessman from South Africa. His parents are business tycoon Anton Rupert and his wife Huberte.

He attended the University of Stellenbosch to study company law and economics. In addition to being the chairman of the Michelangelo Foundation and the Peace Parks Foundation, Mr. Rupert holds honorary doctorates in law, economics, and commerce.

Johann Rupert Career

In the 1940s, Anton Rupert, Johann's father, founded the tobacco company Voorbrand. When Rembrandt entered the South African cigarette and tobacco market in 1948, Voorbrand was its precursor.

Rembrandt branched out into the banking, mining, engineering, and food industries in the 1970s.

Johann Rupert attended the University of Stellenbosch during this time to study economics but left to pursue a career in business.

In 1979, he returned to South Africa and founded Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), having previously worked for Chase Manhattan and Lazard Freres in New York.

Prior to RMB and Rand Consolidated Investments merging to form RMB Holdings in 1984, he served as RMB's CEO. He joined Rembrandt after quitting the company.

Not long after joining his father's business, he separated Rembrandt's foreign holdings to establish Compagnie Financiere Richemont, a holding company for luxury goods based in Switzerland that is home to names like Cartier and Montblanc. He became the chairman of Rembrandt in 1991.

When Rembrandt was reorganized into two publicly traded holding companies, Remgro and Venfin, significant changes were made in 2000.

After merging with VenFin less than ten years ago, Remgro was formed, with Johann Rupert continuing as chairman.

Rupert became chairman and CEO of Richemont in 2000. In 2008, the company's non-luxury division was divided into Reinet Investments.

Rupert is currently Remgro, Richemont, and Reinet's chairman.

Out of the three companies, Richemont has the largest market capitalization, valued at R14.76 trillion (73.62 billion Swiss Francs). Remgro has a marginally smaller market cap of R64.04 billion, while Reinet is in second place with a market cap of R87.1 billion (€3.4 billion).

Johann Rupert: Personal Life

Johann Rupert & family

Johann Rupert's wife is Gaynor Rupert. Gaynor is a successful racehorse breeder who operates the Drakenstein Stud. Within the equestrian community, she is well known. They have been married for a while and have three children: Hanneli, Caroline, and Anton.

She founded the Creative Leadership Academy in Cape Town in 1997 with the intention of giving gifted young people access to mentorship and educational opportunities.

She has made exhibitions, art scholarships, and the preservation of significant cultural heritage possible through the Rupert Art Foundation.

Gaynor's engagement in the world of racehorse breeding adds vibrancy and diversity to Johann Rupert's network. It is significant to remember that in addition to achieving professional success for themselves, Johann and Gaynor also raised a talented and accomplished family.

Apart from her artistic and philanthropic endeavors, Gaynor Rupert leads a sedate and private life. She has been praised for being a loving mother and wife who puts her family's privacy and well-being first.

Johann Rupert: Net Worth

Rupert has the largest net worth in South Africa, at $12.2 billion (R229.1 billion).

One well-known person is Johann Rupert, chairman of the prestigious Swiss luxury goods company Compagnie Financière Richemont, which is known for legendary brands like Cartier and Montblanc.

The company was founded in 1998 as a result of the sale of assets that were formerly owned by Rembrandt Group Limited, which was established in the 1940s by his father, Anton.

Interestingly, Rupert holds a 7% stake in Remgro, a diversified investment powerhouse, and serves as chairman of the board.

Furthermore, he owns a sizeable 26% stake in the Luxembourg-based investment holding company Reinet.

Rupert's varied holdings highlight his multifarious involvement in the luxury goods, investment, and financial industries.

Top Richest People in South Africa and Net Worth

1. Johann Rupert and family – R229.1 billion ($12.2 billion)

2. Nicky Oppenheimer and family – R178.5 billion ($9.5 billion)

3. Patrice Motsepe – R50.7 billion ($2.7 billion)

4. Koos Bekker – R48.9 billion ($2.6 billion)

5. Michiel le Roux – R22.5 billion ($1.2 billion)

6. Christo Wiese – R22.5 billion ($1.2 billion)

Top 10 Richest Billionaires in China 2024 As of 2024, Zhong Shanshan, the "bottled water tycoon," remains the richest person in China, with billionaire Jack Ma still ranking among the top 10 ...

Who Is The Richest Person In Russia: Record Number Of Billionaires Despite US and European embargoes and sanctions, Forbes 2024 reports that the number of Russian billionaires has increased dramatically. So, who is the current richest ...

Who is Rinat Akhmetov - Richest Person in Ukraine - Top 5 Billionaires of Ukraine with Net Worth The Forbes list of the richest people in the world for 2024 was recently updated. Ukraine has produced five billionaires in the last two years, ...

Who is Dhanin Chearavanont - Richest Person in Thailand: Biography, Personal Life And Net Worth Ranked among the 200 richest men in the world, Dhanin Chearavanont is the richest person in Thailand according to the Forbes list.