Ronald Cohen

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Sir Ronald Cohen (born 1945) is an Egyptian-born Jewish British businessman and political figure, known as "the father of British venture capital".^[1]

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Business career 1.3 Political career 1.4 Personal 2 Bibliography 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Cohen was born in Egypt; his paternal family were Sephardi Jews, originally from Aleppo, Syria, though his mother, Sonia Douek, was British. In 1957, following the Israeli invasion of Egypt in the Suez War, anti-Jewish sentiment was heightened throughout the Arab World and Cohen's family were among many Jews in Egypt who abandoned their assets and fled the country.^[2] The family (including younger brother Andre) moved to England. Though initially speaking only a few words of English, Cohen went to Orange Hill grammar school in North London,now part of Mill Hill County High School where despite describing it as "a school of very doubtful reputation" ^[3]he excelled.

Cohen won a scholarship to Oxford University, where he became president of the Oxford Union, and earned a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Exeter College. He subsequently attended Harvard Business School.

[edit] Business career

After leaving Harvard Business School, Cohen worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company in the United Kingdom and Italy. In 1971, along with two partners, he founded Apax Partners, Britain's first venture capital firm. The company grew slowly at first, but expanded rapidly in the 1990s, becoming Britain's largest venture capital firm, and "one of three truly global venture capital firms".^[2] Apax provided startup capital for over 500 companies, and provided money for many others, including AOL, Virgin Radio, Waterstone's, and PPL Therapeutics, the company that cloned Dolly the sheep. In 1996 Cohen helped establish Easdaq, a technology focused stock exchange intended to be the European counterpart to the American Nasdaq. He is the recipient of a Jubilee Award for services to Israeli business, awarded by Benjamin Netanyahu and the BUCA's Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of the Board of Overseers at Harvard and is also a fellow of Exeter College.

[edit] Political career

In 1974 Cohen stood as the parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Party in Kensington North, and in 1979 he stood as its European candidate in London West.

In 1996 he switched allegiance to the Labour Party, becoming a supporter of Tony Blair. In 2004, Cohen was the Labour Party's fourth largest financial supporter, after Lord Sainsbury, Sir Christopher Ondaatje and Lord Hamlyn. In 2005 he became the "bankroller" of Gordon Brown's leadership bid.

[edit] Personal

In 1972 Cohen married Carol Belmont, a French Jew; they divorced in 1975. In 1983 he married a second time, to Claire Enders, an American Catholic; they divorced in 1986. Cohen has two children, Tamara and Jonathan, with his third wife, Sharon Harel-Cohen, daughter of Yossi Harel, the commander of the fabled Holocaust survivors' ship Exodus. Sharon is one of the producers of the film Gosford Park.^[2]

Cohen is a member of the executive committee of the International Institute of Strategic Studies. In 2000, he became Chairman of the Social Investment Task Force. In 2002, he became Chairman of Bridges Community Ventures. In the same year, he was also the joint winner of the British Venture Capital, Hall of Fame, Private Equity Award along with John Moulton. Cohen is the Chairman of The Portland Trust^[4] and Portland Capital LLP. In January 2005, Cohen became a Director of the British Museum and in November he appointed himself Chairman of the Commission on Unclaimed Assets.^[5]

[edit] Bibliography

• Cohen, Ronald (November 2007). The Second Bounce of the Ball: Turning Risk into Opportunity. 

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Ronald Cohen's website.