Poju Zabludowicz

Chaim "Poju" Zabludowicz (born 6 April 1953), owner of the Liechtenstein-registered Tamares investment group, is a Finnish Jewish businessman based in London. The Sunday Times Rich List 2009 of the wealthiest people in the United Kingdom ranked him 18th, with an estimated fortune of £1,500 million.

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Career

Zabludowicz was born in Helsinki and raised in Tampere, where he attended Svenska Samskolan i Tammerfors, the Swedish-speaking school in the city. He later studied economics and social sciences at Tel Aviv University. He is married to British-born Anita Zabludowicz.

Zabludowicz's father Shlomo Zabludowicz built the family business around Soltam, an Israeli defence contractor.

Zabludowicz is chairman of BICOM, the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre, an organization which lobbies the UK government on behalf of Israel. He is reported to have given the pressure group more than $1.8 million in three years.[1]

Art collecting

Poju and Anita Zabludowicz exhibit their private art collection at 176, a gallery in a former 19th-century Methodist chapel in Chalk Farm, north London.[2] Plans to build an art museum in downtown Las Vegas have been put on hold.[3] One sculpture in the collection, a miniature statue of Jesus with an erection, surrounded by 50 other sculptures also with erections, has been considered "grotesquely offensive" by some Christians, one of whom has said she will bring a private prosecution against the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, which has exhibited the statue.[4]

Poju and Anita Zabludowicz appear in ArtReview's Power 100 lists for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 which assess those most powerful in the art world. In 2010 they were listed at number 76.[5] They have collected Young British Artists including works by Tracy Emin.

Poju Zabludowicz owns a part of the Finnish ice hockey team Tappara.

According to The Jewish Chronicle Poju Zabludowicz hosted secret talks at his London home in March 2011 between Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.[6]

Controversy

Zabludowicz claimed in October 2011 that he was tricked into funding the lavish lifestyle and globetrotting of former UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox and Fox's adviser Adam Werritty[7]and was said to be furious at suggestions that he had received any benefit or access from the payments.[8]

References

  1. ^ Syal, Rajeeev (4 January 2009). "How the pro-Israel lobby in Britain benefits from a generous London tycoon". The Observer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/04/biscom-israel-lobby-poju-zabludowicz. Retrieved 29 August 2011. 
  2. ^ Gleadell, Colin (18 September 2007). "Art sales: New chapter for UK collectors". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/artsales/3667975/Art-sales-New-chapter-for-UK-collectors.html. Retrieved 22 May 2010. 
  3. ^ Peterson, Kristen (10 February 2009). "Economy puts hold on home for art downtown". Las Vegas Sun. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/feb/10/economy-puts-hold-home-art-downtown/. Retrieved 29 August 2011. 
  4. ^ "Private prosecution for Jesus with a lob on". mediawatchwatch.org.uk. 27 July 2008. http://www.mediawatchwatch.org.uk/2008/07/27/private-prosecution-for-jesus-with-a-lob-on/. Retrieved 18 August 2011. 
  5. ^ "2010 Power 100". artreview100.com. 14 October 2010. http://www.artreview100.com/2010-artreview-power-100/. Retrieved 29 August 2011. 
  6. ^ Bright, Martin (18 August 2011). "Middle East peace talks in a London kitchen". The Jewish Chronicle. http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/53389/middle-east-peace-talks-a-london-kitchen. Retrieved 18 August 2011. 
  7. ^ "The intelligence experts who doubled profits under Dr Fox since he became minister, Mail Online, 15 October 2011
  8. ^ Bright, Martin (18 October 2011). "Tories solicited cash for Werritty". The Jewish Chronicle. http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/56577/tories-solicited-cash-werritty. Retrieved 19 October 2011. 

External links