Ivor Ichikowitz (born September 1966) is a South African businessman, founder and executive chairman of

Paramount Group Paramount Group is a Global Aerospace & Defence group of companies operating in the global defence, internal security and peacekeeping industries. Established in South Africa in 1994, it offers a range of military aircraft, armoured vehicles, mar ...

. He is also an executive chairman of TransAfrica Capital and the Ichikowitz Family Foundation.

Early life and education

Ichikowitz was born in the mining town of

Springs Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

, South Africa, where he experienced first-hand the country's transition. His father, Louis, imported

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

motorcycles, setting the foundation on which Ichikowitz would later build his own company. Ichikowitz studied drama at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

, South Africa. During his time at university he became involved with protest theatre, before travelling throughout Africa and studying African literature.

Career

During the past twenty years, Ichikowitz has developed a number of businesses including

defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

and

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

, mining, oil and gas, agriculture and sustainable development,

property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, r ...

, retail and tourism. Ichikowitz founded the

in 1994, to operate in the global defence, internal security and peacekeeping industries. The group operates in countries in the Middle East, South America and Africa, as well as in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. It manufactures a range of

armoured vehicles Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighti ...

and deals in surplus South African military equipment, including fighter aircraft. In 2011 the Paramount Group launched the Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft, due to take its first flight in 2013. 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.

Controversy

Ichikowitz has been criticised for being a "close ally" of the ruling

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

(ANC), and for providing President

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-apart ...

with an aircraft to use for an ANC fundraising and business trip to Lebanon and Kazakhstan. Another flight by Zuma to the United States on an aircraft owned by Ichikowitz in 2011 caused considerable controversy when the cost ( R6.3 million) was questioned in parliament. The official presidential aircraft, operated by the

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

, was not available for the flight. Ichikowitz has also been criticised for his involvement in the controversial

Oil-for-Food Programme The Oil-for-Food Programme (OIP), established by the United Nations in 1995 (under UN Security Council Resolution 986) was established to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs f ...

in the aftermath of the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

. During September 2020 Ichikowitz and his company Paramount were listed in the

FinCEN Files The FinCEN Files are documents from the U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), that have been leaked to ''BuzzFeed News'' and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), and published globally on 20 ...

for various SAR (Suspicious Activety Reports) by the US Dept of Treasury for suspicious and corrupt transactions including possible money laundering exceeding $250m.

Philanthropic interests

Ichikowitz is the founder of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, established in 2010. The Foundation is actively involved in

wildlife conservation Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often ...

of endangered species, especially the protection of Africa's rhinos and elephant population.

Personal life

Ichikowitz is married with two children.

References

External links

Ivor Ichikowitz Official WebsiteIchikowitz Family Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ichikowitz, Ivor 1966 births Living people South African businesspeople