Gilbert de Botton

Gilbert de Botton (16 February 1935 – 27 August 2000) was an Egyptian-Israeli-Swiss financial pioneer, who is considered the inventor of the open architecture model of asset management,[3] whereby a financial institution offers third-party products to their clients.[4] He was also a prominent art collector.[5]

Gilbert de Botton
Gilbert de Botton on holiday
Born(1935-02-16)16 February 1935
Alexandria, Egypt
Died27 August 2000(2000-08-27) (aged 65)
Paradou,[1] France[2]
CitizenshipSwiss
EducationVictoria College, Alexandria
Alma materHebrew University of Jerusalem
Columbia University
OccupationFinancier
Known forFounder, Global Asset Management
Spouse(s)Jacqueline Burgauer (1962–1988)
Janet Green (1990–2000)
ChildrenAlain de Botton
Miel de Botton
Parent(s)Jacques de Botton
Yolande Harmer
RelativesLeonard Wolfson, Baron Wolfson (father-in-law)

Early life

Gilbert de Botton was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to a distinguished Sephardic Jewish family. Among his ancestors was the rabbinical scholar Abraham de Boton. Gilbert was brought up largely by his mother's parents. His mother Yolande Harmer, a journalist and Israeli intelligence officer, died in 1959. He also saw little of his father, who was an oil company representative.[6]

De Botton was educated at Victoria College, Alexandria; the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he studied economics; and Columbia University in the US, where he earned a master's degree.[6]

Career

In 1968, when the British and French Rothschild banking houses decided jointly to establish an operation in Zurich, de Botton was recruited as its first managing director. He went on to serve briefly as president of Rothschilds in New York in 1982.[6]

In 1983, Gilbert de Botton founded the Global Asset Management financial firm, a multinational asset management firm, later incorporated into UBS AG until December 2005, when it was acquired by Julius Baer.[7] Upon selling his stakes in the company in 1999, de Botton received a large sum of money, whose size has never been officially confirmed by buyer or seller. His wealth was estimated by one source to have reached £234 million in 1999.[8]

Legacy

In 2003, GAM and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) announced the creation of the GAM Gilbert de Botton Award in Finance Research, an annual award given in recognition of outstanding research in finance, in honour of Gilbert de Botton.[9]

Personal life

Gilbert de Botton married Jacqueline Burgauer in 1962. The marriage was dissolved in 1988. They had two children: a son, the writer Alain de Botton, and a daughter, Miel de Botton, a philanthropist and art collector. In 1990, he married Janet Green (née Wolfson), the eldest daughter of businessman Leonard Wolfson, Baron Wolfson, of the Great Universal Stores family, and previously married to broadcasting executive Michael Green. Dame Janet de Botton is also a prominent collector of modern art.[6][10]

References
  1. Avis décès à Paradou : Gilbert DE BOTTON (65 ans) (in French). Linternaute.com. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. Lewis, Paul (30 August 2000). "Gilbert de Botton, 65, Money Manager for Rich, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  3. "LSE collections". Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  4. "Open Architecture".
  5. "About Miel de Botton | Biography | New Album Magnetic". Mielmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  6. Gilbert de Botton obituary, The Telegraph, 30 August 2000.
  7. "Global Asset Management: History". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  8. "Sunday Times Rich List". Thesundaytimes.co.uk. Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  9. "London School of Economics and Political Science tribute to Gilbert de Botton". Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  10. "Life and times of Michael Green", BBC News, Monday, 20 October 2003, accessed 2 July 2010.
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