Robert Agostinelli

Robert F. Agostinelli

Robert Agostinelli at the Rhône Annual Meeting (2011)
Born (1953-05-21) May 21, 1953
Rochester, New York, U.S.
Residence Palm Beach, Florida
London, England
Nationality  USA
Alma mater St. John Fisher College (B.A)
Columbia University (M.B.A)
Occupation
Known for
Home town Rochester, New York
Net worth IncreaseUS$1.0 billion (Forbes)[1]
Religion Roman Catholic
Children 4
Website RhoneGroup.com

Robert Frank Agostinelli (born May 21, 1953) is an Italian American self made billionaire[2] financier who is the chairman and co-founder of private equity firm Rhône Group. Forbes estimates Agostinelli's net worth to be $1.0 billion,[1] ranking him as the 416th richest American. Agostinelli was ranked #124 amongst the richest people in the United Kingdom by the Sunday Times Rich List in 2012[3][4] through to 2015 with a net worth of £675 million.[5][6][7][8]

Early life and education

Agostinelli was born to Italian immigrant parents outside of Rochester, New York, and attended the Aquinas Institute. He obtained his BA from St. John Fisher College in 1976 and then attended Columbia University where he received his MBA, graduated with highest honours in 1981 and sits on the Alumni Board,[9] He returns regularly to give speeches.[10] Agostinelli is a certified public accountant.[11]

Career

Agostinelli began his career in financial services at the investment bank Jacob Rothschild in Switzerland from 1981 to 1982 and then joined Goldman Sachs and became a senior partner where he worked for five years and founded the firm's international mergers and acquisitions business in London and then while at Lazard Freres he was involved in a number of the largest transactions in European takeover history.[12] In 1995 Agostinelli and Steven Langman started their own firm, the Rhône Group.[13]

Politics and philanthropy

Agostinelli is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a leading supporter of Zionist and neoconservative causes.[14] He is one of the Founding Members of the Friends of Israel Initiative.[15] He is former Vice-Chairman of the Council for the United States and Italy (CONSIUSA), a member of the Investment Committee of Corporate World Opportunities of BSI Group and a director and advisor to a number of European and U.S. philanthropic and civic institutions. In 2008 Agostinelli provided substantial funding to the presidential campaigns of John McCain and Rudy Giuliani.[16]

Agostinelli is a friend of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy[17] and former Spanish Prime Minister José Aznar.[18] In 2007 President Sarkozy admitted to Le Monde that Agostinelli, his wife and another family had paid the $60,000 per week fee on a luxury villa for him and his family[19] during his 2006 holiday to the United States.[20] Agostinelli has often been seen jogging with Sarkozy.[21][22]

He is a senior member of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation led by the American Patriots Campaign Cabinet,[23] and a senior board director on the American Italian Cancer Foundation.[24] Agostinelli is on the board of directors of the National Review Institute[25] and the American Veterans Center[26] Agostinelli is known for writing articles in the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times[27] on various political, economic and social issues. Agostinelli was listed in 1997 as a member of the Bilderberg Group.[28][29]

Robert Agostinelli giving a speech in 2011.

In August 2011 Agostinelli gave a speech in the Mahan Reading room at the U.S. Naval War College, where he discussed the potential implications that policy decisions made in response to the 2008 financial crisis could have on U.S. national security[27] Arguing against government decisions to pick winners and losers, he predicted that failure to allow companies to go bankrupt could have pernicious effects on long-term U.S. economic growth, which could lead to unprecedented intrusions into the freedom of American citizens.[30] Agostinelli also warned that deficit spending is giving China increased influence over American affairs, with possible implications for national security.[31] He is also a member of the Reagan Ranch Board of Governors.[32]

Friends of Israel Initiative

A delegation of the Friends of Israel Initiative, which included Agostinelli, met with President Shimon Peres at Beit HaNassi in Jerusalem in July 2011. The delegation included former Spanish Prime Minister José Aznar, former US Ambassador to the United Nations John R. Bolton, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lord David Trimble. The president held a working meeting with the group[33] and presented an overview of the situation in Israel and the region at large.[34] Agostinelli stated: "Israel is a fundamentally important part of the Western world. It is a democracy under fire, and we must be resolute in defence of its legitimacy."[35]

Personal life

Agostinelli has four children and collects wine and art.[36] Agostinelli counts Nicolas Sarkozy, George W. Bush,[37][38] Jeb Bush and José María Aznar[39] as close friends. While based between New York City and Palm Beach, he maintains additional homes in London and Paris, all of which are interior designed by Jacques Grange.[40] In 2014 Agostinelli reportedly purchased the first landmarked estate in Palm Beach known as "La Loma" built by Gustav Maass and John Volk, which was on the market for $14.5 million through Sotheby's International Realty and sold for $12 million. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2015, Agostinelli is 'building a home on Henley-on-Thames'.[41][42][43]

Associated publications

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Robert Agostinelli". Forbes. 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  2. ↑ "Gallery : #1153 Billionaires Robert Agostinelli". Forbes.com. 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  3. ↑ "Rich List : Agostinelli". The Sunday Times. 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2015. (subscription required (help)).
  4. ↑ "Sunday Times Rich List 2011: The financiers". Efinancialnews.com. 2011-05-09. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  5. ↑ "View image: Robert F Agostinelli's networth 2013 & 2014". Postimg.org. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  6. ↑ "View image: Robert F Agostinelli £670 million". Postimg.org. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  7. ↑ "Robert Agostinelli Net Worth". TheRichest. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  8. ↑ "Robert Agostinelli, the US billionaire behind the latest Treasury tilt". Australian Financial Review. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  9. ↑ "How many billionaire alumni does Columbia University have?". Quora. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  10. ↑ "Groups at Columbia Business School". Columbia Business School. 2013-07-30. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  11. ↑ "Magnesita". Mzweb.com.br. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  12. ↑ "Robert F. Agostinelli CPA: Executive Profile & Biography". Businessweek. 2010-04-27. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  13. ↑ "Rhone Group". VentureBeat Profiles. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  14. ↑ "Membership Roster". Council on Foreign Relations. 2009-12-05. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  15. ↑ "Friends of Israel Initiative: The neoconservatives' eastern front « P U L S E". Pulsemedia.org. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  16. ↑ "Robert Agostinelli Campaign Contributions and Donations". Huffington Post. 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  17. ↑ Mirkinson, Jack (2012-05-25). "Murdoch Private Eye Targeted US Hedge Fund Boss". Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  18. ↑ "Robert Agostinelli Net Worth". TheRichest. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  19. ↑ "Sarko Kicks Back on Moguls' Dime". Newser.com. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  20. ↑ "Premier League Liverpool". BBC Sport. 2010-03-14. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  21. ↑ "In pictures: Leaders' fitness". BBC News. 2008-08-04.
  22. ↑ "In France, "le jogging" is a right-wing activity". Foreign Policy Group. 2007-07-09. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  23. ↑ "Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation". Mcsf.org. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  24. ↑ "Boards and Staff". American Italian Cancer Foundation. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  25. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20121231212025/http://www.nrinstitute.org/boardofdirectors.php. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ↑ "Pre-Parade Dinner". American Veterans Center. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  27. 1 2 Agostinelli, Robert F. (2011-08-04). "Agostinelli: Astounding debt nightmare". Washington Times. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  28. ↑ "1997 CFR Membership Roster". Bilderberg.org. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  29. ↑ "Le Couronnement!". Société Générale de Spéculation. 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  30. ↑ "National Review". National Review. 2011-08-06. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  31. ↑ "Financier discusses implications of US Fiscal Situation" (PDF). Naval War College Foundation. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  32. ↑ "Staff & Board". Young America's Foundation. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  33. ↑ Piper, Michael Collins (August 2, 2010). "Powerful New Lobby Group Set In Motion". American Free Press. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  34. ↑ "President Peres hosts delegation from 'Friends of Israel Initiative'". mfa.gov.il. 2010-06-14. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  35. ↑ "Working Papers". Friends of Israel Initiative. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  36. ↑ "Robert Agostinelli Net Worth". Get Net Worth. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  37. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140727073420/http://postimg.com/image/152000/robert-f-agostinelli-at-the-bush-library-in-2014-151760.jpg. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  38. ↑ Hobson, Rebecca (2012-03-23). "London's top ten richest newcomers". London Loves Business. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  39. ↑ Hernanz, Carlos (2014-03-14). "Agostinelli, el tapado para comprar Deoleo: millonario, italoamericano y amigo de Aznar" (in Spanish). Elconfidencial.com. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  40. ↑ "Pink in Paris". Habitually Chic. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  41. ↑ Davis, Christine (2014-05-22). "'Magical' estate: Merrilyn Bardes' Jungle Road house is on the market". Palm Beach Daily News. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  42. ↑ Hofheinz, Darrell (2014-12-18). "Landmarked Bardes home fetches $12 million". Palm Beach Daily News. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  43. ↑ Bandell, Brian (2014-12-11). "Billionaire buys historic Palm Beach mansion for $12M". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  44. ↑ "Bowing to Beijing: How Barack Obama is Hastening America's Decline and Ushering A Century of Chinese Domination: Brett M. Decker, William C. Triplett II: 9781596982895". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  45. ↑ Decker, Brett M. (2011-10-26). "Three cheers for colonialism". Washington Times. Retrieved 2015-04-10.
  46. ↑ Cohan, William D. (2008). "It's a White Man's World" (PDF). The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co. Anchor. ISBN 978-0767919791.

Sources

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