Dan Gertler
| Dan Gertler | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 1973 (age 43) |
| Residence | Israel |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Net worth |
 US$ 1.6 billion (2014) |
| Title | President, DGI (Dan Gertler International) Group of Companies |
| Term | 1996–present |
| Spouse(s) | Anat Gertler |
| Relatives | Moshe Schnitzer (grandfather) |
Dan Gertler (born December 1973) is an Israeli billionaire businessman in natural resources and the founder and President of the DGI (Dan Gertler International) Group of Companies. He has diamond and copper mining interests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and has invested in iron ore, gold, cobalt, oil, agriculture, and banking. As of 2015[update] his fortune was estimated at 1,26 billion by Forbes.
Gertler's deals have been under scrutiny by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank since 2012. He has been described as controversial and says of himself, he should be awarded a Nobel Prize for his "work developing the Democratic Republic of the Congo". The Panama papers revealed deals carried out through Mossack Fonseca shell companies, among his many offshore companies.
Dan Gertler was born in December 1973, a grandson of Moshe Schnitzer, first President and co-founder of the Israel Diamond Exchange in 1947, who won the Israel Prize in 2004. His family was traditionally involved in cutting and merchandising diamonds. While growing up, Gertler spent as much time as he could learning about the diamond trade from his father and grandfather. As soon as he had completed his 3-year mandatory service in the Israeli Defense Forces he opened his own diamond business.
In 1996, Gertler founded the Dan Gertler International (DGI) group of companies. He bought his first mine in the DRC in 1997.
After gaining experience with purchasing and marketing artisanally mined diamonds from the DRC, Gertler started negotiations to establish a partnership with the Societé Minière de Bakwanga (MIBA), a DRC state-controlled diamond mine operator. Through his friendship with the young Joseph Kabila, Gertler was introduced to his father Laurent Kabila, then President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 2000.
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