Sir Ronald Cohen
| Sir Ronald Cohen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Ronald Mourad Cohen 1 August 1945 Egypt |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater |
Oxford University Harvard Business School |
| Occupation | Venture capitalist |
| Net worth | £220 million |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Belmont (divorced) Claire Enders (divorced) Sharon Harel |
| Children |
Tamara Harel-Cohen Jonathan Harel-Cohen |
| Parent(s) | Michael Mourad Cohen Sonia Douek |
| Relatives | Yossi Harel (father-in-law) |
Tamara Harel-Cohen
Sir Ronald Mourad Cohen (born 1 August 1945) is an Egyptian-born British businessman and political figure. He is the chairman of The Portland Trust and Bridges Ventures. He has been described as "the father of British venture capital" and "the father of social investment".
Cohen was born in Egypt on 1 August 1945, the son of Michael Mourad Cohen, a banker, and Sonia Douek. His family are Sephardi Jews, though his mother, Sonia Douek, is British by nationality. In 1957, following the Suez Crisis, Cohen's family was forced to abandon all their assets and flee Egyptian President Nassar's persecution of Jews. The family (including younger brother Andre) moved to England. His father started his own import/export business, but having arrived with just £10, life was a struggle.
Though initially speaking only a few words of English, Cohen went to Orange Hill grammar school in North London, now part of Mill Hill County High School where despite describing it as "a school of very doubtful reputation" he excelled.
Cohen won a scholarship to Oxford University, where he became President of the Oxford Union, and earned a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Exeter College. He subsequently attended Harvard Business School, where he was a member of the Harvard Business School Rugby Club.
After leaving Harvard Business School, Cohen worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company in the UK and Italy. In 1972, along with two former business school colleagues as partners, he founded Apax Partners, one of Britain's first venture capital firms. The company grew slowly at first, but expanded rapidly in the 1990s, becoming Britain's largest venture capital firm, and "one of three truly global venture capital firms". Apax provided startup capital for over 500 companies, and provided money for many others, including AOL, Virgin Radio, Waterstone's, and PPL Therapeutics, the company that cloned Dolly the sheep. In 1996 Cohen helped establish Easdaq, a technology focused intended to be the European counterpart to the American NASDAQ. He is the recipient of a Jubilee Award for services to Israeli business, awarded by Benjamin Netanyahu and the BVCA's Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers and is also a fellow of Exeter College, Oxford.
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