Talk:Jonathan Oppenheimer

Request Edit: Suggested Updates to Entry (26th May 2020)
To the Wikipedia editorial community,

My name is James Barber, Chief Information Officer at Oppenheimer Generations, the family office representing the global interests of Nicky and Jonathan Oppenheimer.

I am writing to suggest a number of additions to this page in order to create a more comprehensive entry about Jonathan. These additions should ensure the page is as useful as possible for all readers, and provide a more detailed account of his present and most recent appointments and directorships.

In adherence with Wikipedia's best practice guidelines, and due to my conflict of interest, I am not making these edits directly and hoping that someone from the editorial team would consider making them on my behalf.

Could the updates below please be inserted to more accurately reflect the subject’s latest engagements? In all instances, suggested additions are fully referenced. These are as follows:

Please insert the paragraph below under the existing text within the ‘Career’ segment:

Jonathan Oppenheimer is a South African businessman and philanthropist. He began his career at NM Rothschild & Sons, before moving to Anglo American and subsequently De Beers, where he held a number of senior management roles in Southern Africa and London over two decades. This included leading Producer Relations – Africa (2001-2004), serving as Managing Director of De Beers Consolidated Mines (2004-2006), and Head of the Chairman’s Office (2006-2012). He was also involved in the transaction to take De Beers private in 2001, and to sell the Oppenheimer family’s stake to Anglo American in 2012. Jonathan remains actively involved in all aspects of his family’s private, commercial, and thought leadership activities.

Jonathan is currently serving as Executive Chairman of Oppenheimer Generations [“Officers”, OPPENHEIMER GENERATIONS CUSTODIAN UK LIMITED, Companies House, October 2017], which represents the global interests of the Nicky and Jonathan Oppenheimer family.

Oppenheimer Generations is a diverse community of commercial ventures and not-for-profit organisations. 

In 2016, Jonathan founded [Oppenheimer Partners: “Jonathan Oppenheimer”, 2020.] a global investment group with a focus on building a long-term portfolio of businesses by deploying permanent capital. He continues to serve as a Partner.

Please insert a new paragraph entitled ‘Philanthropy’ under the Career section:

In 2019, Jonathan established the Oppenheimer Generations Foundation as a philanthropic initiative focused on generating positive impact by unlocking catalytic grants in underfunded areas

In March 2020, Jonathan and his father Nicky Oppenheimer established the South African Future Trust [ COVID-19: How an African billionaire dialled up R40 million over the weekend, CNBC Africa, 15 April 2020], to which the Oppenheimer family donated one billion Rand to support small and medium sized South African businesses affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Jonathan told CNBC Africa that the donation provided by the family would enable the support of 90,000 people working in the South African SMME sector.

In 2008, Jonathan created the Tswalu Foundation [“The Tswalu Foundation”, Tswalu, 2019], a platform from which local and international visitors are able to contribute and involve themselves in environmental research on the reserve, either contributing to existing projects, or suggesting new avenues of research.

To promote their on-going conservation activities, Jonathan, and his father Nicky Oppenheimer, host an annual research conference in South Africa “The Oppenheimer Conference”, to bring together experts in their respective fields to encourage identification of solutions to global conservation challenges. // //

Jonathan also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust

Please insert the additions below (indicated in black) within the existing text (indicated in italics) under the ‘Other activities’ segment:

In 2004, Oppenheimer established the Brenthurst Foundation, a Johannesburg-based think tank which examines ways to drive Africa’s sustainable growth[6] [“South Africa – paper tiger of African peacekeeping operations”, The New Humanitarian, 2012.] The Brenthurst Foundation built on the work of the Brenthurst Initiative of 2003, a programme that encouraged debate in South Africa around policy strategies to accelerate economic expansion

Jonathan is directly involved in the management of Tswalu Kalahari, a privately owned game reserve in South Africa, and Fireblade Aviation, a fixed based operator and aircraft charter company based at Johannesburg International Airport. Both businesses are focused on providing world-class services to clients, strengthening South Africa’s image globally and facilitating investment into the country. In 2019, the Oppenheimer family also announced a joint venture with South African Michelin-starred chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, as part of a broader effort to promote South African arts and culture ,

In January 2018, Oppenheimer joined the Board of Trustees [“Jonathan Oppenheimer Joins the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Board of Trustees”, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, February 2018.] of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), the oldest international affairs think tank in the United States, through which he is committed to advancing the cause of peace through a global network of policy research centres.

In 2011, Oppenheimer was involved in the formation of Tana Africa Capital a joint venture between the Oppenheimer family and Temasek Holdings (Singapore) to pursue African consumer goods business opportunities.[7]

He has sat on boards and advisory panels, including the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Economy (Malawi),[8] established by the Brenthurst Foundation, and Umicore, a listed specialty chemicals company, as a non-executive director.[9]

Thanks so much in advance and all the best,

James

Oppgen (talk) 08:59, 26 May 2020 (UTC)


 * I have a few small concerns about the proposed edit that I'll keep to myself because they are nit-picky, but overall I think the sections are, for the most part, neutrally well-written and not overtly promotional. I am not opposed that this edit be made on Mr. Barber's behalf.  But this is not my area of great expertise, so I'll let others chime in.  Ditch &#8733;  03:49, 9 July 2020 (UTC)
 * I have more serious doubts about the COI SPA content, but do welcome James. Some of the sourcing just won't work. saft.africa might be his trust, but we need to find a neutral source discussing it. I have added a short paragraph about ownership of Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, and its recognition by WWF. That's noteworthy (and noble). Why he claims he owns these things ("provide services to clients, strengthen SA's image, facilitate investment") isn't particularly noteworthy. I imagine a CIO publishes these explanations all day long. The lesser-paid cadre of journalists and our volunteer army of Wikipedians don't drink the same Kool-aide. But this COI SPA is playing quite fair and is most welcome here. Mcfnord (talk) 17:32, 12 July 2020 (UTC)

I'm setting this edit request to answered, because it's now been several months since the request was made, and it appears as though at least some of these proposals have been made to the article. If anyone - including the original requester - thinks more edits should be made, please make another edit request.  Seagull123  Φ  13:16, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

Sources of NPOV-secondary press
In May, COI SPA editor Oppgen provided a list of citations pertaining to the subject (visible above). Thanks!

I believe four of these sources meet Wikipedia standards of secondary sources producing information from a neutral point of view:


 * https://midrandreporter.co.za/225663/advance-conservation-consciousness/
 * https://www.sapeople.com/2020/05/18/the-devastating-effects-of-covid-19-on-wildlife-conservation/
 * https://hsf.org.za/publications/focus/issue-31-third-quarter-2003/the-brenthurst-initiative
 * https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/food/2019-05-12-soon-you-wont-have-to-head-to-france-to-taste-sa-michelin-star-chefs-food

Study both these and the existing published References to strengthen this article. Note that some NPOV-secondary sources may re-print uncontroversial claims without fact-checking. Bigger claims need bigger evidence. Mcfnord (talk) 01:39, 13 July 2020 (UTC)