Jan Kulczyk
Encyclopedia
Jan Kulczyk, born June 24, 1950, in Bydgoszcz, is a prominent Polish business oligarch
. He is the owner of Kulczyk Holding with headquarters in Warsaw
, and an international investment house Kulczyk Investments
(former name: Kulczyk Investment House) with headquarters in Luxembourg
and offices in London
, Kiev
and Dubai
. According to the Wprost
newspaper, his fortune is estimated at PLN 7.8 billion (approximately USD$ 2.4 billion).
In 2006 ranked 756 among The World Richest People by Forbes
with an estimated net worth of US$1 billion, disappeared from Forbes ranking in 2007 and 2008. In 2010 he emerged on the Forbes' list again, ranked No 463 with the estimated net worth US$2,1 billion. He is also at the top of the Richest Poles list 2010.
as well as a graduate of foreign trade at the University of Economics in Poznań. He holds a Ph.D.
in international law. His business activities are a continuation of a family business tradition into the third generation.
, an oil and gas exploration and production company active in Africa.
In 2009 he exchanged his 28% share in in Kompania Piwowarska, a brewing company with a 42% share in the Polish beer market for 3.8% of SABMiller Plc, world’s second largest beer producer. Through subsidiaries, he holds 24% in Autostrada Wielkopolska and 40% in Autostrada Wielkopolska II, companies holding a concession to construct and operate the A2 motorway in Western Poland. His companies are the leading dealers and importers of Skoda, VW, Audi and Porsche in Poland. Through KH Logistyka, he holds a nearly 58% share in PEKAES SA, a leader in the TSL market in Poland. In 2009 Kulczyk Investments acquired 90% in Chemikals, a company that operates and manages a modern trans-shipment terminal at the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast. Kulczyk Investments holds a 100% stake in Polenergia, a company operating on the energy market in Poland, and a 100% stake in an energy trading venture KI Energy Trading. Elektrownia Północ is planning to construct a coal power plant in Northern Poland. In 2011 Kulczyk Investments acquired a 100% stake in Elektrociepłownia Nowa Sarzyna, a gas-fired heat and power plant.
(former name: Kulczyk Investment House), and manages the assets of the group in Poland. Completed investments include: PTC Era mobile operator (4.8% in 1993-1999, partnership with Deutsche Telekom Mobil Net GmbH), TPSA Polish telecom operator (47.5% acquired alongside France Telecom in privatisation deal and later sold to France Telecom), national oil refining and marketing PKN Orlen (nearly 5% in 2001-2005), TUiR Warta SA, an insurance company (70% gradually sold to KBC) and PTE Dom pension fund (50% disposed to KBC).
, a Russian intelligence officer and representative of one of the leading Russian enterprises operating on the energy market had exclusively business character and concerned the issued connected with trading in electrical energy. So as to solve the Orlen affair, the proceedings at the Prosecutors’ Office in Katowice commenced and the parliamentary investigative commission was appointed. Jan Kulczyk was heard as witness by the prosecutor’s office four times and submitted extensive explanation to the parliamentary commission. Due to lack of evidence, the Prosecutor’s Office discontinued the proceedings.
(GCI) Board of Directors unanimously elected Kulczyk to succeed former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev as Chairman of the Board.
In 2010, Jan Kulczyk launched the CEED Initiative
, a think tank
intended to promote the countries of the Central and Eastern Europe..
Business oligarch
Business oligarch is a near-synonym of the term "business magnate", borrowed by the English speaking and western media from post-Soviet parlance to describe the huge, fast-acquired wealth of some businessmen of the former Soviet republics during the privatization in Russia and other post-Soviet...
. He is the owner of Kulczyk Holding with headquarters in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, and an international investment house Kulczyk Investments
Kulczyk Investments
Kulczyk Investments SA is an international investment company, founded by a Polish entrepreneur Jan Kulczyk, focused on the creation of deals and investment opportunities in global emerging markets...
(former name: Kulczyk Investment House) with headquarters in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
and offices in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. According to the Wprost
Wprost
Wprost is a weekly newsmagazine in Poland. It was founded on December 5, 1982 as a regional magazine in Greater Poland, but since 1989 it has been distributed nationwide. The editorial office is currently located in Warsaw. Wprost is an opinion weekly focused on politics and society. Marek Król is...
newspaper, his fortune is estimated at PLN 7.8 billion (approximately USD$ 2.4 billion).
In 2006 ranked 756 among The World Richest People by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
with an estimated net worth of US$1 billion, disappeared from Forbes ranking in 2007 and 2008. In 2010 he emerged on the Forbes' list again, ranked No 463 with the estimated net worth US$2,1 billion. He is also at the top of the Richest Poles list 2010.
Education
Kulczyk is a law graduate of Adam Mickiewicz University in PoznańPoznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
as well as a graduate of foreign trade at the University of Economics in Poznań. He holds a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in international law. His business activities are a continuation of a family business tradition into the third generation.
Possessions
The businessman is currently dealing with investments in the following sectors: oil&gas, energy, infrastructure and real estate. Kulczyk Investments holds a 10.1% share in Aurelian Oil&Gas, a company dealing with oil and gas exploration, appraisal and production, 39% in Loon Energy Corporation, holder of an exploration and production concessions in Colombia and Peru, 48.55% in Kulczyk Oil Ventures, a company dealing with oil and gas exploration and production in the Sultanate of Brunei, Syria and Ukraine as well as 7.49% in Ophir EnergyOphir Energy
Ophir Energy plc is a oil exploration company based in London and operating in Africa. It is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.- History :The company was founded by Alan Stein and Jonathan Taylor in 2004 with backing from Tokyo Sexwale and Lakshmi Mittal...
, an oil and gas exploration and production company active in Africa.
In 2009 he exchanged his 28% share in in Kompania Piwowarska, a brewing company with a 42% share in the Polish beer market for 3.8% of SABMiller Plc, world’s second largest beer producer. Through subsidiaries, he holds 24% in Autostrada Wielkopolska and 40% in Autostrada Wielkopolska II, companies holding a concession to construct and operate the A2 motorway in Western Poland. His companies are the leading dealers and importers of Skoda, VW, Audi and Porsche in Poland. Through KH Logistyka, he holds a nearly 58% share in PEKAES SA, a leader in the TSL market in Poland. In 2009 Kulczyk Investments acquired 90% in Chemikals, a company that operates and manages a modern trans-shipment terminal at the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast. Kulczyk Investments holds a 100% stake in Polenergia, a company operating on the energy market in Poland, and a 100% stake in an energy trading venture KI Energy Trading. Elektrownia Północ is planning to construct a coal power plant in Northern Poland. In 2011 Kulczyk Investments acquired a 100% stake in Elektrociepłownia Nowa Sarzyna, a gas-fired heat and power plant.
Business background
His father set up three companies after WW2, all of which were taken over by the communist state. In 1981, Kulczyk formed Interkulpol, one of the first companies with foreign capital in Poland. In 1988 he established the Kulczyk Tradex company, which was the only official dealer of Volkswagen and Audi in Poland. In 1991 Kulczyk Holding, a limited liability was established, and in 1993 it was transformed into a joint-stock company. Jan Kulczyk is the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the company. Kulczyk Holding belongs to the international investment group Kulczyk InvestmentsKulczyk Investments
Kulczyk Investments SA is an international investment company, founded by a Polish entrepreneur Jan Kulczyk, focused on the creation of deals and investment opportunities in global emerging markets...
(former name: Kulczyk Investment House), and manages the assets of the group in Poland. Completed investments include: PTC Era mobile operator (4.8% in 1993-1999, partnership with Deutsche Telekom Mobil Net GmbH), TPSA Polish telecom operator (47.5% acquired alongside France Telecom in privatisation deal and later sold to France Telecom), national oil refining and marketing PKN Orlen (nearly 5% in 2001-2005), TUiR Warta SA, an insurance company (70% gradually sold to KBC) and PTE Dom pension fund (50% disposed to KBC).
Investigation
Jan Kulczyk was associated with the Orlen affair, because, at that time Kulczyk Holding was the biggest private shareholder of PKN Orlen. At the same time, the meeting of Jan Kulczyk with Vladimir AlganovVladimir Alganov
Vladimir Alganov is a Russian spy. He was Soviet KGB officer in Warsaw, Poland in the 1980s and Russian SVR officer in the same city in the 1990s.In 1996, Poland's Prime Minister Józef Oleksy resigned because of his links to Alganov....
, a Russian intelligence officer and representative of one of the leading Russian enterprises operating on the energy market had exclusively business character and concerned the issued connected with trading in electrical energy. So as to solve the Orlen affair, the proceedings at the Prosecutors’ Office in Katowice commenced and the parliamentary investigative commission was appointed. Jan Kulczyk was heard as witness by the prosecutor’s office four times and submitted extensive explanation to the parliamentary commission. Due to lack of evidence, the Prosecutor’s Office discontinued the proceedings.
Other activities
In October 2007, the Green Cross InternationalGreen Cross International
Green Cross International is an environmental organisation founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993, building upon the work started by the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...
(GCI) Board of Directors unanimously elected Kulczyk to succeed former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev as Chairman of the Board.
In 2010, Jan Kulczyk launched the CEED Initiative
CEED Initiative
Central and Eastern Europe Development Initiative is an open initiative and gathers countries from Central and Eastern Europe, members of European Union. CEED Initiative has been founded by Dr Jan Kulczyk, Polish entrepreneur. CEED Initiative was created to demonstrate and underline region’s...
, a think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
intended to promote the countries of the Central and Eastern Europe..
External links
- http://news.ft.com/cms/s/7f8c16aa-31f4-11d9-97c0-00000e2511c8.html