Vivien Duffield
Encyclopedia
Dame Vivien Duffield, DBE
(born 1946), is an English
philanthropist
.
, Vivien Louise Duffield was educated at the Lycée Français, Heathfield School and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University where she read languages. She was for some years married, until their divorce, to British financier John Duffield
, a Knightsbridge
-based, London
financier who is credited with building two fund management groups, Jupiter Fund Management and New Star Asset Management. She has a brother, Alan Evelyn Clore.
After her father's death in 1979, Vivien Duffield assumed the Chairmanship of Clore's charitable institution, the Clore Foundation. She created her own foundation in 1989, and the two foundations merged in 2000 to become the Clore Duffield Foundation, which is particularly noted for support of the arts and of British Jewish
charities. In 2006 the Foundation had an annual expenditure of £6,382,837. Substantial bequests and donations on Duffield's own account and on that of the Foundations she controls have resulted in her gaining a place on the boards of a number of British institutions including the South Bank Centre
and the Royal Opera House
.
At the ROH she chaired a £100 million rebuilding campaign. She also has a place on the board of the Jewish Community Centre for London
, a project that she initiated following a visit to the Jewish Community Centres of North America in 2002. Duffield chairs the newly-launched Campaign for the University of Oxford
, which aims to raise in excess of £1.25 billion to support education at Oxford University.
A 2005 London Evening Standard article estimated that she and the Foundations she controls had donated in excess of £176 million. The same article quoted friends who described her as "a frightful bully, a very awkward customer", while she refers to herself as "bossy, arrogant and practically unemployable". In March 2011, amid heavy Government cuts on the arts, she donated £8.2 million for educational purposes to 11 leading arts institutions
in 1989 and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
in 2000. In 2005 she separated from her partner of 32 years, Sir Jocelyn Stevens
, who is a former Managing Director of Express Newspapers
and former Chairman of English Heritage
. In 2006 Dame Vivien Duffield won the Beacon Fellowship Prize.
In November 2008 Dame Vivien Duffield was honoured by HRH The Prince of Wales, being one of the first recipients of the Medal for Arts Philanthropy. The medal celebrates outstanding individual contributions to the arts, and recognises the contributions of the most inspiring philanthropists in the UK.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1946), is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Career
The daughter of millionaire businessman Sir Charles Clore and his wife, Lady FrancineCharles Clore
Sir Charles Clore was a British financier, retail and property magnate and philanthropist.-Career:Charles Clore owned, through Sears Holdings, the British Shoe Corporation and Selfridges department store, as well as investing heavily in property.He owned Jowett Cars Ltd from 1945-1947 where he was...
, Vivien Louise Duffield was educated at the Lycée Français, Heathfield School and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University where she read languages. She was for some years married, until their divorce, to British financier John Duffield
John Duffield
John Duffield is the founder of Jupiter Fund Management, one of the largest funder managers operating in London.-Career:Born the son of a Doctor and educated at Harrow School, Duffield went into investment management and, having become manager of his wife's estates, moved to Switzerland as a tax...
, a Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
-based, 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...
financier who is credited with building two fund management groups, Jupiter Fund Management and New Star Asset Management. She has a brother, Alan Evelyn Clore.
After her father's death in 1979, Vivien Duffield assumed the Chairmanship of Clore's charitable institution, the Clore Foundation. She created her own foundation in 1989, and the two foundations merged in 2000 to become the Clore Duffield Foundation, which is particularly noted for support of the arts and of British Jewish
History of the Jews in England
The history of the Jews in England goes back to the reign of William I. The first written record of Jewish settlement in England dates from 1070, although Jews may have lived there since Roman times...
charities. In 2006 the Foundation had an annual expenditure of £6,382,837. Substantial bequests and donations on Duffield's own account and on that of the Foundations she controls have resulted in her gaining a place on the boards of a number of British institutions including the South Bank Centre
South Bank Centre
Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, UK, on the South Bank of the River Thames between County Hall and Waterloo Bridge. It comprises three main buildings , and is Europe’s largest centre for the arts. It attracts more than three million visitors annually...
and the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
.
At the ROH she chaired a £100 million rebuilding campaign. She also has a place on the board of the Jewish Community Centre for London
Jewish Community Centre for London
The Jewish Community Centre for London, or JCC for London, is a charitable organisation that aims to provide a way into, or back into, active Jewish life for all of London’s Jewish community.- Ethos and activies :...
, a project that she initiated following a visit to the Jewish Community Centres of North America in 2002. Duffield chairs the newly-launched Campaign for the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, which aims to raise in excess of £1.25 billion to support education at Oxford University.
A 2005 London Evening Standard article estimated that she and the Foundations she controls had donated in excess of £176 million. The same article quoted friends who described her as "a frightful bully, a very awkward customer", while she refers to herself as "bossy, arrogant and practically unemployable". In March 2011, amid heavy Government cuts on the arts, she donated £8.2 million for educational purposes to 11 leading arts institutions
Honours
Vivien Duffield was made a Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1989 and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 2000. In 2005 she separated from her partner of 32 years, Sir Jocelyn Stevens
Jocelyn Stevens
Sir Jocelyn Stevens, CVO is the former publisher of Queen Magazine; a financier of the first British pirate radio station Radio Caroline; newspaper editor for major London dailies and former chairman of English Heritage.-Career:...
, who is a former Managing Director of Express Newspapers
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
and former Chairman of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. In 2006 Dame Vivien Duffield won the Beacon Fellowship Prize.
In November 2008 Dame Vivien Duffield was honoured by HRH The Prince of Wales, being one of the first recipients of the Medal for Arts Philanthropy. The medal celebrates outstanding individual contributions to the arts, and recognises the contributions of the most inspiring philanthropists in the UK.