Poju Zabludowicz
Encyclopedia
Chaim "Poju" Zabludowicz (born 6 April 1953), owner of the Liechtenstein
-registered Tamares
investment group, is a Finnish
Jewish businessman based in London. The Sunday Times Rich List 2009
of the wealthiest people in the United Kingdom
ranked him 18th, with an estimated fortune of £1,500 million.
and raised in Tampere
, where he attended Svenska Samskolan i Tammerfors, the Swedish-speaking school in the city. He later studied economics and social sciences at Tel Aviv University
. He is married to British-born Anita Zabludowicz.
Zabludowicz's father Shlomo Zabludowicz built the family business around Soltam
, an Israeli defence contractor.
Zabludowicz is chairman of BICOM
, the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre, an organization which lobbies the UK government on behalf of Israel
. He is reported to have given the pressure group more than $1.8 million in three years.
, north London. Plans to build an art museum in downtown Las Vegas have been put on hold. One sculpture
in the collection, a miniature statue of Jesus
with an erection
, surrounded by 50 other sculptures also with erections, has been considered "grotesquely offensive" by some Christians, one of whom has said she will bring a private prosecution against the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
in Gateshead
, which has exhibited the statue.
Poju and Anita Zabludowicz appear in ArtReviews Power 100 lists for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 which assess those most powerful in the art world. In 2010 they were listed at number 76. They have collected Young British Artists
including works by Tracy Emin.
Poju Zabludowicz owns a part of the Finnish ice hockey team Tappara
.
According to The Jewish Chronicle
Poju Zabludowicz hosted secret talks as his London home in March 2011 between Israeli President Shimon Peres
and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
.
and Fox's adviser Adam Werritty
and was said to be furious at suggestions that he had received any benefit or access from the payments.
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
-registered Tamares
Tamares Group
Tamares Group is a private investment group based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. The company has interests in real estate, technology, manufacturing, leisure and media...
investment group, is a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Jewish businessman based in London. The Sunday Times Rich List 2009
Sunday Times Rich List 2009
The Sunday Times Rich List 2009 was published on 26 April 2009.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
of the wealthiest people in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ranked him 18th, with an estimated fortune of £1,500 million.
Career
Zabludowicz was born in HelsinkiHelsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
and raised in Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, where he attended Svenska Samskolan i Tammerfors, the Swedish-speaking school in the city. He later studied economics and social sciences at Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
. He is married to British-born Anita Zabludowicz.
Zabludowicz's father Shlomo Zabludowicz built the family business around Soltam
Soltam
Soltam Systems is an Israeli Defense company located near Yokneam. The company has been developing and manufacturing advanced artillery systems, mortars, ammunition and peripheral equipment since 1952. Soltam Systems serves armed and special forces in more than 60 countries...
, an Israeli defence contractor.
Zabludowicz is chairman of BICOM
Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre
The Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre is a United Kingdom based organisation which claims to act to create a more supportive environment for Israel in the UK...
, the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre, an organization which lobbies the UK government on behalf of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He is reported to have given the pressure group more than $1.8 million in three years.
Art collecting
Poju and Anita Zabludowicz exhibit their private art collection at 176, a gallery in a former 19th-century Methodist chapel in Chalk FarmChalk Farm
Chalk Farm is an area of north London, England. It lies directly to the north of Camden Town and its underground station is the closest tube station to the nearby, upmarket neighbourhood of Primrose Hill....
, north London. Plans to build an art museum in downtown Las Vegas have been put on hold. One sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
in the collection, a miniature statue of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
with an erection
Erection
Penile erection is a physiological phenomenon where the penis becomes enlarged and firm. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular and endocrine factors, and is usually, though not exclusively, associated with sexual arousal...
, surrounded by 50 other sculptures also with erections, has been considered "grotesquely offensive" by some Christians, one of whom has said she will bring a private prosecution against the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art is an international centre for contemporary art located on the south bank of the River Tyne alongside the Gateshead Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, North East England, United Kingdom...
in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, which has exhibited the statue.
Poju and Anita Zabludowicz appear in ArtReviews Power 100 lists for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 which assess those most powerful in the art world. In 2010 they were listed at number 76. They have collected Young British Artists
Young British Artists
Young British Artists or YBAs is the name given to a loose group of visual artists who first began to exhibit together in London, in 1988...
including works by Tracy Emin.
Poju Zabludowicz owns a part of the Finnish ice hockey team Tappara
Tappara
Tappara is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Tampere, Finland at Tampereen jäähalli. The team have won 15 league championships ....
.
According to The Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish Chronicle is a London-based Jewish newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world.-Publication data and readership figures:...
Poju Zabludowicz hosted secret talks as his London home in March 2011 between Israeli President Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas , also known by the kunya Abu Mazen , has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah ticket.Elected to serve until 9 January 2009, he unilaterally...
.
Controversy
Zabludowicz claimed in October 2011 that he was tricked into funding the lavish lifestyle and globetrotting of former UK Defence Secretary Liam FoxLiam Fox
Liam Fox MP is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence....
and Fox's adviser Adam Werritty
Adam Werritty
Adam Werritty is a Scottish businessman. Werritty is a close friend of the former UK Secretary of State for Defence Liam Fox: he resided for a period in 2002 and 2003 at Fox's London apartment and was best man at his wedding in 2005. The two were also business associates who once held joint...
and was said to be furious at suggestions that he had received any benefit or access from the payments.