Jan Kulczyk
Jan Kulczyk (
born 24 June 1950, in Bydgoszcz, Poland) is a prominent
Polish oligarch. He is the founder and owner of
Kulczyk Holding (headquarted in
Warsaw) and international investment house
Kulczyk Investments (former name:
Kulczyk Investment House) with headquarters in
Luxembourg and offices in
London,
Kiev and
Dubai. According to
Forbes magazine,
Kulczyk is the richest citizen of
Poland, with an estimated net worth of
11.1 billion PLN (
2.6 billion euro). In
2013 he was ranked
384 on
The World’s Billionaire list by
Forbes moving up in the rank due to his continuously
diversified portfolio of investments, notably in
Africa where
Kulczyk Investments holds a
40% stake in
Neconde Energy Limited, a consortium which acquired an
oil production license in
Nigeria.
EducationKulczyk graduated with a degree in law from the
Adam Mickiewicz University in
Poznań as well as having graduated
the University of Economics in
Poznań with
a degree in foreign trade. He also holds a
Ph.D. in
international law. Much of his business ventures have been a continuation of a family business tradition into a
third generation.
Business Ventures
Jan Kulczyk is currently involved in several investments specializing in four strategic sectors:
mineral resources,
energy,
infrastructure and
real estate.
Kulczyk Investments is a
40% shareholder in
Neconde Energy Limited, a recently formed consortium which acquired a
45% stake in
a production license OML 42 in
the Niger Delta from
Shell, one of the world’s largest
hydrocarbon reservoirs. Investment in
Neconde gives
Kulczyk Investments access to very attractive
production assets in Africa. In
January 2013,
Kulczyk Investments became a shareholder of
San Leon Energy as a result of a merger of the company with
Aurelian Oil and
Gas, acquiring a
4.7% share in the company which holds
83 oil and gas concessions across
Poland,
Albania,
Morocco,
Spain,
Ireland,
France,
Italy Romania,
Slovakia and
Germany;
KI also carries a
39% in
Loon Energy Corporation, holder of an
exploration and
production concessions in
Colombia and
Peru;
49.99% 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
10.2% in
Ophir Energy, an
oil and
gas exploration and
production company active in
Africa. Through
Strata Limited, in which
KI holds
15,4% the company holds shares in two exploration and production companies listed on
the AIM in London,
Zanaga Iron Ore Company Ltd. (ZIOC) which deals with the management and development of a
world class iron ore located in
the South Western part of the Congo (
Brazzaville); and
Ncondezi Coal Company Ltd which is currently exploring and developing coal exploration licences in
the Tete Provinde of Mozambique with the resource potential of
1.8 billion tons of coal.
In
2010,
Jan Kulczyk set up
Kulczyk Silverstein Properties (with a
45% stake), a joint venture with
Silverstein Properties Inc, the renowned US developer involved in
the World Trade Center revitalization, which develops and acquires office, retail and mixed-use properties throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
Kulczyk Real Estate Holding grants facility management services within the group as well as to external partners.
In
2009 Kulczyk exchanged his 28% share in Kompania Piwowarska, a brewing company, with a 42% share in the Polish beer market for 3.8% of SABMiller Plc, the world’s second largest beer producer. Through subsidiaries, he holds
24% in
Autostrada Wielkopolska and
40% in
Autostrada Wielkopolska II, companies that successfully constructed and operate
the A2 motorway in
Western Poland (completed
1 December 2011).
Kulczyk Investments has also been the leading importer and dealer of
Skoda,
Audi,
Volkswagen and
Porsche in
Poland during the years
1994 -2011. Through
KH Logistyka, the company 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 logistic ports in
Braniewo and
Skandawa, two modern rail trans-shipment terminals at the border with the
Kaliningrad Oblast.
Kulczyk Investments holds a
100% stake in
Polenergia, a company operating on the energy market in
Poland, as well as 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.
HistoryJan Kulczyk’s father set up
three companies after
World War II, 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 then established
the Kulczyk Tradex company, which was the only official
wholesaler 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 Investments (former name:
Kulczyk Investment House), and manages the assets of the group in
Poland. Completed investments have included:
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 government owned
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).
InvestigationIn
2004,
Jan Kulczyk was associated with
the Orlen affair, given that at that time
Kulczyk Holding was
the biggest private shareholder of
PKN Orlen. At the same time,
Jan Kulczyk’s meeting with
Vladimir Alganov, a
Russian intelligence officer and representative of o
ne of the leading Russian enterprises operating on the energy market raised concern on the issues connected with
trading in
electrical energy. Regarding
the Orlen investigation, the proceedings at the Prosecutors’ Office in
Katowice commenced and
the parliamentary investigative commission was appointed.
Jan Kulczyk was heard as a 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 activitiesJan Kulczyk is the co-founder of
the Polish Business Roundtable, founded in
1992, of which he was chairman on two occasions.
The Polish Business Roundtable is an
Association comprising presidents and owners of the biggest Polish companies as well as international companies operating in Poland.
Since
2005 he has been involved with
Green Cross International, the world’s
third largest non-profit environmental NGO, established in
1993 by
Mikhail Gorbachev. In
October 2007,
the Green Cross International (
GCI) Board of Directors unanimously elected
Kulczyk to succeed the former USSR President as the Chairman of the Board.
In
2010,
Jan Kulczyk launched
the CEED Institute, a think tank which promotes the achievements and the economic potential of
Central and East European countries. He is also a member of
the International Advisory Board of the Atlantic Council.
In
2012,
Jan Kulczyk donated about
$6 million to
the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, providing the largest donation to the museum by an individual donor, according to
TheNews.pl.
His paid advisers portfolio includes former Polish President
Aleksander Kwasniewski.
