The Giving Pledge has 14 more billionaires who will give their wealth to its cause. The couples will give most of their wealth away to this pledge.
Giving Pledge aims to help overcome society’s most pressing problems. Giving Pledge wants to invite the wealthiest individuals as well as families to commit 50 percent of their wealth to philanthropy. The Giving Pledge initiative was first launched by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Warren Buffet.
The New Entrants to Giving Pledge
These are the new names added to the Giving Pledge.
- You Zhonghui from the People’s Republic of China
- Robert Frederick Smith from the US
- Harry Stine from the US
- Nat Simons & Laura Baxter-Simons from the US
- Terry & Susan Ragon from the US
- Dean & Marianne Metropolous from the US
- Iza & Samo Login from Slovenia
- Leonard Ainsworth from Australia
- Mohammed Dewji from Tanzania
- Dagmar Dolby from the US
- Nick & Leslie Hanauer from the US
- Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou from Monaco, Cyprus
- Kjell Inge Rokke & Anne Grete Eidsvig from Norway
- Dong Fangjun from the People’s Republic of China
The majority of the new philanthropists joining the Giving Pledge belong to the United States. However, billionaires from other countries will also become part of this philanthropy initiative. The countries to which these philanthropists belong include China, Norway, Tanzania, Slovenia, Cyprus, Australia, and the US.
Estimates of New Wealth Addition to Giving Pledge
Full disclosure of all new 14 billionaires is not available. However, 8 of the new 14 billionaires have their wealth data accessible to the public. The combine half wealth of these billionaire stands at $14.3 billion. As per the Giving Pledge, these billionaires will give half or more of their wealth to the cause.
Let us have a look at the way these wealthy billionaires created their wealth.
You Zhonghui
You Zhonghui is an education business tycoon. His company offers services related to exam assessment technology to educational institutes.
Robert Frederick Smith
Robert Frederick Smith founded the Visa Equity Partners after leaving Goldman Sachs. He has a pledge of $2.5 billion.
Laura Baxter-Simons and Nat Simons
These two head the Meritage Group which is an investment management firm. The two also have a foundation which aims to fight climate change.
Terry and Susan Ragon
The two have a combined wealth of around $2.2 billion. They own InterSystems which develops software for banks and hospitals.
Dean and Marianne Metropoulos
Dean and Marianne Metropoulos have a combined net worth of $2.5 billion. The two have their private equity firm Metropoulos & Co.
Iza and Samo Login
Iza and Samo Login are reportedly the richest of the lot in Tanzania. The two founded Outfit 7 and sold it at a worth of $1 billion.
Nick and Leslie Hanauer
Nick is the first person to invest in the online retail giant Amazon. He founded aQuantive which is a digital advertising agency. He sold the company for $6.3 billion to Microsoft.
Stelios Haji-Ioannou
Stelios Haji-Ioannou is the founder of world-famous low-cost air-jet company Easy Jet. Stelios Haji-Ioannou is currently worth around $1.29 billion.
Kjell Inge Røkke and Anne Grete Eidsvig
Kjell Inge Røkke and Anne Grete Eidsvig have a total wealth of around $2.7 billion. The two originally started in the fishing business in 1982. These two are now venturing into other sectors too including oil & gas, marine biotech, and maritime assets.
Dong Fangjun
Dong Fangjun ventures into and leads his investment sector company. He is currently the Chairman of Dongfang Huiquan Financial Holdings Ltd.
Dagmar Dolby
Dagmar Dolby is the wife of Ray Dolby. The two founded their famous audio systems company Dolby Laboratories. The two will give away major share of their total net worth of around $3.6 billion.
Mohammed Dewji
Mohammed Dewji is believed to be the only billionaire in Tanzania. He has an estimated wealth of around $1.39 billion. He owns METI Group, a conglomerate with a presence in 11 African countries. His stakes are in various sectors including edible oils, beverages, flour, and textiles.
Leonard H. Ainsworth
Leonard H. Ainsworth founded his company back in 1953. His company makes gambling machines, and he has a total net worth of $1.1 billion.
