Dan Gertler Israeli businessman Date of Birth: 12.1973Год Country: Israel

1. Biography of Dan Gertler
2. Early Life and Family Background
3. Entrepreneurial Journey
4. Expansion to Copper Mining
5. Controversies and Criticisms

Biography of Dan Gertler

Dan Gertler, an Israeli businessman, is the founder and president of the DGI (Dan Gertler International) Group of Companies, with business interests in diamond and copper mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Early Life and Family Background

Dan Gertler was born in December 1973. He is the grandson of Moshe Schnitzer, a Romanian immigrant and the first president of the Israeli Diamond Exchange, who was awarded the Israel Prize in 2004. Gertler's family has a long tradition of diamond cutting and trading, and he spent much of his childhood learning about the diamond trade from his father and grandfather.

Entrepreneurial Journey

After serving three years in the Israeli army, Gertler established his own diamond business and founded DGI in 1996. In 1999, there were reports that Gertler was involved in financing a project to purchase diamonds in Liberia and Sierra Leone in exchange for military training and weapon supplies, but the plan failed due to political instability and conflicts in Sierra Leone. Gertler also engaged in trading with Russia and Guinea.

Gertler's practical experience led him to negotiate a partnership with the state-controlled Congolese company Société Minière de Bakwanga (MIBA). It was reported that Gertler paid $20 million to the influential Kabila clan for a monopoly on exporting local diamonds, and the deal allegedly included agreements for arms supplies from Israel to the DRC. However, some press reports questioned the likelihood of any weapons deal given the previous failure in Sierra Leone and suggested that Gertler's family would not allow it.

After the assassination of Congolese President Laurent-Désiré Kabila in January 2001, Gertler temporarily lost influence in the DRC. However, he managed to establish partnerships with Kabila's son and successor, Joseph Kabila, who also needed funds for his armed forces. In April 2002, Gertler's Canadian company, Emaxon Finance, secured the right to sell 88% of rough diamonds for the next four years.

By 2006, Joseph Kabila even invited Gertler to his wedding. In 2009, DGI became one of the world's largest wholesale distributors of rough diamonds, engaging in mining, processing, and sales.

Expansion to Copper Mining

In March 2004, Dan Gertler International, in partnership with Beny Steinmetz Global, established a company called Global Enterprises Corporate (GEC). In May of the same year, GEC signed a preliminary agreement with the state-owned mining company Gécamines to restore and operate the Kananga and Tilwezembe copper mines. The deal was ratified by presidential decree.

Gertler and Steinmetz placed 75% of the shares in Nikanor Plc, with Gertler personally holding 14% of the company by February 2004. In January 2008, Katanga Mining acquired the company, paying a total of $452 million to the shareholders.

In April 2006, the DGI group acquired a significant stake in DEM Mining. In June 2006, they also acquired Tremalt, which proved to be another profitable venture for the Israeli entrepreneur.

Controversies and Criticisms

Dan Gertler has frequently been accused of exploiting the Congo, one of the world's poorest countries, in a highly controversial manner, for decades.