Andreas Zivy

Last updated

Andreas Zivy
Born
Andreas Zivy

(1955-10-19) October 19, 1955 (age 68)
Binningen, Switzerland
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1978–present
Known for Ameropa Holding
Ameropa Foundation

Andreas Zivy (born October 19, 1955) is a Swiss businessman based in Binningen, Switzerland. He is the chairman of Swiss agribusiness Ameropa Holding AG. [1] [2]

Contents

Life and career

Zivy was born in Basel in 1955. He completed his school education at Humanistic Secondary School, Basel. [3] He attended Instituts d'études politiques in Paris where he received his master's degree in political science, in 1978.

After graduation, Zivy worked for Bunge, in Brazil for two years. In 1980, he joined Ameropa Holding, his family business established in 1948, as the Office Head at Ameropa, France. [4]

In 1986, Zivy became the Vice President of Ameropa AG in Basel. By 1995 he was appointed the CEO of Ameropa AG and a member of the board of directors. [5]

In 2001, Zivy co-founded the Ameropa Foundation, which is focused on investing in sustainable and progressive charitable programs in the developing world. [6] As of 2010, after the death of his father, Andreas took over as the chairman and the president of Ameropa Holding AG. [7] He is also a former member of the advisory board of the Basel Peace Forum. [8]

In March 2019, Ameropa Group announced the impending departure of CEO Jan Kadanik and confirmed that Zivy, CEO of Ameropa Holdings AG, would act as CEO of Ameropa Group until a new CEO would be appointed. [9] In December 2019, Zivy handed over to Ameropa Group's newly appointed CEO, William Dujardin. [10]

Controversy

In 2017, following the request of a minority stakeholder in Toaz, Russian prosecutors began investigating allegations that Nitrochem Distribution AG, owned by Ameropa Group, owned by Zivy, was involved in fraudulent sale schemes around Russia's biggest chemical plant Togliattiazot, in which Ameropa was an indirect shareholder, generating hundreds of millions of dollars profits. At the Russian government’s request, in 2014, Zivy was "arrested in absentia" and was put on INTERPOL's wanted list. In July 2019, the Komsomolsky District Court of Togliatti (Russia) convicted Zivy, together with others, of "large-scale fraud committed by an organized group" and sentenced him, in his absence, to 9 years imprisonment.

Non-Russian courts, journalists, academics, and international organisations, have criticized the affair, describing it as "a classic example of Russian corporate siege and raiding practices" [11] and “flagrantly unfair”. [12] Two reports from Russia experts from George Mason University highlighted the case as one of the most comprehensive illegal corporate raids in Russia involving malicious prosecution. [13] Interpol has said "there is a predominant political dimension to this case" and concluded that a Russian request for Mr. Zivy’s arrest "does not satisfy the requirements of Interpol’s Constitution". [14] A UK Magistrate’s Court, in rejecting Russia’s extradition request for one of the co-defendants, described the case as "a weak case without the crucial evidential foundation a charge which grossly inflates the complainant’s loss, a complainant which is corrupt yet powerful, evidence of investigators who appear to be too close to the complainant, a long history of attacks on the accused evidence of a lack of independence of the judge”. [12] Ameropa [15] said the verdict is unenforceable outside of Russia and has appealed the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

In February 2024, Zivy was named on Russia's wanted list. [16]

Memberships

Zivy is a member of the board of the Swiss Democracy Foundation, whose aim it is to defend, promote and develop Democracy in Switzerland and abroad. [17] He is a member of the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland. [18]

Personal life

Zivy is married, has three children, and lives with his wife in Binningen near Basel.

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References

  1. ↑ Knöfel, Ulrike (January 30, 2006). "Er gründete das Handelsunternehmen Ameropa, heute wird der Konzern von seinem Enkel Andreas Zivy geleitet". Der Spiegel . Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Folgen der hohen Gaspreise – Düngerknappheit bedroht Versorgung mit Lebensmitteln". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  3. ↑ Jensen, Donald (October 29, 2015). "Andreas Zivy was born in Basel, attended Humanistic Secondary School". businessmediagroup.co.uk. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  4. ↑ Razi, Gabriel (March 3, 2015). "Traderul Ameropa a cumpărat două noi depozite de cereale". zf.ro. Ziarul Financiar . Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  5. ↑ Martin (November 3, 2015). "1995 wurde er zum CEO und zum Mitglied des Verwaltungsrats". gruenerzweig.ch. Gruner Zweig. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  6. ↑ Gaikwad, Pratik (November 2, 2015). "The Ameropa Foundation was founded in December 2001 by Andreas Zivy and Nicole Miescher as a part of the Ameropa group". theglobaldispatch.com. The Global Dispatch. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Our Holding Board members". www.ameropa.com. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Basel Peace Forum- Advisory Board". basel-peace.org. Basel Peace Forum. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Ameropa Group CEO Jan Kadanik to leave company in June 2019; Andreas Zivy to take over as interim". business-review.eu. March 19, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Swiss commodity trader Ameropa taps Bunge's executive as new CEO". foodbusinessafrica.com. November 20, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Russia is Drowning in Corruption Trump Should Offer to Help". Newsweek. June 24, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Court document ameropa.com
  13. ↑ The Rise of Reiderstvo reiderstvo.org
  14. ↑ Interpol decision 6 March 2017 ameropa.com
  15. ↑ "Ameropa and TogliattiAzot (ToAz)". www.ameropa.com. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  16. ↑ Bernhard Odehnal, Thomas Knellwolf (February 29, 2024). "Scharfschütze und Geschäftsleute – Moskau fahndet nach diesen Schweizern". tagesanzeiger.ch. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  17. ↑ "The Board :: Schweizer Demokratie Stiftung". www.swissdemocracy.foundation. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  18. ↑ Gerald Hosp (April 12, 2017). "Ich wäre gerne Politiker geworden". nzz.ch. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
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