Christopher Harborne | |
---|---|
Born | December 1962 (age 61) |
Nationality | British |
Other names | Chakrit Sakunkrit |
Citizenship | United Kingdom, Thailand |
Education | Westminster School |
Alma mater | Downing College, Cambridge INSEAD |
Title | Chief Executive Officer |
Board member of | Sherriff Global Group |
Christopher Charles Sherriff Harborne (born December 1962) is a British businessman and technology investor based in Thailand. A University of Cambridge and INSEAD graduate, his donations have enabled the founding of INSEAD San Francisco and the creation of a blockchain research fund. He has also donated to Britain's Conservative Party and more recently has been a major donor to Britain's Brexit Party, donating more than £6 million in 2019. [1] He also holds Thai citizenship under the name Chakrit Sakunkrit. [2]
Christopher Harborne was born in December 1962. He was educated at Westminster School and is a graduate of Downing College, University of Cambridge, from where he received the degrees of MA, MEng and MBA. [3] He also received an MBA from the Institut européen d'administration des affaires (INSEAD) in 1988. [4]
Harborne worked for five years as a management consultant at McKinsey and Co., before running a research company in Asia. He describes himself as an "investor in new tech, including open software blockchain platforms". [5] [6] He is the CEO of Sherriff Global Group which trades in private planes, and the owner of AML Global, a firm that sells aviation fuel. [7] He has made a donation to enable the founding of INSEAD San Francisco and to create a Blockchain Research Fund. [4] He has set up a company, Singular AI Consulting Limited, with crypto-currency miner Marco Streng. [5] As of December 2019, he is based in Thailand. [5] [8]
Harborne donated more than £6m to the Brexit Party in 2019, [5] £3 million in the summer [7] and £3 million before the United Kingdom general election in 2019, [5] making him the largest donor that year. [8] His sister Katharine, a scientist and artist who was previously a councillor for the Conservative Party, has been a candidate for the Brexit Party. [9] Before switching his donations to the Brexit Party, [10] Harborne had donated smaller sums, averaging £15,000 per annum since 2001, to the Conservative Party. In November 2022, Harborne donated £1 million to The Office of Boris Johnson Ltd, one of the biggest donations ever made to an individual British politician. [11]
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