Petr Kellner

Petr Kellner
Born	(1964-05-20)20 May 1964 Česká Lípa, Czechoslovakia
Died	27 March 2021(2021-03-27) (aged 56) near Knik Glacier, Alaska, U.S.
Cause of death	Helicopter crash
Nationality	Czech
Alma mater	University of Economics, Prague
Occupation	Founder and majority shareholder, PPF Group
Net worth	US$17.5 billion (March 2021)[1]
Spouse(s)	Iva Kellnerová (divorced) Renáta Kellnerová
Children	4 (incl. Anna Kellnerová)

Petr Kellner (20 May 1964 – 27 March 2021) was a Czech billionaire entrepreneur, founder and majority shareholder (98.93 %) of the PPF Group. At the time of his death, he had an estimated net worth of $17.5 billion, making him the wealthiest person in the Czech Republic.^[1]

Early life

Kellner J was born in 1964 in Česká Lípa, then in Czechoslovakia, but spent most of his childhood in Liberec.^[2][3] Kellner graduated from the University of Economics, Prague Faculty of Industrial Economics, in 1986.^[4]

Career

After the Velvet Revolution he worked for the Czech company Impromat, an importer and seller of Ricoh photocopiers. While working for that company, he met Milan Maděryč and Milan Vinkler.^[5]

Investment fund PPF

In 1991, after the announcement of Czechoslovak voucher privatization, he founded the investment fund PPF (První privatizační fond)^[6] with Milan Vinkler and state-owned glassworks Sklo Union. In 1992, PPF investiční společnost a.s. was established and the funds' names were changed from privatization to investment. The funds were very successful and purchased stock of more than 200 corporations with nominal value 5 billion CZK.^[5]

Česká pojišťovna

In 1995 and 1996, PPF bought a 20% stake in the largest Czech insurance company, Česká pojišťovna and started to manage it. In 2000, PPF bought 31.5% stake of Česká pojišťovna from IPB for 2.85 billion CZK (around $72.27 million at the time) .^[7][8] The transaction with IPB ended up with IPB paying to PPF 1.6 billion CZK (around $40.93 million at the time) penalty, making the real purchasing cost of the stake 1.25 billion CZK (around $31.98 million at the time).^[9] Later PPF acquired more shares and became the dominant (93%) owner in 2001, when PPF bought large stakes of shares from Komerční banka and the Czech state.^[10] With help of these profitable transactions, the last investors from voucher privatization were bought out and Kellner became the dominant owner of PPF Group.^[5]

Assicurazioni Generali

In 2007, PPF Group signed a contract with Assicurazioni Generali to create a joint venture between PPF Group's insurance arm and Assicurazioni Generali's corporations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. According to sources PPF Group will own 49% of that company from the start, and Generali will pay €1.1 billion (around $1.29 billion at the time) to the PPF Group for its stake. From 2007 till 2013 Kellner was member of the board of directors of Generali.^[11] Kellner himself later bought 2.02% stake in Assicurazioni Generali.^[12]

In 2013 Kellner's PPF sold their remaining shares in the Generali PPF Holding (GPH) to Generali for €2.5 billion (around $3.32 billion at the time), who became sole owner effective in early 2015.^[13][14]

Central European Media Enterprises

In early September 2007, Ronald Lauder announced that Kellner held a 3% stake and was on the board of directors of Central European Media Enterprises.^[15]

Wealth

As of 2013, Kellner owned 98.93% of the PPF investment and financial group.^[16]

In 2006, he was first time listed^[17] in Forbes list of billionaires with estimated net worth at US$3 billion and as 224th wealthiest man in the world.^[18][19] In 2007, he was 119th with US$6 billion; in 2008 he was 91st with US$9.3 billion.^[20][21] In 2009 he was 76th with US$6 billion.^[22] In 2010 he was 89th with US$7.6 billion;^[23][24][25] according to the Czech weekly Týden, the estimates were lower, however, approx. US$4 billion.^[24]

In 2015, Kellner ranked #137 on the Forbes list with an estimated wealth of US$9.2 billion (2015).^[26] In August 2016, he ranked #102 with US$11.4 billion, making him the wealthiest person in the Czech Republic.^[27] In 2018, Kellner ranked #88, with US$15.5 billion.^[28] In 2020 he ranked #68 with US$14.9 billion.^[29] In October 2020, Czech Forbes listed him as the richest person in the Czech Republic with net worth 293 billion CZK (around US$13 billion at the time).^[30]

In 2010 he bought a Boeing 737-700 BBJ1 as his business airplane.^[31] He lived in an extensive residence in the village of Podkozí near Prague, and owned a number of other properties in various countries.^[32] He also owned one of the largest collections of photographs taken by Josef Sudek.^[5]

Death

Kellner died on 27 March 2021 in an Airbus AS350 B3 helicopter crash,^[33] while heliskiing in Alaska's backcountry near Knik Glacier, 50 miles (80 km) east of Anchorage, along with four other people.^[34][35] The helicopter crashed into a mountain between Metal Creek and Grasshopper Valley at about 5,500 feet (1,700 m), 10 or 15 feet (3 or 4 m) from the top of the ridge, and rolled some 800 or 900 feet (240 or 270 m) downhill.^[36] The missing helicopter was reported to the authorities two hours after the tracking signal stopped.^[37] According to the preliminary report, GPS data show the helicopter hovered at a low altitude and speed (about one knot, about 1 mph), maneuvering over the ridge in the last three minutes of the flight. It crashed at about 18:35 AKDT.^[38]

See also

• The Kellner Family Foundation

References

Further reading

• Gosling, Tom (12 May 2021). "Kellner's Death: The Beginning of the End of an Era". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 12 May 2021.