Draft:Rob Hersov
| Submission declined on 10 April 2025 by Greenman (talk). This submission is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Reliable sources are required so that information can be verified. If you need help with referencing, please see Referencing for beginners and Citing sources.
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| Submission declined on 9 April 2025 by S0091 (talk). This submission's references do not show that the subject qualifies for a Wikipedia article—that is, they do not show significant coverage (not just passing mentions) about the subject in published, reliable, secondary sources that are independent of the subject (see the guidelines on the notability of people). Before any resubmission, additional references meeting these criteria should be added (see technical help and learn about mistakes to avoid when addressing this issue). If no additional references exist, the subject is not suitable for Wikipedia. Declined by S0091 5 days ago. | |
Comment: See WP:BLP. Statements, starting with the date of birth, need to be sourced or removed. Greenman (talk) 08:52, 10 April 2025 (UTC)
- Comment: Most of this is supported by primary and non-independent sources such as press releases, company sites or otherwise based on what he says. Other sources are not reliable such as social media and YouTube (YouTube can be used if published by a verified reputable outlet like BBC). In addition, this is written like a resume and "list of stuff" rather than an encyclopedia article. S0091 (talk) 19:11, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
Rob Hersov | |
|---|---|
 Rob Hersov, South African entrepreneur, investor, and media figure | |
| Born | Robert Basil Hersov October 9, 1960 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African |
| Education | University of Cape Town, Harvard Business School |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, Investor |
| Known for | Invest Africa, Cape Winelands Airport, Africa Padel |
| Spouse | Kate James Hersov |
| Children | 4 |
Robert Basil Hersov (born 9 October 1960) is a South African entrepreneur, investor, and business executive. He has held senior roles at international corporations including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, News Corporation, and Richemont. He is known for founding Invest Africa, launching the Cape Winelands Airport project, and for media commentary on political and economic developments in South Africa.
Early life and education
[edit]Hersov was born in Johannesburg. His grandfather, Bob Hersov, founded the mining company Anglovaal, and his father, Basil Hersov, ran the group until 2001.[1] He attended Ridge Preparatory School and Michaelhouse, and earned a Bachelor of Business Science at the University of Cape Town in 1982. He completed his MBA at Harvard Business School in 1989.
Career
[edit]Hersov began his career at Goldman Sachs in New York. From 1989 to 1991, he worked at News Corporation under Rupert Murdoch.
He went on to head European media investment banking at Morgan Stanley in London and later served on the board of Richemont.[2] He also served as chief executive of Telepiù, Italy’s largest pay-TV network, where he oversaw the company’s investment in Serie A football broadcasting rights and subscriber growth.[3]
In 1998, Hersov founded the digital sports media platform Sportal. Backed by investors such as Paul Allen, Bernard Arnault, and Silvio Berlusconi, Sportal at one point was valued at £117 million and produced digital content for international teams including Bayern Munich and AC Milan. The company ultimately collapsed during the dot-com bust in 2001 and was sold for £1.[4]
In 2002, he co-founded Marquis Jet Europe, offering fractional private jet ownership. The business was acquired in 2010 by NetJets, a Berkshire Hathaway company.[5] Hersov served as vice-chairman of NetJets Europe.
In 2008, he acquired a 15.4% stake in Air Berlin, briefly becoming its largest shareholder.[6]
In 2013, Hersov founded Invest Africa, a platform linking African business opportunities with global investors.[7] [8]
Projects and ventures
[edit]In 2020, Hersov acquired Fisantekraal Airfield near Cape Town and began developing it into Cape Winelands Airport, a multibillion-rand project intended as a secondary airport for the city.[9] [10]
He has also been involved in:
- Africa Padel – a growing franchise of padel tennis clubs in South Africa and Europe[11]
- African Gold Acquisition Corporation – a $360 million SPAC focused on African mining[12]
- AltCap Invest and African Capital Investments – regional capital firms in Africa[13]
Media and commentary
[edit]Hersov has appeared in publications such as Forbes Afrique,[14] the Financial Times,[15] and the Wall Street Journal.[3]
He was interviewed on The Rubin Report in 2025 regarding corruption and governance in South Africa. A clip from the interview went viral after being retweeted by Elon Musk.[16][17]
In 2025, he launched Truth Report [18], a conservative media platform inspired by The Daily Wire.
Controversies
[edit]In 2023, comments made by Hersov regarding ANC leadership and global politics resulted in boycott threats against Africa Padel.[19]
Personal life
[edit]Hersov was previously married to fashion editor Kim Hersov. He is currently married to Dr. Kate James Hersov, co-founder of JumoHealth. He lives in Cape Town and has four children.
He voiced a minor character in the animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009).[20]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ BizNews (4 October 2021). "Rob Hersov: The hero South Africa needs?". Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ "Richemont Company Announcement, 16 March 1995" (PDF). Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ a b Sturani, Maria; Rohwedder, Cacilie (4 September 1996). "Italy's Telepiu Aims To Score With Soccer". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Tryhorn, Chris (1 November 2001). "Sportal collapses with loss of 230 jobs". The Guardian.
- ^ "Berkshire's NetJets buys Marquis Jet". Reuters. 3 November 2010.
- ^ "With business in his blood, Hersov takes to the skies". IOL. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ "Rob Hersov – CEO of Invest Africa". Embassy Direct. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ "Africa: Now is the time to invest". Moneyweb. 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Cape Winelands Airport aims to receive first passengers in 2027". Engineering News. 22 January 2024.
- ^ "Milliardär plant neuen Flughafen für Kapstadt". Aerotelegraph. 13 March 2021.
- ^ "Africa Padel". Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "African Gold Acquisition Corporation Announces IPO". Nasdaq. 26 February 2021.
- ^ "AltCap Invest". Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "Robert Hersov: The Wisdom of a Master of Business in Africa". Forbes Afrique (in French). June 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2025. – see confirmation by Invest Africa via X: Tweet, 2 June 2017
- ^ "Consortium plans rescue bid for Petropavlovsk". Financial Times. 4 November 2014.
- ^ "South Africa's Collapse Finally Exposed – Rob Hersov on Rubin Report". YouTube. 6 March 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "Tweet by Elon Musk". X (Twitter).
- ^ "Truth Report South Africa". Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "'F*** these guys': Africa Padel club threatened with boycotts". News24. 15 November 2023.
- ^ "Rob Hersov – IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- 1960 births
- Living people
- South African businesspeople
- Harvard Business School alumni
- University of Cape Town alumni
- People from Johannesburg
- South African investors
- South African company founders
- Venture capitalists
- Media executives
- South African political commentators
- Businesspeople in sport
- South African media personalities