Isabel dos Santos

Isabel dos Santos ( * in April 1973 in Baku, is the eldest daughter of the reigning since 1979 elected President of Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos. Considered the largest private investor in Angola. It is by Forbes Magazine, the first dollar - billionaire Africa and the most powerful woman in Angola, as well as in Africa. your personal fortune was estimated in March 2013 to over two billion dollars.

Family and Education

Isabel dos Santos was born in 1973 in Baku, where her mother, Tatiana Kukanova, a Russian chess champion, her father, José Eduardo dos Santos met while both were studying engineering at the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. Azerbaijan was then part of the Soviet Union, were in the young cadres from ideologically related African liberation movements such as the Movimento Popular de Angola Libertação de Angola, is formed.

Isabel dos Santos grew up mostly in London, where her mother lives, and studied electrical engineering at King's College London. There she met her coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo man Sindika Dokolo know, the son of a millionaire from Kinshasa and his Danish wife. The wedding took place in 2003 in Luanda; the 4 million -US-dollar celebration with around 1,000 guests, was one of the biggest weddings in the history of the country. Best man was the then Minister of Petroleum Economics, Desidério da Costa.

Isabel dos Santos managed the family fortune, which has amassed her father after more than 33 years of authoritarian rule in Angola. Angola is the second largest oil producer in Africa, her father ruled with a coterie of relatives, generals and the former head of the state oil company Sonangol ( Sociedade Nacional de Combustíveis de Angola), the. Well, according to the Presidential Palace, which is called " Futungo clique " This government and their kleptocratic patronage network privatize large parts of the Öleinnahmen.Die boundaries between politics and private business are flowing. The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch has December 2011, the Government of Angola asked to provide information about where 25 billion euros are left that are missing from the Treasury in connection with Sonangol. It must be assumed that the missing oil billions have been invested in investments, especially in the family of President José Eduardo dos Santos and his daughter Isabel dos Santos. The inhabitants of Angola are among the poorest in the world.

Business activities

Isabel dos Santos was supported by the Portuguese newspaper Público, as a "good businesswoman extremely dynamic and intelligent, as well as professional, personable and nice," beschrieben.Die Financial Times wrote in March 2013 that " Some critics acknowledge Isabel dos Santos independent skills as entrepreneur. " In the same interview, says Isabel dos Santos, she was a businesswoman, not a politician.

At 24, she entered the business. She started her business activities in the early 1990s in the capital Luanda and worked as a project engineer in charge of the company Urbana 2000, which belongs to Jembas group and had been awarded the contract for cleaning and disinfection of the city. It opened after 24 years on the Ilha de Luanda in 1997, the Miami Beach Club, one of the first night clubs in Angola's capital.

They quickly became a key figure for the management of family assets and took over various holding companies acquiring property and participation in (or acquisition of ) companies in Angola and abroad, particularly Portugal, before.

Investment in Portugal

It has since at least 2008 on relevant investments in the telecommunications, media, finance, energy, industry, both Angola and Portugal (wine and olive branch ). In addition to its corporate interest in oil and diamonds, Isabel dos Santos also owns shares in the Angolan cement company Nova Cimangola. Her husband Dokolo, who is also active in the diamond business sits on the board of the company.

Isabel dos Santos is on the Unitel International Holdings BV, 29% shareholder of ZON Multimédia in Portugal. In November 2012 she became a member of the Board of Directors of ZON non-executive functions. In December 2012, they announced the merger with Sonaecom. The entrepreneur is one of the founders of the Angolan Banco BIC Português, recently Banco Português de Negocios state (BPN ) bought by the Portuguese State, and is authorized by the Banco de Portugal, member of the board. It also holds interests in the company Galp Energia and the Banco de Fomento de Angola ( BFA).

In 2010, Isabel dos Santos bought with their Santoro Holding 9.99 percent stake in Banco Português de Investimento of Portugal (BPI ) and increased in March 2012 to a total of 19.43 percent.

In the joint venture with the Angolan businesswoman ZON Multimédia, the Portuguese launched the TV channel ZAP, a satellite-based pay- TV program. 30 percent of the business remain in ZON, while Isabel dos Santos, the remaining 70 percent of shares on the SOCIP - Sociedade de Investimentos e Participações holds, SA, an Angolan investment and holding company. A contract of SOCIP with the Portuguese group Sonae assures it a significant stake in two large-scale initiatives of this group in Angola, the supermarket chain Continente and a real estate company.

However, the starting point was the creation of Unitel in partnership with Portugal Telecom. Except Isabel dos Santos were present at the founding Brigadier Leopoldino Fragoso Nascimento, Anthony Van Dunem and Manuel Augusto da Fonseca, involved from the office of Sonangol. To this end, the French-Brazilian businessman Pierre Falcone, joined known from the affair Angola gate.

The development of a walkie-talkie system paved the way for their later foray into telecommunications. After a fair bidding process, they created the largest mobile operator in Angola, in partnership with Portugal Telecom, Sonangol and Vidatel.

By Unitel International, an investment platform Unitel, where Portugal Telecom has no presence, the operator T was acquired, and thus build up the license to the second mobile operator in Cap Verde and Pricipe.

Mid-2012 was the property of Isabel dos Santos in Portugal more than 1.4 billion euros.

Investing in Angola

With their own Angolan enterprises Condis, Isabel dos Santos, signed in April 2011, a partnership with the Portuguese Sonae Group for the joint development and operation of a chain of supermarkets in Angola under the name Continente.

Isabel dos Santos is the president of the Angolan Red Cross.

Conjecture

The substantial growth of the Angolan businesswoman in Portuguese communication sector has led to some fears in the Lusitanian media. In editorials of the press monopoly is due to the recent transactions in 2012, for expression. By focusing on Angola and Portugal, this would lead to a monopoly in some sectors of the Portuguese communications and media industry. Isabel dos Santos said that she has no interest in the Angolan and Portuguese media. In addition, Isabel dos Santos also sided political distortion, as well as misuse of inside information about their contacts in Portugal is accused. The commitment by Isabel dos Santos in the economy of Portugal seems to follow a clear strategy. In the years 2009-2012, their share has increased exponentially. The areas of interest are the communication and the financial system. Both segments also have priority for investment in their own societies in Angola and abroad. Isabel dos Santos, currently one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the country, expanding its business in Europe without a diversification of their serving business. The concern of the Portuguese economy actors can be justified by the recent holdings of the Angolan businesswoman thus.

Holdings

Founded Holdings by Isabel dos Santos in recent years.

• Unitel International Holdings BV ( name change from Kento and Jadeium, registered in Amsterdam, telecommunications, umbrella organization for investment in Portugal)
• Santoro Finance ( registered in Lisbon, banks, etc. )
• Esperanza ( registered in Amsterdam, energy, oil, etc.)
• Condis ( registered in Luanda, retail business )
• Ciminvest ( Isabel dos Santos is the investor Ciminvest SA, which holds a stake in the Angolan cement company Nova Cimangola )