Johann Rupert
South African businessman; chairman of Richemont and Remgro
| Johann Rupert
| |
|---|---|
| Image | .png) Rupert interviewed by WildlifeRanching TV, June 2016 (video still) |
| Born | 1 June 1950 (Forbes) Stellenbosch, South Africa (Forbes) |
| Nationality | South African |
| Residence | Cape Town (Forbes) |
| Occupation | Chairman, Compagnie Financière Richemont and Remgro |
| Known for | Richemont (Cartier, Montblanc, Van Cleef & Arpels); Remgro; Reinet |
| Parents | Anton Rupert (father) |
| Sibling(s) | Anthonij Rupert (brother, deceased) |
Johann Rupert (born 1 June 1950) is a South African businessman. He is chairman of the Swiss luxury-goods group Compagnie Financière Richemont, whose brands include Cartier and Montblanc, and of the South African investment company Remgro.[1][2] Forbes says he owns 7% of Remgro and 26% of the Luxembourg-based investment holding company Reinet.[1] On 10 November 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Johann Rupert and his family 179th in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$16.2 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as luxury goods.[1][3] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Johann Rupert and his family 178th, at US$16.1 billion.[4] In May 2025 he was part of President Cyril Ramaphosa's delegation to the White House. There, in the Oval Office, he disputed claims made by US President Donald Trump that white farmers in South Africa were being singled out for killing.[5][6][7]
Early life and family
Forbes gives Rupert's birthplace as Stellenbosch and his residence as Cape Town. It says his father, Anton Rupert, formed the Rembrandt Group (now Remgro) in the 1940s.[1] Wine Spectator reports that Anton Rupert bought the L'Ormarins vineyard in the Franschhoek Valley in 1968. Rupert's younger brother Anthonij ran the winery, and Rupert took it over in 2005 after his brother's death.[8] In the Oval Office in 2025 Rupert reminded Trump that both had lived in New York in the 1970s.[7]
Richemont
Sources differ on when Richemont was created. Forbes says it was formed in 1998 through a spin-off of assets owned by the Rembrandt Group.[1] WWD describes Richemont as "the luxury giant he founded in 1988".[9] WWD also calls Rupert the group's founder and chairman.[2] For the 2024–25 financial year, Richemont reported a 4% rise in sales to €21.4 billion, driven by jewellery. Rupert said then that the group "were not greedy in the post-COVID boom period".[2] For 2025–26 it reported revenue up 11% at constant exchange rates to €22.4 billion, operating profit up 23% to €4.5 billion and net cash of €8.5 billion.[9] In early 2026 Richemont sold the watchmaker Baume & Mercier to the Italian jeweller Damiani. Rupert dismissed talk that Jaeger-LeCoultre would also be sold as "nonsense".[9] Forbes reports Rupert as saying his biggest regret was not buying half of Gucci when it was available for US$175 million.[1]
Remgro and Reinet
Rupert chairs Remgro, in which Forbes estimates he holds 7%.[1] Forbes's estimate of his Reinet stake has varied between editions: 25% in 2021–2022, 27% in 2025 and 26% in 2026.[1] In Remgro's annual report published in late 2026, Rupert warned that uncertainty "will no longer be episodic" but a defining feature of the global landscape. He cited increasing political polarisation and protectionism as concerns.[10] On South Africa, he pointed to lower inflation, a more stable energy supply and closer public–private collaboration as encouraging signs. He also called for policy certainty and quicker decisions, writing that "a quick no is better than a delayed yes".[10] BusinessDay reported that Remgro's headline earnings for the year to June 2026 rose 42.3% to R11.14 billion.[10]
Other interests
Forbes says Rupert has invested in the English rugby club Saracens and in Anthonij Rupert Wines, named after his late brother.[1] Wine Spectator describes Anthonij Rupert Wines as one of South Africa's most prominent wine names, with six brands. It quotes Rupert as citing his father's advice: "Wine is a lifestyle, it's not a business."[8]
Karoo fracking
Forbes reports that Rupert has been a vocal opponent of plans to allow fracking in the Karoo, a region of South Africa where he owns land.[1]
2025 Oval Office meeting
On 21 May 2025 Rupert travelled to Washington with President Ramaphosa. The delegation also included the golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, who were invited as Ramaphosa's guests.[6] Christopher Vandome of Chatham House wrote that Rupert "was apparently instrumental in setting up the meeting".[11] The Associated Press reported that Trump used the meeting to raise what it called "baseless allegations" that white farmers were being singled out for persecution and murder.[5] Rupert replied: "We have too many deaths. And it's across the board. It's not only white farmers."[5] He asked for US help, including Starlink terminals "at every little police station" and drones. He referred to the satellite service run by Elon Musk, who was in the room.[6][5] He also said: "If we don't get our country to grow, the culture of dependency and the lawlessness will increase."[6] TimesLive reported further remarks. Rupert said he had "been against apartheid all my life" and was the "number one target" of the EFF leader Julius Malema, who he said had "marched on my doorstep". He also criticised the Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen over violent crime in the Western Cape.[7] The sports minister Gayton McKenzie, previously a vocal critic of Rupert, then said he had been "wrong about him".[7]
Relations with the ANC
Vandome wrote that Rupert had been a target of the "white monopoly capital" campaigns of the Zuma-era government. He added that Rupert's ambition to take a bigger role in South Africa's relationship with the United States had been undermined by his past criticism of the African National Congress (ANC).[11]
Wealth
Forbes classes the Rupert family's fortune as inherited and growing and lists luxury goods as its source.[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 26 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2001. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list.[4][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 387 | 1.3 |
| 2002 | 413 | 1.1 |
| 2003 | 427 | 1.0 |
| 2004 | 342 | 1.7 |
| 2005 | 272 | 2.3 |
| 2006 | 207 | 3.3 |
| 2007 | 194 | 4.3 |
| 2008 | 284 | 3.8 |
| 2009 | 601 | 1.2 |
| 2010 | 421 | 2.3 |
| 2011 | 219 | 4.8 |
| 2012 | 199 | 5.1 |
| 2013 | 179 | 6.6 |
| 2014 | 173 | 7.6 |
| 2015 | 179 | 7.4 |
| 2016 | 248 | 5.3 |
| 2017 | 237 | 6.1 |
| 2018 | 228 | 7.0 |
| 2019 | 317 | 5.5 |
| 2020 | 375 | 4.6 |
| 2021 | 358 | 7.1 |
| 2022 | 230 | 8.9 |
| 2023 | 157 | 11.1 |
| 2024 | 162 | 12.2 |
| 2025 | 165 | 14.0 |
| 2026 | 178 | 16.1 |
Political activity
Rupert does not hold party office. His recorded political interventions in the sources checked are his 2025 Oval Office remarks, his opposition to fracking in the Karoo, and his comments on South African economic policy as Remgro's chairman.[5][1][10]
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
Rupert lives in Cape Town and chairs Remgro, one of South Africa's large investment groups.[1] In 2025 he spoke for the Ramaphosa government's side in the White House meeting on US–South African relations.[5][11]
Other international links
Richemont is a Swiss-domiciled luxury group, and Reinet is a Luxembourg-based investment company.[1] In the Oval Office Rupert appealed directly for help from the Trump administration and from Elon Musk's Starlink.[6]
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Johann Rupert & family (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/johann-rupert/) Forbes, live record, read 10 November 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Samantha Conti, Johann Rupert talks gold, geopolitics and Trump tariffs as Richemont jewelry sales surge in 2025 WWD, 16 May 2025, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 10 November 2026 20:12 UTC, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Chris Megerian, Lights, video, confrontation: South African president's US visit takes dramatic turn Associated Press, 21 May 2025, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Forbes Africa, South African billionaire Johann Rupert backs Ramaphosa during White House showdown, pleads for U.S. and Elon Musk's help Forbes Africa, 22 May 2025, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Modiegi Mashamaite, Rupert speaks, Ramaphosa stands firm: SA's moment at the White House TimesLive, 22 May 2025, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Julia Larson, Billionaire Johann Rupert's take on the wine industry Wine Spectator, 22 October 2025, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Samantha Conti, Richemont's Johann Rupert talks M&A, mystery shopping and why he's not selling Jaeger-LeCoultre WWD (via Yahoo Finance UK), 26 May 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Jacqueline Mackenzie, 'A quick no is better than a delayed yes': Johann Rupert on SA BusinessDay, 4 November 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Christopher Vandome, Ramaphosa withstands Trump's White House ambush with his 'delegation of all the talents' Chatham House, 22 May 2025, accessed 10 November 2026.