Dirk Edward Ziff

Dirk Edward Ziff
Born 1965 (age 50–51)
Residence North Palm Beach, Florida, US
Nationality United States
Alma mater

Columbia University (BA)

Harvard University (MBA)
Occupation Investor
Known for Inheritance, Investments
Net worth Increase US$ 5 billion (February 2016)[1]
Spouse(s) Natasha Bacigalupo
Children two
Parent(s) William Bernard Ziff, Jr.
Barbara Ingrid Beitz
Relatives Daniel Ziff
Robert Ziff

Dirk Edward Ziff (born 1965) is an American businessman. He is a billionaire and the eldest son of publishing magnate William Bernard Ziff, Jr. He and his two brothers inherited the family fortune in 1994.

Early life and education

Dirk was born in 1965. His mother was Barbara Ingrid Beitz, an ethnic German whose parents were declared as "Righteous among the Nations" for providing refuge and risking their lives to save Jews during World War II.[2] His father was the Jewish American media magnate William Ziff Jr. (d. 2006), who had built the Ziff-Davis magazine empire that included titles such as Popular Aviation, PC Magazine, and Car and Driver.[3]

In 1981, Dirk graduated from the Trinity School in New York City where his father served as trustee.[4] He later earned a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University.[3]

Career

Dirk and his brothers Daniel and Robert inherited the family fortune in 1994 after their father sold 95% of the business to Forstmann Little for $1.4 billion and retired. The father had originally wanted to pass the company on to his sons but they were not interested. Instead, they formed New York City-based Ziff Brothers Investments, investing their inheritances broadly across equities, debt, real estate, commodities, private equity and hedge funds. They also provided seed money to fund manager Daniel Och in exchange for a 10% stake in Och-Ziff Capital Management which went public in 2007.[1]

Personal life

Dirk is married to the former Forbes magazine reporter Natasha Bacigalupo.[5] The couple lives in North Palm Beach, Florida[1] and vacations at their Martha's Vineyard home. They have two children.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Forbes Magazine "Forbes 400 Richest Americans: Dirk Ziff" March 2014
  2. ↑ Yad Vashem: The Righteous Among the Nations: Berthold and Elsa Beitz retrieved April 1, 2012
  3. 1 2 New York Times: "For Ziffs, Sale Is a Family Affair" by Geraldine Fabrikant June 11, 1994
  4. ↑ New York Times: "Paid Notice: Deaths ZIFF, WILLIAM" September 13, 2006
  5. ↑ New York Observer: "Sagaponack Saga: Guilt by Association; Studio 54, Where Are You?" By Frank DiGiacomo February 22, 2009
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