Early Life
Dirk Edward Ziff was born in 1965. He is the son of William Bernard Ziff Jr., a media magnate who built the Ziff-Davis magazine empire, which included titles like *PC Magazine* and *Car and Driver*. Dirk Ziff's mother, Barbara Ingrid Beitz, had parents recognized as 'Righteous Among the Nations' for their actions during World War II. He graduated from Trinity School in New York City in 1981, Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1988, and Harvard University with a Master of Business Administration.
Rise to Success
In 1994, Dirk, along with his brothers Robert and Daniel, inherited the family fortune after their father sold 95% of Ziff-Davis to Forstmann Little for $1.4 billion. The brothers then established Ziff Brothers Investments. The firm invested across various asset classes, including equities, debt, real estate, commodities, private equity, and hedge funds. Notably, they provided seed money to fund manager Daniel Och for a 10% stake in Och-Ziff Capital Management. Och-Ziff went public in 2007, marking a significant success. In 2014, Ziff Brothers Investments dissolved, and Dirk began investing independently. He is a managing partner of Ziff Capital Partners, a private financial firm founded in 2014.
Key Business Strategies
Key strategies involved diversified investments in various sectors and asset classes, including hedge funds, private equity, and real estate. A significant strategic move was the investment in Och-Ziff Capital Management, which proved highly profitable. Ziff also made a strategic shift in 2014, winding down in-house hedge fund operations to allocate capital to external managers. He also co-owns the World Surf League through an investment vehicle called ZoSea.
Philanthropy
Dirk Ziff is involved in philanthropy through The Natasha & Dirk Ziff Foundation and Vere Initiatives. His philanthropic interests span education, healthcare, environmental conservation, and the arts. He has a notable interest in surfing, supporting coastal environment preservation and the World Surf League (WSL).