Early Life
Joseph C. Lewis was born on February 5, 1937, to a Jewish family in London, England. He left school at 15 to help run his father's catering business, Tavistock Banqueting. He oversaw the expansion of the business, selling luxury goods to American tourists. He also owned the Hanover Grand nightclub. He sold the business in 1979, which made him a multi-millionaire.
Rise to Success
After selling the family business, Lewis moved into currency trading in the 1980s and 1990s. He moved to the Bahamas, where he is a tax exile. In September 1992, Lewis bet on the pound crashing out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, an event dubbed Black Wednesday. In the late 1990s, Lewis took a financial interest in football when his son and Daniel Levy founded the English National Investment Company (ENIC).
Key Business Strategies
Lewis is the main investor in Tavistock Group, a global investment firm that owns over 200 companies in 15 countries. He also owns Albany, a luxurious resort community in the Bahamas, and has made substantial contributions to the development of Lake Nona Medical City in Orlando, Florida. Through Tavistock, Lewis owns Premier League soccer team Tottenham and has a stake in the U.K. pub operator Mitchells & Butlers.
Philanthropy
Lewis has received recognition for his philanthropic efforts, including seeding Lake Nona Medical City with $100 million in gifts and land.