Early Life
Richard Fred Chandler was born in Matangi, New Zealand, in 1958 or 1959. He is one of three sons of Marija Chandler and Robert Chandler. His parents co-founded Chandler House, a luxury department store. He obtained a bachelor of commerce from the University of Auckland in 1979 and completed his master's thesis there in 1982.
Rise to Success
Chandler began his career at Arthur Andersen in Auckland, New Zealand, and later worked at KPMG in London in 1982. In 1986, he and his brother Christopher founded Sovereign Asset Management, an investment firm. Between 1986 and 2006, Sovereign invested in companies and governments in various industries across Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. In 2006, Richard and Christopher split their assets, and Richard created Orient Global, later renamed Clermont Group. Clermont Group has interests in healthcare, financial services, and aerospace.
Key Business Strategies
Chandler is known for his contrarian investment approach and deep value investing. He focuses on global emerging markets and distressed situations. He often seeks opportunities in emerging markets where he can acquire significant ownership stakes in companies with the potential for financial returns and societal impact. His strategy includes improving corporate governance and operational efficiency.
Philanthropy
Chandler co-founded Geneva Global, a philanthropic investment bank, in 1999. In 2007, he launched a $100 million education initiative focused on building low-cost private education projects in India. He was invited to be a core partner in Co-Impact, a philanthropic organization. He is also the founder of the Chandler Foundation and the Chandler Institute of Government.