Christopher Harborne

Christopher Harborne
BornDecember 1962 (age 61)
NationalityBritish
Other namesChakrit Sakunkrit
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom, Thailand
EducationWestminster School
Alma materDowning College, Cambridge
INSEAD
TitleChief Executive Officer
Board member ofSherriff Global Group

Christopher Charles Sherriff Harborne (born December 1962) is a British businessman and technology investor based in Thailand. A University of Cambridge and INSEAD graduate, his donations have enabled the founding of INSEAD San Francisco and the creation of a blockchain research fund. He has also donated to Britain's Conservative Party and more recently has been a major donor to Britain's Brexit Party, donating more than £6 million in 2019.[1] As well as personal donations to Reform UK's Nigel Farage. [2]

He also holds Thai citizenship under the name Chakrit Sakunkrit.[3]

Early life and education

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Christopher Harborne was born in December 1962. He was educated at Westminster School and is a graduate of Downing College, University of Cambridge, from where he received the degrees of MA, MEng and MBA.[4] He also received an MBA from the Institut européen d'administration des affaires (INSEAD) in 1988.[5]

Career

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Harborne worked for five years as a management consultant at McKinsey and Co., before running a research company in Asia. He describes himself as an "investor in new tech, including open software blockchain platforms".[6][7] He is the CEO of Sherriff Global Group which trades in private planes, and the owner of AML Global, a firm that sells aviation fuel.[8] He has made a donation to enable the founding of INSEAD San Francisco and to create a Blockchain Research Fund.[5] He has set up a company, Singular AI Consulting Limited, with crypto-currency miner Marco Streng.[6] As of December 2019, he is based in Thailand.[6][9]

Political donations

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Harborne donated more than £6m to the Brexit Party in 2019,[6] £3 million in the summer[8] and £3 million before the United Kingdom general election in 2019,[6] making him the largest donor that year.[9] His sister Katharine, a scientist and artist who was previously a councillor for the Conservative Party, has been a candidate for the Brexit Party.[10] Before switching his donations to the Brexit Party,[11] Harborne had donated smaller sums, averaging £15,000 per annum since 2001, to the Conservative Party. In November 2022, Harborne donated £1 million to The Office of Boris Johnson Ltd, one of the biggest donations ever made to an individual British politician.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Tories raised three times as much as Labour in pre-election donations". the Guardian. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  2. ^ https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/240804/farage_nigel.htm@ [bare URL]
  3. ^ Zorzut, Adrian (22 September 2020). "Nigel Farage refuses to answer questions about £10m Brexit Party donor with two separate identities". The New European. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  4. ^ Christopher Harborne. Downing College Cambridge. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  5. ^ a b Christopher Harborne MBA’88J makes founding gift for INSEAD San Francisco and supports blockchain research. INSEAD. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Man in the Eye: Christopher Harborne", Private Eye, No. 1511, 13 December 2019, p. 10.
  7. ^ Christopher Harborne: Brexit Party’s bankroller has a Thai doppelgänger. Dominic Kennedy & Oliver Wright, The Times, 27 November 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019. (subscription required)
  8. ^ a b Former Tory donor gave Brexit Party £3m donation, new figures reveal. Alain Tolhurst, PoliticsHome, 26 November 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  9. ^ a b General election 2019: Who is paying for the election? Mark D'Arcy, BBC News, 7 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  10. ^ Tories have betrayed us, says Brexit election candidate. Henley Standard, 6 September 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  11. ^ Brexit Party receives more than £1m in donations amid speculation over snap election. Lizzy Buchan, The Independent, 29 August 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Boris Johnson given £1m donation by former Brexit party backer". the Guardian. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
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