Marcel Boekhoorn, where do we know him from?
The businessman from Nijmegen (October 30, 1959) became known for the sale of telecom provider Telfort to KPN in 2005. That deal left him with half a billion euros – and a place in the Quotation 500. A good number of successful investments later, his fortune has grown rapidly: last year he was ranked twelve in the Quote, with an estimated capital of 2.3 billion euros. With the sale of the Eindhoven High Tech Campus, he made a big hit in 2021, in his own words a bigger one than with Telfort at the time. A self-made billionaire, so.
Boekhoorn – ‘Boekie’ for connoisseurs – started his career as a chartered accountant. Now he is one of the country’s most flamboyant billionaires, who lives by the motto: “You better enjoy it, or you will be the richest in the graveyard.” Although he rarely gives interviews – -– he doesn’t trust most journalists -– he makes the news all the time. He also figures in the gossip magazines, thanks to the well-known women with whom he enters into relationships: in the past, these included actress Tatjana Simic and singer Hind. He has now been together with Rebecca Cabau, the sister of Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen, for years now.
As an ‘animal person’ and owner of Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen, Boekhoorn succeeded in bringing two Chinese giant pandas to the Netherlands in 2017, after years of lobbying and diplomacy at the highest level. He has also been a supporter of football club NEC since childhood, where he closes financial holes as a sugar daddy.
Boekhoorn was less successful with HEMA. In 2018 he took over the ailing retail chain, determined to make it a success again. That failed miserably. After a year and a half, his role at HEMA was over, when the company fell into the hands of the creditors after a tough negotiation game.
So now he is leaving as top boss at Ramphastos. Will ‘Boekie’ retire?
Last week, Boekhoorn (63) announced that he is leaving his investment company after almost thirty years. Jan Willem Neggers, 51, who has been a partner at Ramphastos Investments for ten years, will take over the day-to-day management. But, Boekhoorn warned in Quote, as a major shareholder he will “certainly” continue to interfere with certain investments. “Not because I don’t think they can do it without me, but because this work is too much fun to drop completely. I’m not very good at doing nothing anyway.” By the way, Ramphastos means giant toucan.
Will his successor get the workroom above the gorillas?
Anyone visiting Ramphastos must report to the Ouwehands reception and receive a map of the park. At the gorilla enclosure to the right and there is the entrance door to the office of the investment company. In the middle of Boekhoorn’s gigantic study room is a work of art with a hatch through which the gorillas can be seen. They can also be fed through the tube next to it, but Boekhoorn no longer does that to prevent the males from fighting with each other. Last week, successor Neggers announced that this special office will remain with Boekhoorn – he himself is located a little further away.