Nicky Oppenheimer is Chairman of the De Beers Group and as such Chairman of De Beers sa, De Beers Consolidated Mines and De Beers Centenary AG.  He is also a non-executive director of Anglo American plc.

He was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he read Politics, Philosophy and Economics

He joined the Anglo American Corporation in 1968 as the Personal Assistant to the Chairman, and worked subsequently in the Gold and Diamond Divisions of the Corporation. He spent eighteen months in the London office of De  Beers before returning to Johannesburg in 1975 to join the Gold Division.

He was appointed a director of Anglo American Corporation in 1974 and a director of De Beers in 1978. In 1981 he was appointed a member of the Executive Committee of the board of Anglo American Corporation and became Deputy Chairman in 1983. He subsequently resigned as Deputy Chairman in 2001 but remains a non-executive director of the Anglo American board.

In 1984 he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the then Central Selling Organisation (now Diamond Trading Company) in London and Deputy Chairman of De Beers Consolidated Mines in 1985. He was appointed Chairman of the Diamond Trading Company in 1985.

In 1990 he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the newly formed Swiss based company, De Beers Centenary AG. Nicky Oppenheimer became Chairman of the De Beers Group on 1 January 1998.

In 2003, a Doctorate in Technology, honoris causa was bestowed upon him by the Technikon Witwatersrand in South Africa.  He is the first recipient of such an honorary doctorate by the Technikon to a person in the public and private sector. 

In 2004 he received the Presidential Order of Honor from His Excellency the President of the Republic of Botswana, Mr. Festus Gontebanye Mogae.

Year of birth: 1945

Qualifications: MA (Oxon)