Louis Reijtenbagh
Louis Reijtenbagh | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 18, 1946 Den Ham, Overijssel, Netherlands |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, investor, former medical doctor |
| Known for | Founder and leader of The Plaza Group family office |
Louis Reijtenbagh (born July 18, 1946) is a Dutch entrepreneur, investor, and former medical doctor. He established and currently leads The Plaza Group (“Plaza”), a family office responsible for managing the financial assets of Reijtenbagh and his relatives.
Early life and career
Born in Den Ham, Overijssel, Reijtenbagh completed his medical degree at Radboud University Nijmegen in 1975. Subsequently, he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to pursue cardiology studies at Northwestern University in Chicago. His early professional experience includes volunteering at the Acworth Leprosy Hospital in Mumbai and operating a general medical practice in Almelo until 1990.
Since his university years, Reijtenbagh has maintained a keen interest in financial markets, specializing in global macro strategies and discretionary long/short investments. In 1985, he founded Plaza in the Netherlands to engage in diversified asset management, relocating its operations to Monaco in 1995.
Reijtenbagh played a role in Big Sky Energy, which held oil exploration rights on the eastern Caspian Sea shore through its involvement with KoZhan, focusing on fields within Kazakhstan's Atyrau Region. Nevertheless, after a governmental decision favored Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC)—which subsequently restructured as the Kazakh Trio and is now under the ownership of Chinese company Geo-Jade Petroleum Corporation—Big Sky Energy lost control over these holdings.
Personal life
In 1995, Reijtenbagh moved from the Netherlands to Monaco. He is married and has two sons.
Art Collector
As an avid art collector, Reijtenbagh possesses notable pieces by artists such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, among others. Notably, in September 2008, he sold Gerrit Adriaensz Berckheyde’s painting “The bend in the Herengracht” to Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum for an undisclosed amount. This artwork has also been displayed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Controversy
In March 2009, Credit Suisse’s Strategic Partners initiated legal action against Reijtenbagh alleging breach of credit agreements involving fraudulent misrepresentation and improper asset transfers; the dispute was resolved by May that year.
Following this, JPMorgan Chase filed a lawsuit in April 2009 citing default on credit obligations connected to the Credit Suisse case and alleging a material adverse change. This matter was settled by September 2009.
In October 2018, the Court of Antwerp ratified an agreement between Reijtenbagh and the Public Prosecutor's Office addressing domicile-related tax matters dating back more than ten years. The resolution did not involve any conviction or admission of guilt, with all charges dismissed with prejudice.