John Kinder likes to fly below the radar, which is why you might not have heard of his investment vehicle Rivertrade, but you would be familiar with some of the brands he has put his money and expertise behind: Betfair, the Mayfair Fox members club, Robertson Taylor Insurance brokers, and Samujana Villas, Koh Samui, to mention just a handful.
Kinder was, in his past life, a sugar trader which would explain his sugar trade/sugar refinery-focused investments.
When he branched out on his own, having spent years at the Man Group, Kinder’s vision was to focus initially on sustainable investments. Some worked; others not so well, other still pivoted, but in the process, Rivertrade solidified its base and diversified its portfolio.
One of his early successes was a sugar refinery close to Jakarta, Jawamanis, since sold to the Wilmar International group.
Today, speciality insurance services and a score of sport-orientated platforms represent a fair chunk of Rivertrade’s investments, along with data harvesting and analytics with a focus on the connected car.
His coolest investment is easily a lifestyle and real estate one: Samujana.
The brainchild of a few friends who teamed up to buy some land in iconic Koh Samui, Samujana has developed into a private resort of villas and soon to be developed wellness center.
A BBeyond travel team recently visited Samujana and can testify to its numerous attractions both from a holiday and investment point of view (see review here).
Given Kinder’s credentials as a savvy investor of some pedigree and experience, and Koh Samui’s perennial appeal as a destination for the well-heeled, the advantages hardly need spelling out.
In line with his philosophy of supporting ethical and sustainable companies and industries, Kinder is a discreet but committed philanthropist, spearheading among other things a “tennis for free” initiative through the eponymous foundation that introduces low income youngsters to the sport.
He is also actively involved in the UK based think tank the Centre for Social Justice.