Petr Kellner, former shareholder of Generali, has died tragically in a helicopter crash in Alaska near Knik Ice, about 80 miles from Anchorage. The news was confirmed by Jitka Tkadlecova, a spokeswoman for Kellner's company, PPF.
The crash happened Saturday March 27, together with him the pilot, two passengers and the guide who had accompanied them on the ski slopes lost their lives. Only one of the passengers survived. The man is hospitalized in serious but stable condition. The dynamics of the accident are still to be clarified.
Richest man in the Czech Republic and 86th richest man in the world, with assets of approximately $15,8 billion in 2020, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Founder and main shareholder of the PPF group – present in the financial services, telecommunications, real estate and biotechnology sectors – Kellner was 56 years old. Over the past two decades PPF has grown into one of the largest financial groups in Central and Eastern Europe. With global assets estimated at €44 billion in June 2020, the Group also includes Home Credit International, one of the largest consumer lenders in Central and Eastern Europe. The company has also expanded into China, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Kazakhstan.
In the spring of 2007, Kellner, who was on excellent terms with the then CEO of Generali, Giovanni Perissinotto, joined the Board of Directors of Assicurazioni Generali which together with PPF had created "Generali PPF Holding", in which the Czech tycoon held the majority share (49%). Subsequently Kellner sold his shares and the entire stake held in the Lion of Trieste for over 2 billion euros.
Kellner's death coincides with a critical moment for PPF Group NV: the country's largest private-equity group is negotiating the sale of its Czech and Slovak financial assets and is also close to finalizing a review of its investment unit. telecommunications infrastructure.
In a statement, PPF lauded the billionaire's "incredible work ethic and creativity," and that Kellner's "private life belonged to his family."
