African Judges Biographies
ROBERT DEVEREUX
After graduating from Cambridge University, Robert Devereux worked with Amnesty International and Macmillan Publishers before joining Virgin in 1980 as Richard Branson's partner. He established the entertainment division of the company of which he was Chairman, which included the creation of Virgin Vision, in its day Europe's leading film and video producer and distributer, the launching of Virgin Radio, Virgin Net, Virgin Interactive Entertainment and masterminding the purchase of Virgin Cinemas.
In 1996 Robert sold his interests in Virgin in order to concentrate on his family, leisure investments and his charitable activities. He has been Chairman of Soho House plc and The Big Sleep Hotels Ltd.
He is currently the Chairman of New Forest Holdings Ltd, a sustainable and commercial African Forestry company with operations in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Mozambique. He is also Chairman of Frieze Events & Magazines Ltd, the London based art fair & publishing business. These are his two main business activities.
His non-commercial interests include the Portobello Trust, Save the Rhino International, Westside School and the Kuona Trust. He is currently in the process of establishing the African Art Trust to promote the careers of young African artists. He has been a governor of The South Bank Centre, a Founding Director of the Central London Training and Enterprise Council and a Founding Director of North Kensington City Challenge.
Robert spends a significant amount of time in East Africa, where he owns a house in Lamu in Northern Kenya, and is involved in a number of community and commercial projects. He is also a passionate collector of modern and contemporary Brisith Art and African art and has formed, in partnership with friends, the Daraja collection which is now on display in the East end of London.
In November 2010 Robert sold the bulk of his British art collection in order to fund the establishment of The African Arts Trust a foundation whose aims are to support visual art organisations in sub Saharan Africa.
Robert is the founding Chairman of the Tate's African Acquisition Committee.