Allan Gray dies at 81
Allan Gray, the founder of Allan Gray asset manager and one of South Africa’s greatest philanthropists, has passed away. Photo: Twitter Allan Gray, the founder of Allan Gray asset manager and one of South Africa’s greatest philanthropists, has passed away. Photo: Twitter
Allan Gray, the founder of Allan Gray Investment Management and one of South Africa’s greatest philanthropists, has passed away at the age of 81.
His company said: “It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the death of Allan William Buchanan Gray on 10 November 2019 of natural causes.
“Our first thoughts are with his family, and like colleagues and friends, we are mourning the passing of a man who made an immeasurable impact on many lives as an entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist.
“He has earned his rest.”
Gray started working for the asset management firm Fidelity Management and Research in America.
He returned to SA in 1973 to establish Allan Gray Investment Management in Cape Town.
He established the Allan Gray Foundation in 2007 with a $130 million endowment to fund bursaries and scholarships for high school pupils.
This was the largest single recorded donation to a charity in SA at the time.
In 1979, he founded the Allan and Gill Gray Charitable Trust and in 2016 donated his stake in his company to the Trust for philanthropic purposes.