Allen Stanford

Infobox Celebrity


image_size = 109px
name = Sir Allen Stanford
image_size = 150px
caption =
birth_date = birth date and age|1950|3|24
birth_place = Mexia, Texas, U.S.
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Chairman, Stanford Financial Group
salary =
networth = gainUS$2.2 billion (2008) cite news
url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/54/400list08_R-Allen-Stanford_FF2F.html
title=The World's Billionaires: #205 R Allen Stanford
date=2008-09-18
work=Forbes.com
accessdate=2008-09-18]
spouse =
children =
website = [http://www.stanfordfinancial.com/ stanfordfinancial.com] , [http://www.stanfordgroup.com/ stanfordgroup.com]
footnotes =

Sir Allen Stanford, KCN, is a billionaire financier of American heritage and Antiguan-Barbudan citizenship. He is also well known as both a sponsor of professional sports and as a philanthropist. A fifth-generation Texan who resides in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, he holds dual citizenship, having become a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda ten years ago.

Sir Allen was the first American to be knighted by that Commonwealth nation [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/cricket/article3822719.ece Sir Allen Stanford, England’s saviour - Times Online ] ] and was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of the Nation. He was presented the honours by His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, at the country's Silver Jubilee Celebration in November 2006.

Business career

Sir Allen is the Chairman of the privately held, wholly owned Stanford Financial Group of Companies. He began his business career in Houston, Texas, making his first fortune in real estate in the early 1980s. Since then he has expanded the insurance and real estate company his grandfather founded in 1932 into a global wealth management firm. Stanford Financial Group’s clients are affluent investors, institutions, and emerging growth companies from 136 countries on six continents. Assets under management or advisement are in excess of US$50 billion.

ports

Sir Allen and his companies have established a significant presence in golf, polo, tennis, cricket and sailing, sports which are popular among Stanford’s wealthy clients. Stanford Financial Group is the title sponsor for such sporting events as the Stanford US Open Polo Championship, the Stanford USPA Silver Cup, the Stanford Antigua Sailing Week, the PGA Tour Stanford St. Jude Championship, and the Stanford International Pro-Am. Stanford also sponsors professional golfers Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas and David Toms as well as Morgan Pressel on the LPGA Tour. In tennis, the company is a sponsor of the Sony Ericsson Open. Stanford also sponsors the Champions Series Tennis Tournaments featuring Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.

Sir Allen created and funded the Stanford 20/20 cricket tournament in the West Indies, for which he built his own ground in Antigua. The first Stanford 20/20 Cricket Tournament was held in July and August 2006. The second tournament took place in January and February 2008 with a global television audience of 300 million.Fact|date=April 2008.

In June 2008 Stanford and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) signed a deal for five Twenty20 internationals between England and a West Indies all-star XI with a total prize fund of £10m (US $20 million) for each game. It was the largest prize ever offered to a team for a single match. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/7448467.stm BBC SPORT | Cricket | England bag £50m Twenty20 bonanza ] ] This is now in jeopardy after a row with Digicel, the sponsors of the West Indies cricket team, who are unhappy about sponsorship of the event.Stanford organizers have now confirmed that the Stanford Super Series will now go ahead as scheduled after Sir Allen Stanford and Denis O'Brien of Digicel, that sponsors West Indies cricket were able to reach an agreement on rights for sponsorship of the matches.

Philanthropy

Sir Allen is committed to many charitable causes around the world, including Stanford's main charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital located in Memphis, Tennessee.

References

External links

* [http://www.stanfordfinancial.com/ stanfordfinancial.com]
* [http://www.stanfordgroup.com/ stanfordgroup.com]
* [http://www.stanford2020.com/ Official Stanford 20/20 Cricket Site]
* [http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=739904675&play=1/ CNBC Interview]