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Idan Ofer

Idan Ofer is an Israeli businessman with holdings in shipping, energy, mining and sports, and the former chairman of the Israel Corporation.

born 1955Chairing the Israel CorporationFounding Kenon HoldingsStakes in Atlético Madrid and FamalicãoThe Idan and Batia Ofer Family Foundation

Born: 2 October 1955, Haifa
Occupation: entrepreneur, businessperson
Education: University of Haifa, London Business School
Founded: Kenon Holdings Ltd (2015), Pacific Drilling (2006)

Idan Ofer was born in 1955 in Haifa

Idan Ofer was born in Haifa in 1955 and grew up there. He is the son of Sammy Ofer, a shipping businessman who came to Israel from Romania, and Aviva Ofer. His older brother is the businessman Eyal Ofer.

He did his compulsory service in the Israeli Navy. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics and shipping at the University of Haifa and later an MBA from London Business School.

In the 1980s he expanded the family shipping business in Hong Kong, then worked in Singapore and the United States. He chaired the Israel Corporation from 1999 to 2010 and also chaired Zim until 2009. In 2015 he founded Kenon Holdings, a holding company split off from the Israel Corporation.

He owns a 33% stake in Atlético Madrid and an 85% stake in the Portuguese club Famalicão. In 2025 his company bought a 43% stake in the owner of the Movistar cycling team.

With his wife Batia he runs a family foundation that funds education, health, arts and shared society programs. In October 2023 the couple resigned from an advisory board at Harvard Kennedy School in protest of the university's response to the Hamas attacks.