Ron Perelman

With Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Hank Greenberg as philanthropic role models, it comes as no surprise that Ronald Perelman would follow in their footsteps in being the change people wish to see in the world. Over the years, Ron Perelman has been consistently on the rise as he moved from 104th in 2007 to 87th in 2008 and finally 35th on the Forbes World’s Richest People in 2009. His net worth is estimated at $10 billion as of 2008.

Cumulatively, from 2002-2006, he has contributed $65.4 million to various non-profit organizations. A remarkable deed on his part involved giving $70 million in just 2007-2008 alone. The main recipient of this charitable gift is Perelman Family Foundation, which has an estimated $5.9 million in assets, with Ron Perelman as primary benefactor. He has also made considerable political donations of $92,600 to both the Democratic and Republican parties.

As his personal advocacies lean to arts, religion, education and health care related issues, Ron Perelman has made it a point to be an influential member of several charity boards. Founder of the Revlon/UCLA Women’s Cancer Research Program, he also established New York University Medical Center’s Department of Dermatology (which is named after him).

Ron Perelman is a patron of the arts, through his role as the president of the Guggenheim Museum. Serving on the Boards of The University of Pennsylvania (Wharton Board of Overseers, and former Wharton’s Graduate Executive Board), Carnegie Hall and NYU Medical Center, he has given time and effort as well in championing education. In 1995, the Perelman Quadrangle was built in the University of Pennsylvania. A decade prior to that, the Ronald O. Perelman Professorship in Finance was created. At Princeton University, he also established the Ronald Perelman Institute of Jewish Studies in 1995.

Recently, one of his biggest transformational gifts of yet was to the New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical Center. The $50 million additional funding is crucial in creating the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute. It also helps provide the necessary financial aid to the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine.

Accomplishing his undergraduate degree from the distinguished University of Pennsylvania, he proceeded to finish his MBA at Wharton. He is currently the Chairman of the Board for M&F Worldwide Corporation and Revlon Consumer Products Incorporated. Ron Perelman is also a director in these two organizations, as well as in Scientific Games Corporation and MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings (where he is also Co-founder).