Alpha Group

"The topic of money must have been of interest to him, especially since he was already a multimillionaire. His son Nicolas was just proving himself as an investment broker, and he had also been managing part of the family fortune since 1984. Berggruen senior pricked up his ears to discover the secret of inexhaustible wealth. In the Bemelmans Bar, this was often the topic of conversation. Therefore, it is not surprising that shortly after the establishment of the Carlyle Group, another investment company was formed. Founder and President of Alpha Group, founded in 1988, is a hitherto completely unknown newcomer: Nicolas Berggruen."

"In 2004, the Alpha Group is sold to Safra Bank. The wealth managed by Nicolas Berggruen and Julio Santo Domingo Jr. is invested in multi-billion-dollar hedge funds and restructured. Alpha Private Equity Group, derived from both family fortunes, is given a new name: Berggruen Holdings. The aim is to "better reflect the range of the firm's investment focuses." Like a hurricane, Nicolas Berggruen sweeps through financial and economic markets. He buys, splits, and trims companies for profit. Within five years, he builds a phenomenal empire around the globe. He maintains offices in New York, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Dallas, Chicago, London, Berlin, Geneva, as well as Bogota, Bermuda, Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Mumbai. The investments made are in the order of at least ten million dollars each. For a while, everything converges at a location not initially associated with Berggruen: 9 Columbus Business Centre, Pelican Drive, Read Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. This is the office of the Maitland Group."