Christopher Harborne


Christopher Charles Sherriff Harborne is a British businessman and technology investor based in Thailand. A University of Cambridge and INSEAD graduate, his donations have enabled the founding of INSEAD San Francisco and the creation of a blockchain research fund. He has also donated to Britain's Conservative Party and more recently has been a major donor to Britain's Brexit Party, donating more than £6 million in 2019.

Early life and education

Christopher Harborne was born in December 1962. He was educated at Westminster School and is a graduate of Downing College, University of Cambridge, from where he received the degrees of MA, MEng and MBA. He also received an MBA from the Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires in 1988.

Career

Harborne worked for five years as a management consultant at McKinsey and Co., before running a research company in Asia. He describes himself as an "investor in new tech, including open software blockchain platforms". He is the CEO of Sherriff Global Group which trades in private planes, and the owner of AML Global, a firm that sells aviation fuel. He has made a donation to enable the founding of INSEAD San Francisco and to create a Blockchain Research Fund. He has set up a company, Singular AI Consulting Limited, with crypto-currency miner Marco Streng. As of December 2019, he is based in Thailand.

Political donations

Harborne donated more than £6m to Britain's Brexit Party in 2019, £3 million in the summer and £3 million before the British 2019 General Election, making him the largest donor in 2019. His sister Katharine, a scientist and artist who was previously a councillor for the Conservative Party, has been a candidate for the Brexit Party. Before switching his donations to the Brexit Party, Harborne had donated smaller sums, averaging £15,000 per annum since 2001, to the Conservative Party.