Paul Fentener van Vlissingen

Paul Fentener van Vlissingen (21 March 1941 in Utrecht – 21 August 2006 in Langbroek) was a Dutch businessman and philanthropist who was CEO of SHV Holdings for three decades.

He allowed young managers whom he trusted to establish Makro operations in overseas markets, giving them unusual amounts of autonomy.

In 2001 he wrote a book discussing his business experiences directing a large multi-national conglomerate entitled Ondernemers zijn ezels, which can be translated as Entrepreneurs are Jackasses.

In this second book he discussed his views regarding entrepreneurs, corruption, ambition, the euro, money, honesty, change and success.

Fentener Van Vlissingen was recognised as a conservationist and contributed to the development of game reserves in Scotland, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia and Ethiopia.

In 1978 he bought the wild and roadless 85,000 acres (340 km2) Letterewe estate in Wester Ross, and in 2006 was described as the largest foreign landowner in Scotland.

In an interview with the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf published in April 2006, he said: "Our planet is in a much sorrier state than it was when I was a child.

In February 2006 it emerged that in his will Fentener van Vlissingen left a significant portion of his estate to his partner, the former Guardian art critic Caroline Tisdall, as well as several million to his lover, the Dutch businesswoman Suzanne Wolff.

He left the bulk of his fortune and the Letterewe Estate in north-west Scotland to his two daughters, Alicia and Tet, and to their children.