Rayo Withanage is an Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and Program Coordinator of the Withanage Foundation
Background
Rayo Withanage established BMB in 2006 which grew into a multibillion-dollar investment platform. Trained as a M&A lawyer he led BMB to become one of the leading asset management vehicles to unify ruling families from the Middle East & Asia, across diversified holdings. Mr. Withanage also co-founded Scepter Capital Partners in 2014 as a direct investment firm with Blackstone Asia Advisory Partners.
Mr. Withanage resigned from his active roles in these business in 2018. He now works exclusively on developing charitable initiatives. His particular interest is in the role of media and technology to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Château de Vie
Rayo Withanage acquired Château de Vie, which is one of the most important estates in the Côte d'Azur, in 2017, before transferring ownership to a new consortium of investors led by William Beslow.
The Château was the final residence of Pablo Picasso in Mougins and is hugely significant in the art world. The estate was where Picasso prolifically created some of his most valuable work. It is widely regarded as the place where modern art ended, and contemporary art began.
For over a century the estate has welcomed the most important creative figures in history including Henri Matisse, Man Ray, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charlie Chaplin & the Rolling Stones.
Education and Interests
Rayo Withanage earned an LLB & BA from The University of Auckland and an MSC from the London School of Economics. Mr Withanage is a New Zealand national of Sri Lankan and Portuguese descent. He was born in the Fiji Islands before spending his childhood in Bermuda, where he has maintained a presence for over 30 years. Mr Withanage now resides between Antibes in France and Geneva. He has academic interests in politics, philosophy and religion and is proficient in six languages. His hobbies include music, polo, martial arts, sailing and aviation.
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
— Winston S. Churchill