Key Takeaways
- • Blackstone co-founder Steve Schwarzman attended a high-profile St. Tropez villa party hosted by Kazakhstan-born businesswoman Goga Ashkenazi over the weekend of July 16-18, 2011, alongside other notable guests including Joan Collins, Denise Rich, and model Victoria Silvstedt.
- • Ashkenazi's party drew approximately 550 total attendees across dinner (350 guests) and a subsequent after-party (200 additional guests), featuring a performance by Grace Jones that was interrupted by an uninvited topless party crasher.
- • Ashkenazi's wealth is reportedly derived from her son Adam's father, Timur Kulibayev, a Kazakhstan oil sector figure said to control approximately 90 percent of Kazakh oil fields and son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
- • The incident underscores the social landscape of ultra-high-net-worth individuals and their international leisure activities, with Schwarzman maintaining residences across multiple premium locations including New York, East Hampton, Newport, and St. Tropez.
Summary
Blackstone Group co-founder Steve Schwarzman attended a prominent social gathering at the St. Tropez villa of Goga Ashkenazi, a Kazakhstan-born businesswoman and reported associate of Britain's Prince Andrew, according to Page Six reporting cited by CNBC. The weekend event (July 16-18, 2011) commenced with a formal dinner for approximately 350 guests, followed by an after-party that expanded the attendee count to roughly 550 individuals.
The guest roster reflected the cosmopolitan ultra-wealthy demographic, including actress Joan Collins, philanthropist Denise Rich, film producer Lawrence Bender, and model Victoria Silvstedt. The evening's entertainment featured performance artist Grace Jones, whose set was interrupted when an uninvited attendee—described by witnesses as a "party crasher"—mounted the stage and removed her top before being escorted out by security personnel.
Ashkenazi is characterized as a wealthy businesswoman with business interests including Gift-Library.com, though her primary wealth source traces to her son Adam's father, Timur Kulibayev. According to reporting cited by The Independent, Kulibayev is a significant figure in Kazakhstan's petroleum sector, reportedly controlling approximately 90 percent of the country's oil fields. Kulibayev maintains family ties to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev through his marriage to the president's daughter, Dinara, a relationship that remained intact at the time of Adam's birth at the Portland Hospital in December 2007.
The incident reflects the social and professional networks operating within the global ultra-high-net-worth community, with Schwarzman maintaining residences in prominent wealth centers including Manhattan, East Hampton, Newport, and the French Riviera—locations consistent with the leisure patterns of leading private equity executives and billionaire investors.
The guest roster reflected the cosmopolitan ultra-wealthy demographic, including actress Joan Collins, philanthropist Denise Rich, film producer Lawrence Bender, and model Victoria Silvstedt. The evening's entertainment featured performance artist Grace Jones, whose set was interrupted when an uninvited attendee—described by witnesses as a "party crasher"—mounted the stage and removed her top before being escorted out by security personnel.
Ashkenazi is characterized as a wealthy businesswoman with business interests including Gift-Library.com, though her primary wealth source traces to her son Adam's father, Timur Kulibayev. According to reporting cited by The Independent, Kulibayev is a significant figure in Kazakhstan's petroleum sector, reportedly controlling approximately 90 percent of the country's oil fields. Kulibayev maintains family ties to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev through his marriage to the president's daughter, Dinara, a relationship that remained intact at the time of Adam's birth at the Portland Hospital in December 2007.
The incident reflects the social and professional networks operating within the global ultra-high-net-worth community, with Schwarzman maintaining residences in prominent wealth centers including Manhattan, East Hampton, Newport, and the French Riviera—locations consistent with the leisure patterns of leading private equity executives and billionaire investors.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.