Over his long career in finance, Ian Osborne has cultivated the air of mystery – establishing a multi-billion dollar venture capital firm and rubbing his shoulders with everyone from Michael Bloomberg to Boris Johnson.
The founder of Hedosophia, known as The Ultimate Power Broker, has quietly built an influential network across the business, media and politics worlds.
Now, the London lawsuit reveals that the network includes Jeffrey Epstein, a dishonest investor who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The case, filed by former Barclays CEO Jes Staley, included communications between Osborne and Epstein to host a campaign to set up an investment bank at the UK Bank’s CEO office three years before its 2015 appointment.
In an email called “Project Jes,” Osborne and Epstein discussed the lobbying of Barclays Insiders with key politicians to help “our friends” get top jobs at British Bank from the role of Libor Fixed Scandance in 2012.
Jes Staley’s lawsuit mentioned an email about his potential appointment as Barclays chief © Charlie Bibby/ft
In July 2012, Osborne wrote to Epstein in an email called Evidence in court. “I’ll chat with Mike Rake and insist on Jess,” referring to the then vice-chairman of Barclays. He also suggested that financial press and regulators are “kindly looking at” Staley’s appointment.
“I won’t do anything before I hear from you, but I’m ready to go to the bat for our friends,” added Osborne.
Osborne, Rake, and Barclays declined to comment.
The email exchange between Osborne and Epstein was featured in a lawsuit last month by the Financial Conduct Bureau. In 2023, Staley banned him from holding a senior position and fined him £1.8 million for his relationship with a convicted pedophile.
The banker challenged the ban in a well-known court case that ended earlier this month. No judgment is expected for a few weeks.
Regulators allege Staley misled the FCA over the nature of her relationship with Epstein. Staley claims that although she had “close professional relationships” with sex offenders, they were not friends.
At the time, Osborne ran Osborne & Partners, a public relations and consulting firm of the same name, ranging from Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. He was also the managing director of DST Global, an investment company founded by Israeli billionaire Yuri Milner.
Osborne’s profile by the Bergrun Institute, a Los Angeles-based think tank, says his advisory firm will “act to a selected group of governments and businesses around the world,” and says his clients include “some of the world’s most admired leaders and philanthropists.”
In 2012, disgraceful investor Jeffrey Epstein asked Osborne to find out who the candidate is for the Barclays top job © Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
During this period, Osborne also founded evangelism, his own investment company, named after the Greek gods of joy and wisdom.
Hedsophia has invested in technology companies with support from vehicles linked to Bloomberg and Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing. It included music streaming platform Spotify and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, according to people familiar with the fund.
Osborne later became one of the biggest promoters of the blank check company, along with venture capitalist Chamas Parihapitiya. Their set of special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACS, helped to drive the 2020 booms, such as Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Fintech Sophie, into the open market.
But Osborne is probably well known as a rich and powerful fixer. In the e-mail referenced in court, it was exchanged for Epstein in 2012, but Osborne proposed to lobby then-UK Prime Minister George Osborne on Staley’s behalf.
“I suggest calling a longtime friend. George Osborne’s Chief of Staff will make the best choice for the job, saying that JES is running,” he wrote to Epstein in July 2012.
Osborne also appeared to have an advanced connection within the Barclays.
“I have a complete shortlist from the best placed sources,” Osborne wrote to Epstein the same month, following up with an email about the recruitment process. He added that Staley’s interview will be “key,” but “we can definitely help along the process.”
Those involved in the hiring process at the time said they had no communication with Osborne or Epstein about the hiring process.
Staley said he is unaware of Osborne and Epstein’s efforts to set up Barclays CEO in 2012, but that Osborne admitted that “there is some kind of connection within Barclays.” The UK lender claims that when he was appointed CEO in 2012 or 2015, no one has lobbyed the bank on Staley’s behalf.
Osborne first met Epstein in early 2010 at a dinner hosted by the Ted Conference in Long Beach, California, according to anyone familiar with the issue. They then met several times during the usual UN Climate Week. In 2012, Epstein asked Osborne to find out who the candidate was for the Barclays top job following Diamond’s resignation.
Osborne and Staley met in early 2011 and remained friendly, the person said. Epstein appeared to have been the two men who knew each other and emailed Staley in October of that year, saying, “Ian Osborne is at home, I want to come.”
Staley told the court in testimony last month that he and Osborne were not friends. “My memory is Ian was the type of person who tried to get involved in the business to improve his position,” he said.
