OWN CORRESPONDENT

He was appointed a Knight Bachelor by the Queen “for services to Holocaust Commemoration and Education”, and therefore granted the title “sir”.

Davis, head of the Jewish Leadership Council and chairman of Prime Minister David Cameron’s Holocaust Commission, received the honour for supporting the commission’s international engagements.

The cross-party, multi-faith group was set up by the prime minister to investigate ways to educate future generations of Britons about the Shoah.

Speaking from London, Davis, 57, told the SA Jewish Report: “It’s great to have received the honour. I am very pleased.”

RIGHT: A slimmed down version of the Davis South Africans are used to seeing

Davis said he was very honoured to have been given the task of leading the Commission and deeply appreciates the recognition, but noted that there were many others who have dedicated their lives to the commemoration of and education about the Holocaust.

“My contribution pales into insignificance when I think of the very brave and resourceful survivors who every day relive that horror so that this and future generations will understand and act to prevent it from happening again.”

He added: “I pay tribute to the many that have promoted and funded Holocaust education and particularly research into how best to educate society on this dark, dark hour of human history when humanity was thrust into the deepest abyss of moral depravity.”

Davis served as CEO of Xstrata plc, an Anglo-Swiss multinational mining company from 2001, until 2013 when it merged with Glencore International Plc. After leaving Xstrata, he formed mining venture, X2 Resources. Prior to Xstrata, Davis was the chief financial officer of Billiton Plc and executive chairman of Billiton Coal, and before joining Billiton, was an executive director of Eskom in South Africa.

An Eastern Cape upbringing

He was educated at Theodor Herzl School in Port Elizabeth, where he was a school friend of Ivan Glasenberg, CEO of Glencore. He studied at Rhodes University.

Davis is also chairman of UJIA, and a member of the Jewish Leadership Council. He is on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel, and a member of the World Executive of Keren Hayesod – Israel United Appeal.

He lives in London with his wife Barbara and their three children, Sara, Ronit and Eitan.