Background and career
Omar Sharif Amanat is an American entrepreneur, film producer, and investor in media, technology and hospitality companies. Amanat is the co-founder of Peak Group Holdings and Aman Resorts Group. He was convicted on charges of conspiracy in a scheme involving KIT Digital and its CEO in December 2017 and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Amanat grew up in Montville, New Jersey and was educated at Montville High School. He later enrolled at Franklin and Marshall College and transferred to the University of Pennsylvania.
He began at startup Datek Online and afterwards he moved to Texas and partnered with Philip Berber on a prototype online trading system called Cyber-Block, which was acquired by Charles Schwab for $488 million in 2000, before moving to New York to start Tradescape, of which he was the founder, chief executive and majority shareholder. In 2002, E*Trade acquired Tradescape for $276 million.
Amanat is the co-founder of Peak Group Holdings which is the largest shareholder of The Twilight Saga studio Summit Entertainment, in which he holds a 20% ownership stake via Peak Group Holdings. Brent Lang of The Wrap called him "the most powerful person in Hollywood you've never heard of". Summit was acquired by Hunger Games studio Lionsgate for $412.5 million and Peak became one of its largest shareholders, with a 48% stake. He was the executive producer of the 2007 drama The Visitor and the 2008 comedy drama Smart People not including approximately 75 other films he financed via Summit Entertainment from 2007 to 2012.
In February 2014, Amanat co-founded with Adrian Zecha a new venture known as Aman Resorts Group Limited (ARGL) backed by a consortium of investors led by Vladislav Doronin. This new entity purchased luxury hotel and resort chain Aman Resorts from DLF for $358 million. In July 2014, Amanat filed suit in the High Court of London against Vladislav Doronin, claiming Doronin committed breaches of a shareholders' agreement and forced the unlawful ouster of Adrian Zecha as CEO. Amanat claimed the decision to remove Zecha did not have board approval. The ruling, by the High Court, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, reinstated Zecha as CEO, which was viewed as a victory for Amanat. Two days later, Doronin filed a counterclaim in New York, but the judge ruled that the lawsuit would have to be decided in England. In July 2014, London's High Court permitted a board decision which replaced Zecha with Olivier Jolivet to stand. In March 2016 the High Court in London published an order which confirmed the settlement between Doronin and Amanat, ousting Amanat from the Aman Resorts ownership group.
Amanat has been involved in a number of high-profile lawsuits during his career: Shortly after the acquisition of Tradescape by E*Trade, litigation commenced between MarketXT and E*Trade alleging fraud on the part of the other. Summit Entertainment withdrew and retracted its threat against Amanat that he had "misrepresented that he's involved in the ownership, management, decision-making, and operations". Relating to the same Amanat filed libel proceedings against British newspapers who called him an imposter in relation to his claims of involvement with Summit Entertainment, which led to them apologising, publishing a retraction and making payments to a charity of Amanat's choice. Summit Entertainments's CEO and Chairman issued letters to Amanat confirming his ownership and control of a board seat. The disputes relating to the ownership and control of Aman Resorts have led to litigation in both New York and London. Amanat was also involved in lawsuits in connection with Bridges TV.
