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Ian Kilbride Bio

Born in 1962 to a working-class family in Warrington, England, Ian Kilbride attended Appleton Grammar School and in 1981 was awarded a place at Warwick University to read law, graduating in 1984 with an honour’s degree. Kilbride then entered private client financial services followed by a move into stock-broking and merchant banking and finally asset and wealth management in 1990.

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Corporate activities
Philanthropic activities

Kilbride interests

Spirit International Football Academy

The Spirit International Football Academy (SIFA) serves as a springboard for aspiring athletes to not only achieve their dreams, but also to inspire others and leave a legacy within their communities and nations. 

Racing Spirit

Founded by the Kilbride family, the team has been formed in an attempt to offer racing opportunities to the family, other team members and also suitable development drivers.

Care For Wild

The Care for Wild sanctuary was founded by Petronel Nieuwoudt in 2001. The Spirit Wildlife Foundation sponsors a crash of 12 rhinos, along with two very special friends.

Lord's Taverners South Africa

Established in 2016, Lord's Taverners South Africa (LTSA), builds on the noble tradition of Lord’s Taverners established in 1950 by a group of English cricketing enthusiasts.

Wildlife Vets

Wildlife vets has close to 30 years’ experience in Game Capture and Wildlife Veterinary practices. The team of experts take on large scale projects and are involved with ongoing conservation programs.

Mountainlands

The Kilbride family acquired the Savanna site within the Mountainlands Estate, and they are thrilled to be owners in Mountainlands Nature Reserve.

Stellenbosch Business School

In 2022, Kilbride was awarded an Honorary Professorship by Stellenbosch Business School.  Kilbride lectures students on both business as well as philanthropic studies.

The Everton Free School

Everton Free School (EFC) is another first for Everton Football Club, offering alternative educational opportunities and experiences of the highest quality to young people aged 14-16, and Level 2 and 3 sport courses to post-16 students.

Everton in the Community

Everton in the Community (EiTC) works in partnership with many individuals and organisations on a local, national and international level.

Library of all Articles & Publications

Spirit Invest companies as well as the Spirit Foundation distribute a portfolio of high quality publications. Examples of these can be viewed below.

Wealth Matters August 2026

A blueprint for wealth management, meeting clients’ expectations, AI euphoria to valuation reality and limited interests in Wills. All delivered…

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Global Review August 2026

Global markets at a turning point: Key portfolio considerations for South African investors. Read full article

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Spirit Insider – July 2026

In Q2 2026, Spirit Invest demonstrated that quality is the best business plan. Read how we achieved stellar results in…

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View & read more Spirit Invest publications & articles
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Wildlife Programme

Established by the Kilbride family, the Spirit Foundation Wildlife Programme exists to contribute effectively to the survival and sustainability of Africa’s endangered species.

The Spirit Foundation Wildlife Programme is passionate about conservation in Africa and is committed to the preservation and sustainability of iconic species. To allow their extinction would be to lose the heart and soul of Africa. We must act now and we must act decisively. We must win the war against poaching for this generation, for our children’s generation and for all future generations, not just in Africa.

The Spirit Foundation Wildlife Programme raises and distributes monies that go directly to deserving projects that have a clear and demonstrable track-record of effective wildlife conservation in Africa. The foundation is a non-partisan, non-politica non-profit organisation through which all monies are channeled to existing wildlife conservation projects.

All of this means that Spirit Foundation Wildlife Programme is not an office-bound organisation. It is focused on being up close and personal and making a measurable difference. Yet, as yet to achieve its vision of African wildlife sustainability, the Spirit Foundation Wildlife Programme needs partners and funding.

Spirit Foundation Wildlife Programme commits to: Raise awareness of the scourge of poaching, and the importance of conservation and sustainability through its extensive personal networks and electronic platforms.

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Education Programme

Empowering future generations through learning.

At the Spirit Foundation, our mission is to build a better South Africa by investing in education—from the foundational years through primary and high school and beyond. Our work is rooted in the belief that every child deserves access to quality education, regardless of their background.

Our Early Childhood Development Programmes provide young learners from rural and underserved communities with the best possible start to their educational journey. With qualified teachers, holistic learning and active parental engagement, these centres transform lives from the ground up.

The Spirit Foundation primary school programme is key to the educational journey of young learners. By bridging the foundational Early Childhood Development (ECD) years from Grade R to Grade Seven, the programme helps ensure continued quality education for learners graduating from our ECD programme and preparing them for the future challenges of secondary education.

The scholarship supports high school learners through financial bursaries, personal development, academic mentorship and leadership training. Our scholars thrive in the classroom to become confident, resilient individuals, ready to lead change in their communities.

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Community Programme

The objective of the Spirit Foundation Community Programme is to make a lasting and meaningful impact on communities in need, working alongside well-governed non-profits and community organisations. The programme regularly identifies a myriad of great initiatives worthy of support and in need of reliable ongoing partners.

The South African Government has recognised that certain organisations are dependent upon the generosity of the public and to encourage that generosity has provided a tax deduction for certain donations made by taxpayers. As an 18A Foundation, the programme is able to offer donors tax donation certificates.

The Spirit Foundation Community Programme applies 100% of all donations received in community project work, as all overhead and administrative costs are covered by The Spirit Foundation.

Building relationships with organisations is important to the Spirit Foundation Community Programme and we acknowledge their important work. We walk alongside the selected community-based organisations in two ways. Firstly, we seek out partnerships that extend over three-to-five years to deliver meaningful impact into the communities under agreed-upon conditions. Secondly, we work with organisations that provide important services to communities because we recognise the value they contribute to society. These are organisations that share our vision of changing the lives of those most marginalised.

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