Jump to content

Emmanuel Besnier

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Emmanuel Besnier
Born
Emmanuel Georges Philippe Besnier

(1970-09-18) 18 September 1970 (age 54)
EducationLycée de l'Immaculée-Conception
Alma materISG Business School
Occupation(s)CEO, Lactalis
SpouseSandrine Hunaut
Children3
Parent(s)Michel Besnier
Christiane Hallais
RelativesAndré Besnier (grandfather)
Jean-Michel Besnier (brother)
Marie Besnier Beauvalot (sister)

Emmanuel Besnier (born 18 September 1970) is a French heir and billionaire businessman. He is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Lactalis.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Emmanuel Besnier was born on 18 September 1970 in Laval, Mayenne, France.[2][3] His father was Michel Besnier and his mother, Christiane.[3] His paternal grandfather, André Besnier, was the founder of Lactalis in 1933.[3] He has a brother, Jean-Michel, and a sister, Marie.[3][4]

He was educated at the Lycée de l'Immaculée-Conception, a Roman Catholic private lycée in Laval.[3] He graduated from the ISG Business School in Paris.[2]

Career

[edit]

Besnier joined Lactalis as director of development in 1995.[3] He took over as the CEO in 2000, when his father died.[3]

With his brother and sister, he owned 83% of Lactalis.[1] In June 2018, according to Forbes, he had a net worth of $15.1 billion.[1] He shuns publicity and has been nicknamed "the invisible billionaire".[1]

Lactalis salmonella scandal

[edit]

At the end of 2017, Lactalis had to recall 12 million salmonella-contaminated boxes of baby milk from 83 countries. Besnier was summoned by Bruno Lemaire to the French finance ministry.[5]

Philanthropy

[edit]

He donates Euro 200,000 annually to the Francis-Le-Basser football stadium in Laval.[3] He also attends their board meetings.[3] He built a private box with tinted glass, from which he watches football matches.[3][6]

In 2006, he was the recipient of the "Mayennais of the Year" award from the local Rotary Club.[6]

Personal life

[edit]

He married Sandrine, a native of Laval whom he met in high school, at the Basilique Notre Dame in Laval.[3][6] They have three children.[2] They reside in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.[6] They also live in a château in Entrammes near Laval that he inherited from his father.[3][6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Bloomberg Billionaires Index — Emmanuel Besnier". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Emmanuel Besnier". LSA. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Marie Bordet, Besnier, le milliardaire invisible, Le Point, May 19, 2011
  4. ^ Valerie Landreu, Emmanuel Besnier, un patron très discret, Les Echos, April 16, 2011
  5. ^ Willsher, Kim (14 January 2018). "Lactalis to withdraw 12m boxes of baby milk in salmonella scandal". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e Nicolas Barriquand, Emmanuel Besnier, un si mystérieux patron, L'Express, January 26, 2015