Emmanuel Besnier

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuel_Besnier

Emmanuel Besnier (born 18 September 1970) is a French heir, businessman and philanthropist. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Lactalis. He is known as "the invisible billionaire."

Early life

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

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

Career

Besnier joined Lactalis as Director of Development in 1995. He took over as the Chief Executive Officer in 2000, when his father died.

With his brother and sister, he owned 83% of Lactalis. In January 2015, according to Forbes, he had a net worth of $6.7 billion. He shuns publicity and has been nicknamed, "the invisible billionaire."

Philanthropy

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

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

Personal life

He married Sandrine, a native of Laval whom he met at the lycée, at the Basilique Notre-Dame d'Avesnières (fr) in Laval. They have three children. They reside in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. They also live in a château in Entrammes near Laval that he inherited from his father. They summer at their house on the île de Ré and winter in Courchevel.