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.
Emmanuel Besnier
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.”
- Emmanuel Besnier is the CEO and controlling shareholder of family-held Lactalis, one of the world’s largest dairy firms with $20 billion in sales.
- His father founded the company in 1933. It now sells products including President brie, Milkmaid yogurts and Valbreso Feta.
- His younger siblings, Jean-Michel and Marie, split the rest of the ownership in the family’s milk and cheese giant.
- Besnier and his siblings own stakes Parmalat, the maker of Baby Bel Frommageries Bel, and Boursin.
- Lactalis now employs 75,000 and owns more than 230 plants in 43 countries.
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