Kyril Louis-Dreyfus
Born (1997-12-18) 18 December 1997 (age 26)
Zürich, Switzerland
NationalityFrench
Known forChairman and 64% owner, Sunderland
Spouse
Alexandra Nowikovsky
​
​
(m. 2021)​
Children1
Parent(s)Robert Louis-Dreyfus
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus
RelativesJulia Louis-Dreyfus
(paternal second cousin twice removed)

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus (born 18 December 1997)[1] is a Swiss-French businessman. He is a member of the French Louis-Dreyfus family.[2]

Since February 2021, Louis-Dreyfus has been the Chairman of English Championship football club, Sunderland.[3][4][5] In June 2022, he went from Chairman and minority stakeholder to Chairman and majority stakeholder.

Early life

Louis-Dreyfus was born in Zürich, Switzerland.[6] He is the son of Robert Louis-Dreyfus and Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.[7]

In 2017, Louis-Dreyfus started studying sports and business management at the Leeds Beckett University for one year and moved to attend Richmond International Academic and Soccer Academy (RIASA) for his second year.[8] He later dropped out due to injuries.[9]

Career

In 2021, he acquired a "controlling" stake in the English Championship football club, Sunderland, from its previous owner, Stewart Donald.[5][10] The acquisition made him the youngest chairman in English football.[11][12] On 15 February 2022, it was revealed that Louis-Dreyfus was not a majority shareholder of Sunderland as his stake in the club was only 41%, with the remaining 59% of shares made up of former owner Donald, and directors Charlie Methven and Juan Sartori.[13]

In June 2022, Louis-Dreyfus increased his shares in Sunderland from 41% to 51% - thus becoming majority & controlling shareholder - buying out Charlie Methvens 5%, and reducing Stewart Donald's percentage from 34% to 19%. Juan Sartori picked up the remainder of Donald's shares, increasing his holdings from 20% to 30%.

In May of 2023, Stewart Donald's remaining shares were bought out by both Louis-Dreyfus and Sartori. Louis-Dreyfus increased his share holdings in Sunderland to 64%, whilst Sartori increase his to 36%. Many Sunderland supporters welcomed this news, bringing to a close the involvement of Donald and Methven in their football club.[14]

Louis-Dreyfus is also a 5% stakeholder in the French football club, Marseille, and has stakes in esports' organisation Ovation.[6][15]

Personal life

On 21 December 2021 in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Louis-Dreyfus married his longtime girlfriend Alexandra Nowikovsky, the daughter of former Australian model Toneya Bird.[16] They announced birth of their first child on 16 March 2024.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Who is Kyril Louis-Dreyfus? The net worth of the billionaire son who has sealed a Sunderland AFC takeover". www.sunderlandecho.com.
  2. ^ "Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus makes modest decision as he looks to better engage with Black Cats". The 72. 2021-04-07. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  3. ^ "Louis-Dreyfus completes Sunderland takeover". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  4. ^ "Louis-Dreyfus acquires controlling interest in Sunderland AFC". Sunderland Association Football Club. 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  5. ^ a b "EFL confirms takeover of Sunderland by 23-year-old Frenchman Louis-Dreyfus". the Guardian. 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  6. ^ a b "Swiss Esports Organization Ovation Raises Seed Round from Louis-Dreyfus Brothers – The Esports Observer". 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  7. ^ Hewitt, Matty (2021-02-18). "Who is 23-year-old Louis-Dreyfus? Sunderland's new majority shareholder". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  8. ^ "Young heir to $7b empire is unmasked". Queensland Times. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  9. ^ "Meet Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, 23 – English football's youngest chairman". the Guardian. 2021-02-20. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  10. ^ "The man who brought Kyril Louis-Dreyfus to Sunderland explains why his long-term plans are so exciting". The Northern Echo. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  11. ^ Hunter, James (2021-02-18). "Sunderland takeover complete - full details". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  12. ^ Wignall, Ben (2021-05-03). "Kevin Phillips makes Sunderland transfer prediction ahead of 2021/22 season". Football League World. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  13. ^ "Kyril Louis-Dreyfus admits he owns just 41% of Sunderland". The Athletic UK. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  14. ^ Graham, Michael (2023-05-27). "Stewart Donald officially gone from Sunderland". Sports Illustrated Sunderland Nation. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  15. ^ "Sunderland's 23-year-old new owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is heir to a £4 billion fortune". GiveMeSport. 2021-02-19. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  16. ^ "She said yes 🤠". instagram.com.
  17. ^ https://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/football/sunderland-afc/sunderland-co-owner-kyril-louis-dreyfus-makes-major-life-announcement-on-social-media-4560161
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