Margarita Louis-Dreyfus
Louis-Dreyfus in 2011
Born
Margarita Olegovna Bogdanova

(1962-07-01) 1 July 1962 (age 61)
Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
NationalitySwiss
OccupationBusinesswoman
Known forChairman, Louis Dreyfus Group
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1992; died 2009)​
PartnerPhilipp Hildebrand (2013–2022)
Children5, including Kyril Louis-Dreyfus

Margarita Louis-Dreyfus (née Bogdanova; born 1 July 1962) is a Russian-born Swiss billionaire businesswoman, chairperson of the Louis-Dreyfus Group.

Early life

Born Margarita Olegovna Bogdanova (Russian: Маргарита Олеговна Богданова) in Leningrad, she was raised by her grandfather, an electrical engineer, and studied law in Moscow and economics in Leningrad.

Career

When her husband, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, died of leukemia on July 4, 2009, she became heir to the Louis-Dreyfus group and at the same time a majority shareholder of Marseille, a football club her husband had owned since 1996.[1] Her husband had integrated her into the management of the group in 2007, when he learned of the existence of his illness.[2]

On 29 August 2016, Louis-Dreyfus and the Marseille mayor, Jean-Claude Gaudin, stated during a press conference with Frank McCourt that McCourt had agreed in principle to purchase the French Ligue 1 football club, Marseille, owned by Louis-Dreyfus. The purchase deal was completed for a reported price tag of 45 million euros on 17 October 2016.[3][4][5]

Personal life

In 1988, on a Zurich to London flight, she met Robert Louis-Dreyfus. They married in 1992 and had three sons, including Kyril who is the chairman and majority shareholder of English Championship football club, Sunderland.[6][7][8][9] Margarita, who had been working for a circuit-board equipment seller, became a full-time wife and mother.[10] She took over as chairman of the Louis Dreyfus Group in 2009, following her husband's death from leukemia.[11]

In 2016, she had a net worth of $9.5 billion. She is a Swiss citizen living in Zurich with her three sons (Éric born in 1992, and twins, Maurice and Kyril, born in 1997), according to Forbes.[11] Her partner is Philipp Hildebrand, the former head of the Swiss central bank.[12] She gave birth to twin girls on 21 March 2016.[13]

Margarita is the second cousin once removed (by marriage) of American actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Robert Louis-Dreyfus, Turnaround Specialist, Dies at 63". The New York Times. 13 July 2009.
  2. ^ "Margarita Louis-Dreyfus: La dame de fer de l'OM" (in French). Paris Match. 31 March 2014.
  3. ^ "Former LA Dodgers owner McCourt to buy Marseille". Reuters. 29 August 2016.
  4. ^ Times, Los Angeles (29 August 2016). "French soccer club thinks Frank McCourt led Dodgers to 'tremendous economic success'". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ^ "Marseille: Frank McCourt promises £180m investment after buying Ligue 1 club". BBC. 17 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Louis-Dreyfus completes Sunderland takeover". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  7. ^ "Louis-Dreyfus acquires controlling interest in Sunderland AFC". Sunderland Association Football Club. 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  8. ^ "EFL confirms takeover of Sunderland by 23-year-old Frenchman Louis-Dreyfus". the Guardian. 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  9. ^ "Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, la tsarine des affaires - Madame Figaro". Madame.lefigaro.fr (in French). 27 July 2013. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  10. ^ Katz, Alan (31 January 2012). "Louis-Dreyfus Widow Chairman Ousts Men Running Commodities Giant". Bloomberg. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Margarita Louis-Dreyfus". Forbes. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Louis Dreyfus Chairwoman, Pregnant With Twins, Plans Leave". Bloomberg Business. Bloomberg. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  13. ^ Henley, Jon (21 March 2016). "Margarita Louis-Dreyfus gives birth to twins". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  14. ^ Martin, Douglas H. (July 14, 2009). "Robert Louis-Dreyfus, Turnaround Specialist, Dies at 63". The New York Times. New York City. p. B10.
Categories