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Benjamin de Rothschild

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Benjamin de Rothschild
Born(1963-07-30)30 July 1963
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Died15 January 2021(2021-01-15) (aged 57)
Pregny-Chambésy, Switzerland
NationalityFrench
EducationInstitut Florimont
Pepperdine University
OccupationBanker
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Spouse
​
(m. 1999)​
Children
  • Noémie de Rothschild
  • Alice de Rothschild
  • Eve de Rothschild
  • Olivia de Rothschild
Parent(s)Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild
(1926–1997)
Nadine Lhopitalier
(b. 1932)

Benjamin de Rothschild (30 July 1963 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France – 15 January 2021 in Pregny-Chambésy, Switzerland) was a French banker, the owner of the Edmond de Rothschild Group from 1997 until his death in 2021. He was the son of Edmond Adolphe (1926–1997) and Nadine (born 1932) de Rothschild. He was married to Ariane de Rothschild. In 2001, he created the professional offshore sailing racing team Gitana Team.

In 2021, Forbes estimated his fortune was worth $1.4 billion.[1]

Family

See also: Rothschild family and Rothschild banking family of France

Benjamin de Rothschild was a seventh-generation descendant of the dynasty founder Mayer Amschel.[2] He was the great-grandson of Edmond James de Rothschild (1845–1934) and Adelheid von Rothschild (1853–1935), the grandson of Maurice de Rothschild (1881–1957) and Noémie Halphen (1888–1968), and the only child of Edmond Adolphe and Nadine (née Lhopitalier) de Rothschild.[3] His father was from a Jewish family and his mother converted to Judaism.

Early life

De Rothschild was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine[4] on 30 July 1963.[5] He studied at the Swiss Institut Florimont and held a BA in Business Management from Pepperdine University.[2]

Banking

See also: Edmond de Rothschild Group

After his graduation, de Rothschild worked in family-owned banks in California.[2] In 1989, he returned to Europe, worked for a while at British Petroleum in London, and then launched the Compagnie de Trésorerie Benjamin de Rothschild specializing in advanced financial risk management.[6][7]

After the death of his father in 1997, de Rothschild succeeded him as chairman of the Compagnie Financière Edmond de Rothschild.[8] He restructured the group's organization around key activities such as asset management and M&A.[9] In 1999, he launched Edmond de Rothschild Investment Services in Israel[10] where he also succeeded his father at the helm of the Caesarea Rothschild Foundation.[11] In 2010, Compagnie Financière Edmond de Rothschild became the Edmond de Rothschild Group.[12]

In March 2015, de Rothschild named his wife Ariane de Rothschild CEO of the group, and chairwoman of the executive committee.[13] In 2016, all the lifestyle-oriented assets of the group were reorganized under the Edmond de Rothschild Heritage label.[14] In March 2019, the Benjamin de Rothschild family made the Edmond de Rothschild Group 100% privately owned. The group's French bank was consolidated within the Swiss bank which subsequently became the group's main holding structure. Ariane de Rothschild became chairman of the new group.[15][16]

Sailing

Bow of Gitana 16.

In 2000, Benjamin de Rothschild purchased the 62-foot long Elf Aquitaine and founded the professional sailing team Gitana Team, walking in the footsteps of his family's traditions, but eventually expanding it to multihull sailboats.[17][18] The team's first trimaran was the Gitana IX (former Elf Aquitaine), followed by the Gitana X, entirely developed by the team.[19] The Gitana 11 won the Route du Rhum in 2006.[18]

In 2015, the team mounted foiling dagger boards and T-rudders on a Multi One Design 70 ft to make it "fly" over water, after a decision a year earlier to build a new, state-of-the-art yacht.[20] On 17 July 2017, the 32×23-meter Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (Gitana 17) was introduced, the offshore racing's first maxi-multihull designed to fly in the open ocean.[21] It was decorated by the street artist Cleon Peterson.[22] The Maxi won the 48th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race in August 2019, breaking the record set in 2011 by Loïck Peyron (Banque Populaire V)[23] and the Brest Atlantiques in December 2019 (skippers Charles Caudrelier-Franck Cammas for both races).[24]

Vineyards and farms

See also: Edmond de Rothschild Heritage

Benjamin de Rothschild inherited the Château Clarke wine estate purchased by his father in 1973. He renovated the fermentation room[25] and hired the oenologist Michel Rolland in 1998 to perfect the Château's vines and supervise the family's new vineyard ventures in South Africa and Argentina.[26][27]

In 1997, Benjamin de Rothschild initiated a joint venture with Anton Rupert to create the Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons vineyards in South Africa.[28] He gathered wine enthusiasts (including Laurent Dassault) to create the wine estate Le Clos de los Siete in Argentina's Uco Valley, producer of the Flechas de los Andes wine.[29] In 2003, he acquired the Château des Laurets vineyards in Bordeaux.[30] In 2005, he launched Champagne Barons de Rothschild with Baron Éric de Rothschild and Baroness Philippine de Rothschild.[31] In 2009, he launched a joint venture with the Spanish winery Vega Sicilia.[32] In 2012, he acquired 26 hectares (64 acres) of vines in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand to produce the Rimapere wine.[33] Benjamin de Rothschild was the largest stakeholder in the Château Lafite Rothschild wine estate.[34]

The baron and his wife were the owners of La Ferme des 30 Arpents in the countryside outside of Paris, which produces brie de Meaux appellation d'origine contrôlée.[35]

Personal life

On 23 January 1999, Benjamin de Rothschild married Ariane Langner. They had four daughters.[2] He had been a heroin user, once arrested for possession at an airport in England in 1996.[36][37] He was an avid car collector who bought Formula 1 Ferraris from the official racing team[2] (he was a member of the "F1 Clienti" program[38]) and also owned a Ferrari California.[39] He bought the engine of the Concorde and commissioned an artist to turn in into a work of art.[40]

His family wealth ranked 22nd on Challenges' 2019 list of French fortunes,[41] 43rd on Bilan's 2019 list of Swiss fortunes,[42] and 1349th on Forbes' 2019 list of world billionaires.[43] He was considered one of the richest members of the Rothschild family.[27] He was the owner of a hôtel particulier on rue de l'Élysée in Paris.[44]

Death

On 15 January 2021, Benjamin de Rothschild suffered a heart attack and died at his home in Pregny-Chambésy, Switzerland. He was 57.[45][46] His wife Ariane de Rothschild became the sole manager of the family business.[47]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dawkins, David (19 January 2021). "Billionaire Benjamin De Rothschild, Heir To Storied Banking Fortune, Dies At 57". Forbes. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Eytan Avriel; Guy Rolnik (5 November 2010). "Family Values". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  3. ^ "The Rothschild Genealogy". The Rothschild Archive. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  4. ^ Telo, Laurent (16 April 2015). "Benjamin et David de Rothschild, cousins ennemis". Le Monde. Paris. Retrieved 16 January 2021. (in French)
  5. ^ Siegal, Tobias (16 January 2021). "Baron Benjamin de Rothschild dies at 57 after suffering heart attack". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  6. ^ Hagerty, James R. (22 January 2021). "Benjamin de Rothschild Carried On a Banking Tradition in Europe". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Group Edmond de Rothschild". Rothschildarchive.org. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  8. ^ Prial, Frank J. (4 November 1997). "Baron Edmond de Rothschild, 71, French Financier, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  9. ^ "Benjamin veut rajeunir la banque de son père, Edmond". Lesechos.fr (in French). 5 July 2002. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  10. ^ Orna Raviv (18 November 1999). "Rothschilds Return". Globes.co.il. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  11. ^ "CEO's Greeting". Caesarea.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Changement de nom et nouveau blason". Edmond-de-rothschild.com (in French). 4 January 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  13. ^ Chad Bray (14 January 2015). "Edmond de Rothschild Group Names Chairman's Wife as C.E.O." Nytimes.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Edmond de Rothschild Heritage: an entrepreneurial laboratory, Edmond de Rothschild". 19 January 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Benjamin de Rothschild family to take private bank Edmond de Rothschild private". Wealthadviser.com. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  16. ^ James Beech (22 March 2019). "Family takes Edmond de Rothschild Bank private". Campdenfb.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Rothschild takes pleasure in sailing". CNN. 18 November 2002. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  18. ^ a b "Gitana, a legendary saga". Gitana-team.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  19. ^ Philippe Echelle (November 2018). "We sailed aboard the Ultim foiling trimaran Gitana17:Edmond de Rothschild, Multi Hulls". Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  20. ^ Toby Hodges (30 July 2015). "VIDEO: The first foiling MOD70 – Gitana Team's Edmond de Rothschild flies during her first trials!". Yachtingworld.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  21. ^ "Gitana unveils Maxi Edmond De Rothschild". Asia-pacificboating.com. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  22. ^ Jacques Guyader (20 July 2017). "Ariane de Rothschild, la baronne, Cleon Peterson, le graffeur et les voiles guerrières". Ouest-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  23. ^ "Rolex Fastnet Race 2019: Win for Maxi Edmond de Rothschild". Catsailingnews.com. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  24. ^ "Brest Atlantiques - Maxi Edmond de Rothschild under the 1,000-mile barrier!". Sail-world.com. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  25. ^ "Fine Wine Importer Wilson Daniels & Edmond de Rothschild Heritage Announce New Distribution Partnership". Prnewswire.com. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  26. ^ Per-Henrik Mansson (25 January 1999). "Chateau Clarke Turns to Consultant for Help". Winespectator.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  27. ^ a b Per-Henrik Mansson (6 December 2000). "The Richest Rothschild". Winespectator.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  28. ^ "Great Families of Cape Wine: Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons". Starwinelist.com. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  29. ^ Lucy Jenkins (22 November 2016). "Bordeaux Liquid Gold takes on Flechas de los Andes". Thedrinksbusiness.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  30. ^ "Château des Laurets Cuvée Baron Edmond 2004". Lefigaro.fr (in French). 17 April 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  31. ^ Adam Montefiore (15 November 2018). "Wine Talk: Five arrows, three Rothschilds, one champagne". Jpost.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  32. ^ "Benjamin de Rothschild & Vega Sicilia". Spanishwinelover.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  33. ^ Rupert Millar (30 August 2017). "8. Benjamin de Rothschild". Thedrinksbusiness.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  34. ^ Elin McCoy (2 November 2018). "Spain's Best Winemaker Is on the Move. Here Are What Bottles to Buy". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  35. ^ Margaret Kemp (4 November 2016). "A bucolic oasis for cheese connoisseurs just outside Paris". Ft.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  36. ^ Poor little rich boys, Independent
  37. ^ His wealth couldn't buy him invincibility, New York Post
  38. ^ "Inside Ferrari's private stable for the super wealthy". Jalopnik. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  39. ^ "Top 50 Expensive Billionaire Rothschild Family Purchases". Families. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  40. ^ Miguet, Francois (31 May 2018). "Le flambeur, la tradeuse, le faiseur de présidents... les petits secrets de famille Rothschild". Capital.fr (in French). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  41. ^ "#22 Benjamin de Rothschild". Challenges.fr (in French). 3 July 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  42. ^ "43. Famille Benjamin de Rothschild". Bilan.ch. 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  43. ^ "Benjamin de Rothschild". Forbes.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  44. ^ Roques, Jean-Baptiste (18 January 2021). "Ariane de Rothschild : Qui est la femme à la tête de la banque Edmond de Rothschild ?". Vanity Fair (in French). Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  45. ^ Robinson, Blaise; Black, Jeff (16 January 2021). "Edmond de Rothschild Holding's Chairman Dies at 57". Bloomberg. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  46. ^ Mallet, Victor (16 January 2021). "Benjamin de Rothschild dies of heart attack at 57". Financial Times. London. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  47. ^ (in French) Ariane de Rothschild, la banquière de Genève. Paris Match. 15 March 2021

Further reading

  • Diane Elisabeth Poirier (November 2016). Gitana: 140 Years of Rothschild Yachting History. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-1419722806.
  • Camille Meyer-Léotard; Erik Orsenna (21 November 2009). L'art du geste, engagement et passion de Benjamin et Ariane Rothschild (in French). Beaux Livres. ISBN 978-2845973602.
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