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Walter Butler (French businessman)

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Walter Butler is a French-American businessman. He is the founder of Butler Capital Partners, an investment and private equity firm.

Early life and education

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Walter Butler was born in Brazil[1] to a Brazilian mother and an American father.[2][3] He moved from Brazil to France when he was a child following his parents' divorce.[4]

Butler attended Instituts d'études politiques de Bordeaux where he received a Master of Law degree. He later attended ÉNA, an elite school for high-level civil servants, where he received a degree in 1980.[4]

He is a United States citizen.[1]

Career

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After completing studies at the ÉNA, Walter Butler served from 1983 to 1986 as an Inspector of Finances at the French Ministry of Finances.[2][3] From 1986 to 1988,[citation needed] he was an advisor to the Minister of Culture and Communication François Léotard.[2][5] In this position, he played a key role in the privatization of French television channel TF1, working alongside Jean-Marie Messier.[4]

In 1988, he joined investment bank Goldman Sachs in New York.[1] From 1988 to 1990, he was executive director of Goldman Sachs in New York City, then London.[6] He has stated that his experience with the firm was where much of his business knowledge was formed.[7]

In 1991, he founded Butler Capital Partners, an investment fund and venture capital business.[1][2]

Through Butler Capital Partners, Butler is known for his involvement with companies including Flo, Sernam, Ipsos, BDDP, PSG and Virgin.[7] Butler is also known for his role in the privatization of ferry company National Corsican-Mediterranean Co., SNCM, in 2006.[1][8]

In 2008, Butler became a stakeholder in Virgin Megastores when Butler Capital Partners purchased a majority stake in Virgin Group from Lagardère.[9][10]

In 2015, Butler led the acquisition of Isodev, an SME loan platform that had been liquidated earlier that year.[8][11]

In 2018, Butler became the largest shareholder of Noerden, a Shanghai-based startup that manufactures smart watches and other devices.[3][12]

References

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  • Tagliabue, John (7 October 2005). "An American Investor Rides the Merger Wave in France, to Labor's Chagrin". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  1. ^ a b c d e Tagliabue, John (6 October 2005). "A venture capitalist is shaking up France". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Qui est Butler Capital Partners, le discret propriétaire de Virgin Megastore?". La Tribune (in French). Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "SNCM, Flo, PSG, Virgin... Walter Butler, le franc-tireur du sauvetage d'entreprise". Challenges (in French). Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "Walter Butler, énarque et proche de Dominique de Villepin". Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Inspection générale des finances : destins d'une élite d'Etat". Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Walter Butler: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Walter Butler Achat, vente, occasions..." Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Walter Butler tente de relancer Isodev". Les Échos (in French). France. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Virgin, nouvel échec de Walter Butler". Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Qui est Butler Capital Partners, le propriétaire de Virgin ?". BFM BUSINESS (in French). Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Walter Butler veut capitaliser sur la marque de prêts participatifs Isodev – Actualités Financements & Marchés". L'AGEFI (in French). 5 May 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  12. ^ "Les Start-Up Qui Célèbrent La Culture Et L'Art De Vivre | Forbes France". Forbes France (in French). 14 February 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
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