Swiss Billionaire Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, chairwoman and controlling shareholder of Louis Dreyfus Commodities BV, has given birth to twin girls on Monday.
‘Mother and babies are doing well, ‘ Louis Dreyfus Commodities said in an emailed statement.
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Louis-Dreyfus, 53, is ranked 171st richest person in the world by Forbes with a net worth of $7.1 billion, has three sons, Eric and twins boys Kyril and Maurice, from her marriage to the late French Jewish businessman Robert Louis-Dreyfus.
She is also the owner of Olympique de Marseille French Ligue 1 football club.
in January Louis Dreyfus Commodities had said that Ms Louis-Dreyfus planned to take a monthlong break from her duties following the births which had been due in early April.
About Margarita Louis-Dreyfus
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus is the Russian born widow of Robert Louis-Dreyfus who died of Leukemia in 2009 after a long struggle with the disease. She is today, after a protracted internal battle after the death of her husband, also the undisputed leader of the Louis-Dreyfus commodities empire. She also controls two football clubs L’Olympique de Marseille and Standard de Liège in which her husband had been involved.
In 2012, she told Bloomberg that her goal is to preserve Louis Dreyfus Commodities for Robert’s heirs, which was her husband’s dying wish.
‘It was about protecting his children, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, ‘ she said. ‘It’s also protecting the company. What he was telling me every day were his dreams.’
On his death Robert Louis-Dreyfus had left 61% of his group to his three children, to become available to them at the age of 25 and designated his wife as trustee in the mean-time. He also left her as much as Euros 300 million in her own right. The former President of Louis-Dreyfus Group at the time, Jacques Veyrat, did not take too kindly to the new arrangements it seems and, after a bitter battle, was out-manoeuvred by Margarita Louis-Dreyfus and left the company in 2011.
Her husband Robert was the grandson of Leopold, who lived in Switzerland and who also had major success as Chief Executive Officer of both Adidas-Salomon and of Saatchi & Saatchi. Robert’s cousin American actress Julia became one of the stars of Seinfeld. Julia’s billionaire father Gérard Louis-Dreyfus was the company’s CEO.
About Louis Dreyfus Group
Louis Dreyfus Commodities, an unlisted private company controlled by the Louis-Dreyfus family, is a leading trader of many key agricultural commodities such as cotton, wheat, sugar, rice and orange juice.
As consolidation grows among commodity trading firms internationally, the traditionally secretive company has sold non-core assets, issued its first bonds and listed shares in a Brazilian unit to help finance increased investments.
But it has not taken the step of listing its own shares or of making mega-acquisitions similar to its global rivals such as Glencore and Archer Daniels Midland Co – most likely to the benefit of the strength of its (non-disclosed) balance sheet.
The company posted a record profit last year on the back of strong global food demand and high crop prices following a severe U.S. drought.
Imposing entrance to the Company – source Louis Dreyfus website
The company first began in 1851 when Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, an 18-year-old son of a farmer from Sierentz in Alsace, made his first sale of grain. He purchased wheat from local farmers in Alsace and transported it to Basel in Switzerland, 8 miles away. Seven years later he left Basel for Berne and extended the scope of his activities, buying grain products in Hungary and Romania.
By 2011 Net sales were close to US$60 billion and fixed assets were more than US$5.5 billion withan ambitious continuing expansion plan in place. Louis Dreyfus workers at peak season exceeded 34, 000 and the company had offices in more than 55 countries.
It is of semantic interest only, perhaps, but is still curious that the company name drops the hyphen of both the founder’s and present-day family name…
READ MORE: Margarita Louis-Dreyfus
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