Who is Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, the “Tsarina” who wants to enter OLT?

Margarita Olegovna Louis-Dreyfus. This is the archetypal sanction that stands retired successful the shareholder operation of the institution Leonidsport, which submitted a nationalist connection for 21% of the shares of the Thessaloniki Port Authority (OLT). She is the widow of Robert Louis-Dreyfus and caput of the French elephantine Louis-Dreyfus, 1 of the astir almighty conglomerates connected the planet.

“Tsarina,” is the nickname utilized for her by the French and American property owed to her Russian origins, adjacent though she does not travel from a noble household oregon ultra-wealthy oligarchs from Russia, arsenic 1 mightiness imagine. The 4th wealthiest pistillate successful Europe and 1 of the wealthiest successful the satellite today, with a luck exceeding 5 cardinal euros, the pistillate who controls planetary cultivation merchandise commercialized and has almighty businesses successful each assemblage of the system 1 tin deliberation of, was erstwhile a mediocre orphan from the Soviet Union, educated acknowledgment to the sacrifices of her grandfather.

From Leningrad to the apical of the world

Her grandfather, Leonid Bogdanov, besides raised her aft her parents were killed successful a bid mishap successful 1969, erstwhile Margarita was conscionable 7 years old. Bogdanov believed that the top wealthiness helium could springiness Margarita was acquisition and did everything helium could to supply it. After graduating from school, she near Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and studied instrumentality astatine Moscow State University. Immediately after, she pursued a master’s grade astatine the Institute of Soviet Trade successful Leningrad, wherever she obtained degrees successful economics.

After completing her studies, Margarita near the Soviet Union, wherever opportunities were limited. Armed with her precocious acquisition level, crisp mind, and awesome appearance, she secured a occupation arsenic a salesperson astatine the German microchip and electronics institution Laytron AG.

Her grandfather, Leonid, whose sanction was given— arsenic 1 tin easy guess— to the institution that is “entering” OLT, lived to spot his beloved granddaughter “settled,” with a bully occupation and prospects. Not family-wise, though, since successful the mid-1980s Margarita joined a Swiss student, with whom she divorced a twelvemonth later. However, helium did not unrecorded to spot her go a almighty woman, arsenic helium passed distant successful 1985.

In 1988, Margarita was connected a formation from Zurich to London. Fate had her sitting adjacent to Robert Louis-Dreyfus, the French businessman with an MBA from Harvard, who was perpetually “in the air” due to the fact that helium managed the companies of the commercialized elephantine founded by his great-grandfather successful 1851. Margarita didn’t cognize this erstwhile she asked him what clip it was. Nor did she cognize erstwhile they “clicked,” because, speech from telling her the time, helium showed her a representation of his fluffy British shepherd canine (Bobtail) to pull the attraction of the striking blonde sitting adjacent to him. Something helium succeeded at, arsenic good arsenic getting her telephone number.

A fewer days later, Robert called Margarita, asking her to construe a papers into Russian. “You know, you could person asked maine to spell retired to meal without needing immoderate translation,” she responded. “Alright,” helium murmured, and their emotion communicative inevitably led to their matrimony successful 1992.

After the marriage, Margarita acquired Swiss citizenship and became a full-time mother, caring for the 3 children she had with Robert: Eric and the duplicate boys, Kiril and Maurice. Meanwhile, Robert Louis-Dreyfus had created a caller concern empire without utilizing a azygous cent from the conglomerate helium was astir to inherit—he was not progressive successful it anyway. He had made a luck from poker (!) and was astir to physique an adjacent greater luck by rescuing failing businesses similar the sports elephantine Adidas and the advertizing steadfast Saatchi & Saatchi.

Among the dozens of companies helium managed successful Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Americas, helium became much and much progressive successful sports. In 1996, helium made headlines by purchasing the historical French shot nine Marseille (Olympique de Marseille).

His joyousness astatine becoming progressive successful European nonrecreational shot would not past long. A twelvemonth later, helium was diagnosed with leukemia. The illness was precise aggressive, and arsenic his conflict became much intense, helium gradually entrusted Margarita with much and much responsibilities. In 2000, helium returned to the household cultivation giant, the Louis-Dreyfus Group, which his great-grandfather had founded successful 1851.

In 2008, helium founded Akira Holding to transportation 61% of Louis-Dreyfus, which helium would gather, to her. Robert sensed that his extremity was adjacent and anticipated what could hap to different giants: The committee mightiness “throw out” his woman to instrumentality power and transportation the institution to different conglomerate.

Thus, successful 2008, helium locked the shares for 99 years and appointed Margarita arsenic the household trustee, ensuring that the aforementioned script could not happen. When helium died successful July 2009, astatine the property of 63, helium near her successful the strongest presumption connected the three-member board, overseeing the largest stock of the company, headquartered successful Amsterdam, the third-largest cultivation products institution successful the world.

But Margarita, aft her husband’s death, did everything she could to fulfill his past wish, arsenic helium expressed it to her soon earlier helium passed away. “Do what I did. Maintain and turn the institution to walk it connected to our heirs,” their children.

The caller life

It wasn’t an casual task. Yes, Robert had “locked” the shares truthful that nary different shareholders oregon members could region her from the board, but Margarita had to combat to gain respect, not conscionable successful the concern satellite but adjacent successful the companies she controlled. “It’s a man’s world, and astir of the time, men don’t instrumentality women seriously,” she said successful an interrogation with Bloomberg, speaking astir her concern career.

Margarita didn’t settee for the (more than comfortable) beingness of being the widow and heir of 1 of the wealthiest radical successful the world. She took enactment arsenic president of Louis-Dreyfus companies and besides Marseille, wherever she precocious managed to fend disconnected an assertive takeover effort by Saudi Prince Al-Waleed. And she made singular changes successful the group. She sold the vigor trading institution and acquired much shares successful Louis-Dreyfus, strengthening her presumption successful it.

At the aforesaid time, she was “building” the aboriginal for her 3 sons. She sent the twins to a schoolhouse successful Singapore “to exposure them to caller cultures and broaden their horizons,” arsenic she said successful an interview, portion Eric studied successful the USA and began his vocation arsenic an intern astatine different commodity giant, Glencore, to summation the indispensable experience.

Margarita ne'er stayed successful the shadows. She earned the prestige and respect of the astir almighty concern circles connected the satellite and… inevitably began mingling with Europe’s elite. In the stands of the Stade Vélodrome (the location of Olympique Marseille), she was often photographed with French Presidents, specified arsenic Nicolas Sarkozy and the now-powerful caput of the ECB, Christine Lagarde.

From 2013 onward, successful these photos, she would often look with the erstwhile caput of the Swiss National Bank and aboriginal vice-president of BlackRock, Philippe Hildebrandt. Their associated appearances would go the taxable of treatment since, that year, Hildebrandt would divorcement his wife, Kasia, aft becoming progressive successful a trading scandal. This ungraded besides outgo Hildebrandt his job, arsenic Kasia is said to person made a important nett with insider accusation astir Switzerland’s monetary policy.

Although determination isn’t overmuch accusation astir Margarita Louis-Dreyfus’ idiosyncratic life, successful 2021, Louis Dreyfus Group confirmed journalistic reports that Margarita gave commencement to duplicate girls, with the connection “the parent and babies are successful fantabulous health,” without immoderate notation of the father.

How large is the Louis-Dreyfus Group?

But however large and almighty tin Louis Dreyfus be, for Margarita to beryllium called “Tsarina”? If yearly income of 120 cardinal (net gross of astir 50-60 cardinal dollars yearly), operations successful 100 countries, and 22,000 employees don’t accidental overmuch to you, past possibly the “ABCD” can. The 4 companies that predominate planetary cultivation merchandise commercialized and chiefly grains—Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge, Cargill, and Louis Dreyfus—are known arsenic “ABCD.” These 4 companies were besides progressive successful the 2011 ungraded astir atom terms manipulation and taxation evasion successful Argentina.

The French institution represents astir 10% of planetary cultivation commercialized flows, is the world’s largest fabric and atom trader, and the second-largest sweetener trader. It is besides the third-largest trader of copper, zinc, and pb concentrates globally, lone down Glencore and Trafigura.

Louis Dreyfus is not conscionable progressive successful agriculture and nutrient processing. It besides operates successful planetary shipping with a fleet of oceangoing vessels, freight transportation, banking (owning the French slope Louis Dreyfus and shares successful different banks), telecommunications infrastructure development, existent property management, and trades everything from minerals to Brazilian coffee, besides owning respective hedge funds.

LD was founded successful 1851 by Leopold Dreyfus, an 18-year-old Alsatian Jew, who became affluent from his adolescence by buying and reselling atom from farmers to much distant regions. Leopold Dreyfus frankincense created 1 of Europe’s strongest dynasties. To this day, the institution helium founded is owned and managed by descendants of the aforesaid family.

OLT and the Shareholders

Margarita Louis-Dreyfus is present poised to instrumentality a starring relation successful Greek concern beingness aft submitting an optional nationalist connection to get up to 2,116,800 shares of OLT, representing 21% of the company’s capital, done the institution “Leonidsport B.V.”

The company, which bears the sanction of Margarita’s grandfather, began the process yesterday, informing the Capital Markets Commission and OLT’s Board of Directors, submitting the accusation prospectus to them. The offered currency terms for acquiring each stock successful the Public Offer is 27 euros. It should beryllium noted that OLT’s banal closed astatine 22.88 euros yesterday, which is simply a premium of much than 17% compared to the terms of the company’s shares.