Albert Frère

Baron Albert Frère ( born February 4, 1926 in Fontaine- l'Évêque ) is a Belgian financial investor, is considered the most powerful entrepreneurs in Belgium and one of the most influential in Europe.

Life

As the son of a small entrepreneur who created nails and chains, Brother rose immediately after school in the operation. From the company's trading house, Frère- Bourgeois and the young Brother walked in age from 30 years to the steel industrialist. He acquired an interest in the rolling mills of Ruau and later at the forges of Thy- Marcinelle Monceau and Hainaut -Sambre. In the late 1970s he controlled virtually all of the iron smelting basin of Charleroi. As one of the first to recognize the looming steel crisis and sold in the late 1970s his steel company to the Belgian State (see Cockerill -Sambre ).

With the freed up capital, he founded, together with the Canadian Geschâftsmann Paul Desmarais Swiss Pargesa Holding SA. In 1982, Pargesa took over the Belgian holding company Groupe Bruxelles Lambert ( GBL). Thus he controlled the Banque Bruxelles Lambert ( BBL) and participated in the media group CLT ( Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télévision ), who owned the majority stake in RTL Group TV operators. Also on the Belgian insurance companies Royale Belge and the Belgian oil company Petrofina Brother was involved. In 1986, he acquired the Éditions Dupuis and revitalized the publisher through the edition of comics for senior publisher in the French -speaking world.

With the sale of BBL to the Dutch ING Groep, the sale of the majority of the RTL Group to Bertelsmann AG, the Royale Belge to the French AXA and the Belgian energy company Tractebel to the Suez Group succeeded Brother regularly, its participation in a national to change companies for a share of a powerful multinational companies. In 2005, he was involved through its holding company to 25.1% at Bertelsmann, to 3.6 % for the oil company Total, to 7.2 % at the Franco -Belgian utility Suez and to 26.4 % at the Paris resources company Imerys.

The investment in Bertelsmann was sold back to July 1, 2006 again, which is wholly owned by Bertelsmann of the Mohn family and a foundation again. A planned IPO of GBL was prevented.

The group Frère-Bourgeois/Compagnie Nationale à portfolio (CNP ) is also controlled by the family of Albert Frère.

In 2002 his wealth was estimated at € 11 billion; 2007 to € 3 billion He is the only Belgian who is listed in the list of the richest people in the world of magazine Forbes Magazine.

1994 Brother was knighted by King Albert II of Belgium and raised to Baron.

Holdings (as of May 2009)

Overview of holdings by Albert Frère (May 2009 )

Awards

• Knight of the Legion of Honour on 19 December 1978
• Officer of the Legion of Honour on 24 February 1993
• Commander of the Legion of Honour on 10 April 1997
• Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor 15 May 2000