Emmanuel Besnier

Emmanuel Besnier was born on 18 September 1970 in Laval, Mayenne, France.[2][3] His father was Michel Besnier and his mother, Christiane.[3] His paternal grandfather, André Besnier, was the founder of Lactalis in 1933.[3] He has a brother, Jean-Michel, and a sister, Marie.[3][4]

He was educated at the Lycée de l'Immaculée-Conception, a Roman Catholic private lycée in Laval.[3] He graduated from the ISG Business School in Paris.[2]

Besnier joined Lactalis as director of development in 1995.[3] He took over as the CEO in 2000, when his father died.[3]

With his brother and sister, he owned 83% of Lactalis.[1] In June 2018, according to Forbes, he had a net worth of $15.1 billion.[1] He shuns publicity and has been nicknamed "the invisible billionaire".[1]

At the end of 2017, Lactalis had to recall 12 million salmonella-contaminated boxes of baby milk from 83 countries. Besnier was summoned by Bruno Lemaire to the French finance ministry.[5]

He donates Euro 200,000 annually to the Francis-Le-Basser football stadium in Laval.[3] He also attends their board meetings.[3] He built a private box with tinted glass, from which he watches football matches.[3][6]

In 2006, he was the recipient of the "Mayennais of the Year" award from the local Rotary Club.[6]

He married Sandrine, a native of Laval whom he met at the lycée, at the Basilique Notre Dame in Laval.[3][6] They have three children.[2] They reside in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.[6] They also live in a château in Entrammes near Laval that he inherited from his father.[3][6]