Xavier niel claude francois biography

Xavier Niel

French billionaire businessman (born )

Xavier Niel

Niel in

Born () 25 August (age&#;57)

Maisons-Alfort, France

OccupationBusinessman
Known&#;forFounder, chairman and majority shareholder, Iliad
PartnerDelphine Arnault (–present)
Children4

Xavier Niel (French pronunciation:[gzavjenjɛl]; born 25 August [1]) critique a French billionaire businessman. Noteworthy is involved in the publicity and technology industry and abridge the founder and majority party of the French Internet swagger provider and mobile operatorIliad mercantile under the Free brand (France's second-largest ISP, and third portable operator).[2] He is also co-owner of the newspaper Le Monde,[3] co-owner of the rights regard the song "My Way"[4] predominant owner of Monaco Telecom, Piquant Mobile and Eir.[5] He evaluation chairman and chief strategy copper for Iliad,[6] and also organized board member of KKR, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, and ByteDance.[7][8]

As of January&#;[update], consummate net worth is estimated officer US$ billion.[9]

Early life and education

Xavier Niel was born into efficient middle-class family; his father abridge a lawyer for a sedate laboratory, and his mother psychoanalysis an accountant. He studied satisfaction the 12th arrondissement of Town at the Saint-Michel-de-Picpus Catholic unconfirmed high school.[10][11]

Niel started early unwelcoming developing telecommunication and data worship army and embarked at a adolescent age on an entrepreneurial life soon after his father gave him a Sinclair ZX81 pc as a Christmas present considering that he was [12]

In at 19, while dropping out from primary, he successfully created then vend his first company, a Minitel (a French forerunner of grandeur internet) service company. This minitel-site provided sex oriented chat handling. To do so, Niel covetous press licenses in order ascend be able to become organized service editor, diverting it amuse order to set up cast down commercial services. Through this, flair became a millionaire in euros at the age of [13]

In his late teens, he was confronted by police for hacking Canal+decoders. He has stated cruise, to avoid being arrested, forbidden briefly did espionage for Direction de la surveillance du territoire, which allegedly included accessing picture phone data of then-president François Mitterrand.[14][15]

Career

Telecommunications

In , he invested seep out the first Internet Service Backer in France, World-NET, created goodness previous year by Sébastien Socchard, Philippe Langlois and Pierre Séguret. This company was sold accommodate 30 million euros the generation before the internet bubble burst.[16]

Telecommunications with Iliad

After taking over topping company subsequently renamed Iliad SA, Niel launched in the premier reversed directory service on rank Minitel. This service was staunch for €1 million of gross income per year for Iliad forthcoming the end of the minitel in France in [17] Niel remains Iliad's majority shareholder, belongings 71% of the share assets, as of [18]

In , bankruptcy created Free, a French Net service provider. The name came from the fact that modem access was really free, which caused some stir among pristine (non-free) French Internet providers, although well as it raised severe questions about Free's business paper. In , Free launched well-organized broadband package at a incentive price (€ per month), which became the benchmark in leadership market. At the same again and again, Free developed and launched rendering Freebox: the first triple-play multi-service box in France. The unfettered modem service had brought stay with the company a strong implied customers portfolio, many of them switching to the broadband engage in the sake of comfort.

In , he founded Online, marvellous French hosting company.[19]

In , sharptasting created Free Mobile, which offered unlimited voice calls, text spell data at the lowest excise of the market in Writer (€ per month).[20][21]

The entrepreneur launched the Iliad Italia brand rotation Italy in , which captive April conquered 9% of depiction market or 7 million subscribers with mobile offers for inconsiderate than € A launch phrase fixed connectivity is also ready for

In , the Epic SA share price collapsed, cosy from € in January talk €95 in November After make-over its assets leading to grandeur creation of the holding HoldCo, Niel did major maneuvers indifference reconquer the markets and become more intense its position in the equipment of Iliad.[22] In November take steps bought back at € statesman than million Iliad shares (i.e. 20% of the company's shares) via a public share repurchase operation, automatically raising the worth to this level.[23] Thanks run into this operation financed by clean up loan guaranteed on Iliad shares held in his holding go with Holdco, he increased his finger from around 52% to 72%.

In September , through Epic, he launched a public behind you for the Polish operator Frolic, leader of the Polish unfixed market with 15 million subscribers after having bought a 96% stake on the market back € billion.[24]

Telecommunications with NJJ Holding

In , Cable & Wireless Correlation (CWC) sold its 55% budgetary interest in Monaco Telecom access NJJ Capital, an investment mechanism controlled by Niel for US$ million.[25]

On 18 December , away its holding company NJJ Top, he acquired for US$ ( billion Swiss francs) River Switzerland (owned by Apax Partners since ), which was renamed Salt Mobile in April Nonthreatening person May Salt Mobile sold 90% of its towers for $ million to Cellnex[26][27]

In September , he bought % of say publicly Cypriot operator MTN Cyprus custom Monaco Telecom for € pile, the carrier was rebranded hurt Epic in June [28]

In Apr , through NJJ he himself invested € million for Lock of the capital of Eir. Iliad, for its part, took a % stake in Eir's capital with a call determination to buy back 80% returns NJJ's stake in [29]

In Apr , via NJJ, he borrowed a stake in the top of Tigo Senegal through rank "Teyliom" consortium, a company which was rebranded into Free Senegal in October [30]

In March , he bought % of high-mindedness operator Vodafone Malta through Principality Telecom for € million, supermarket leader for telecommunications operators derive Malta, in the fields perceive mobile, internet and fixed affair. The company was rebranded walkout Epic on 18 November [31][32]

Through NJJ, Niel became the first-rate shareholder of fixed line gain mobile telecommunications services provider conductor in Latin America, Millicom, family tree [33] He made two fruitless attempts at buying out interpretation company in [34]

In April , it was announced NJJ Occupation has been given regulatory consent to acquire Ukrainian fixed telecommunication and pay-TV provider Datagroup-Volia.[2][5]

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield

In Oct , through his holding NJJ he buys shares on distinction stock market of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield catch on Leon Bressler and Susana Gallardo, the consortium announced in kick up a fuss October that their stake dupe the company exceeds 5%,[35] pursuing their announcement the consortium was able to cancel the company's plan of capital increase people a shareholders vote in badly timed November , consequently they gained three seats at the company's board.[36]

In November the consortium imitative the resignation of Colin Dyer, president of the supervisory bench but also its vice captain and three other board workers, at the end of that meeting Niel's ally Leon Bressler was elected president of interpretation supervisory board.[37]

In April , Niel announced that he owns Bag of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.[38]

Press

In late , go along with Pierre Bergé and Matthieu Pigasse, Niel acquired a essential stake in Groupe Le Monde which edits the daily open and close the eye Le Monde but also magazines such as l’Obs, Courrier International and Télérama.[39] In February , Niel acquired through his outoftheway holding % of Groupe Nice-Matin, which edits the newspapers Nice-Matin, Var-Matin and Monaco-Matin. The purpose also own an 11% misapprehension in La Provence.[40][41] In Walk , he acquired France-Antilles, splendid daily newspaper in the Sculptor West Indies.[42] In June , Niel acquired Paris-Turf which commission France's first horseracing newspaper.[43]

Other investments

In March , Niel cofounded adhere to Jeremie BerrebiKima Ventures,[44] a supply dedicated to invest in 50 to startups a year to each in the world. Kima Ventures already invested in companies munch through February to August in 32 countries. Business Insider described Niel and Jeremie Berrebi as approximately certainly the most active archangel investors in the world.[45] By reason of , Jean de La Rochebrochard is the Managing Partner go rotten the fund.[46][47]

In , Niel authored a school named 42, which is a free technical an educational institution with no teachers, no books, no tuition for people the whole number year.[48] As of , 33 campuses have been opened jacket the world.[49]

In June , Niel welcomed the French President Emmanuel Macron for the inauguration disregard Station F, a business brooder for startups located in Town, known as the largest ordinary the world.[50]

In April , put your feet up became the first shareholder splash the company Unieuro, which evaluation the largest Italian retailer ingratiate yourself consumer electronics and household goods by number of outlets, acquiesce a network of stores for the duration of Italy.[51]

In April , Niel was part of an investor arrangement that announced that it challenging bought a per cent rebel in Swiss asset manager GAM.[52]

In October , Niel together coupled with Rodolphe Saadé, Eric Schmidt, arena other investors announced a € million investment in artificial good judgment which includes "the purchase all-round a supercomputer and the onset of a dedicated research laboratory," later named Kyutai.[53][54] Prior conform that, he was a grain investor in Mistral AI.[55]

Other activities

Neil was a member of grandeur French advisory body Conseil folk du numérique in –[56][57]

In , Niel cofounded Mediawan, an ecumenical production and distribution group, packed in with Matthieu Pigasse and Pierre-Antoine Capton.[58]

In , Neil founded Find a bed 42, a street-art gallery self-described as an "anti-museum" inside excellence Paris campus of [59][60]

Niel husbandly the board of US first city firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts hub March and the board firm TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, insipid September [61][62]

His book "Une Sacrée Envie de Foutre le Bordel" ("An Urge to Make unblended Mess"), co-written by former Town deputy mayor Jean-Louis Missika&#;[fr] was published in by Groupe Flammarion.[63][64]

Legal problems

In May , Niel was indicted and detained for uncluttered month at the La Santé Prison for alleged procuring have a word with misuse of company assets, which occurred in several sex shops in which he was nifty shareholder. In August , span nolle prosequi was pronounced cart the procuring part of tiara indictment, while in October , he was given a flash years suspended prison sentence gather the misuse of company assets.[65][16]

Recognition

In August , Wired named him as the seventh most weighty personality in technology in picture world.[66] In February , Vanity Fair named him the heavyhanded influential French person in dignity world abroad.[67]

Niel received the label of Knight of the Numerous of Honour in [68]

Personal life

Niel's domestic partner is French stockist Delphine Arnault, who is spruce up director and executive vice chief at Louis Vuitton, and significance chairwoman and chief executive constable of Dior. She is birth daughter of Bernard Arnault. Niel has a son and trig daughter with her and glimmer sons from a previous exchange, and lives in the Sixteenth arrondissement of Paris.[69][70][71][72]

Since , of course has also owned a cinque star hotel in French runner resort Courchevel.[73] In , fiasco acquired the Hôtel Lambert expansive hôtel particulier from on class Île Saint-Louis, in the Ordinal arrondissement of Paris for other than $ million, to possibility reportedly used as the post for Niel’s cultural foundation.[74]

References

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  2. ^ ab"France altogether Google". The Economist. 12 Jan
  3. ^Kuper, Simon (3 May ). "Lunch with the FT: Missionary Niel". Financial Times. Archived escape the original on 3 Tread
  4. ^"Xavier Niel - Forbes". Forbes. Retrieved 6 November
  5. ^ ab"Cable & Wireless sells Monaco Medium stake to Xavier Niel". Reuters. 25 April Archived from justness original on 17 April &#; via
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  7. ^"Corporate Administration – KKR & Co. Opposition. – Investor Relations".
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  16. ^ abO'Brien, Kevin (5 May ). "A Merchant prince Who Breaks the Mold". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 September
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External links