Éric de Rothschild
Éric de Rothschild | |
|---|---|
| File:Éric de Rothschild 2013.png Éric de Rothschild in 2013 | |
| Born | 3 October 1940 (age 86) |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Title | Baron |
| Spouse | Maria-Beatrice Caracciolo di Forino |
| Children | 3, including Saskia de Rothschild |
| Parent(s) | Alain de Rothschild Mary Chauvin du Treuil |
| Relatives | Élie de Rothschild (uncle) Pierre Rosenberg (brother-in-law) |
Baron Éric Alain Robert David de Rothschild (born 3 October 1940) is a prominent French banking figure.
Early life
Éric was born in New York City to Mary Chauvin du Treuil and Alain de Rothschild. During World War II, his mother escaped to the United States while pregnant, whereas his father stayed in France and was held as a German prisoner of war. His uncle was Élie de Rothschild.
Career
In 1973, Éric assumed leadership of Château Lafite Rothschild from his uncle, elevating it into a more professionally managed and internationally competitive estate during the 1980s. He further broadened the estate's holdings by purchasing Château Rieussec in 1984.
By 1982, he was jointly directing the de Rothschild bank in Paris alongside his cousin David René de Rothschild, until its nationalization under President François Mitterrand.
Currently, Éric holds the position of chairman at UK Private Banking & Trust and is a member of the supervisory board of Paris Orléans, which manages assets totaling €28.3 billion. Between 1994 and 2004, he oversaw the Rothschild Frères archives before entrusting them to The Rothschild Archive.
Personal life
He is wed to artist Maria-Beatrice Caracciolo di Forino and is father to two sons and one daughter. Éric acts as honorary president of the Grand Synagogue of Paris and has been president of the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris since 2001. In 2010, together with Serge Klarsfeld, he revealed a document containing a legislative project related to Jewish people in France, annotated by Maréchal Pétain. In 2012, he publicly supported Holocaust education within French schools as a measure to counter antisemitism and racism.
Awards
- 1993: Wine Spectator Distinguished Service Award
- 2006: Southern Wine & Spirits of America Lifetime Achievement Award