David René de Rothschild

David René de Rothschild
Born	(1942-12-15) December 15, 1942 New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Banker
Known for	Chairman of the supervisory board at Rothschild & Co; chairman of Rothschild Continuation Holdings; President of the World Jewish Congress; president of Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah

Baron David René James de Rothschild (; born December 15, 1942) is a prominent French banker affiliated with the French division of the Rothschild family. Since 2018, he has held the position of chairman of the supervisory board at Rothschild & Co and also serves as chairman of Rothschild Continuation Holdings, a Swiss-based holding entity.

Early life and education

David de Rothschild was born in New York City amid World War II, where his family had taken refuge from the German occupation in France. He is the son of Guy de Rothschild (1909–2007) and Baroness Alix Hermine Jeannette Schey de Koromla (1911–1982), whose father was Hungarian Baron Pips Schey. During the war, his mother remained in New York, while his father enlisted with the Free French Forces in England. Following the liberation of France, the family returned to Paris. His parents eventually divorced. David completed his studies at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris in 1966.

He has one half-brother, Baron Édouard de Rothschild, from his father's later marriage to Baroness Marie-Hélène van Zuylen van Nyevelt.

Career

David René de Rothschild’s professional journey began at Société miniére et métallurgique de Peñarroya, a mining enterprise owned by his family and headquartered in Paris, before moving on to training within Banque Rothschild, which was under family control.

After the 1967 reform in French banking that combined investment and deposit banking activities, de Rothschild Frères transformed into Banque Rothschild. Under his father’s leadership, the bank expanded its investments into sectors such as mining and oil exploration via Imetal S.A. However, the nationalization of Banque Rothschild by François Mitterrand’s socialist government in 1981 led to a downturn in the family’s financial standing.

When the Socialists were ousted in 1986, the Rothschilds regained their banking license in France with assistance from Robert Badinter. In 1987, David René de Rothschild co-founded Rothschild & Cie Banque alongside his half-brother Édouard, step-brother Count Philippe de Nicolay, and cousin Eric de Rothschild as a successor to Banque Rothschild. Throughout the 1990s, he acquired shares in N M Rothschild & Sons and ultimately became its deputy chairman as both institutions moved toward integration.

In 2003, upon Sir Evelyn Robert de Rothschild’s retirement, a merger united the British and French branches under "Group Rothschild," with ownership equally divided and David de Rothschild appointed as head. It is notable that French President Emmanuel Macron previously held a position at this bank.

In 2015, Rothschild was implicated in a fraud case in Spain concerning a scheme designed to reduce inheritance taxes for British retirees.

By 2018, David René de Rothschild’s son Alexandre took over as Chairman of Rothschild & Co, while David transitioned to chairing its supervisory board.

Other positions and responsibilities

David de Rothschild has occupied several significant roles, such as:

• Serving on the supervisory board of Compagnie Financiere Saint-Honore
• Serving on the supervisory board of Compagnie Financiere Martin Maurel
• Serving on the supervisory board of De Beers Group
• Serving on the supervisory board of Groupe Casino
• Holding the presidency of the World Jewish Congress since 2013
• Leading the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah as president
• Presiding over the French Entente Cordiale Scholarship trust
• Acting as a minority shareholder in the Château Lafite-Rothschild vineyard
• Being a member of Entreprise et Cité

Personal background

In 1974, David de Rothschild wed Italian Princess Olimpia Anna Aldobrandini, wearing a gown crafted by Yves Saint Laurent. The couple has four children:

• Lavinia de Rothschild
• Stéphanie de Rothschild de Buffévent
• Alexandre de Rothschild, appointed executive chairman of Rothschild & Co in 2018
• Louise de Rothschild

By 2022, his net worth was approximated at €575 million according to the French business publication Challenges.