Hector Carlier

Hector Carlier
Born	1884
Died	1946-01-01 Kalmthout, Belgium
Occupation(s)	Banker, industrialist
Known for	Co-founder of Petrofina
Spouse	Amelia Goossens (m. 1933; died 1989)
Children	Amalia Carlier, Ferdinand Carlier, Marie-Antoinette Carlier

Hector Carlier (1884 – 1 January 1946, Kalmthout) was a prominent Belgian banker and industrialist. He was the son of banker Jean Baptist Ferdinand Carlier and Marie de Roy. Hector married Amelia Goossens, and together they had three children. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Belgian petroleum firm Petrofina, which eventually merged with the French company Total to create TotalFina. Later, in 2000, it combined with Elf Aquitaine to form TotalFinaElf. Today, the enterprise is known as Total S.A.

Career

Carlier's professional journey started at the Banque d'Anvers, an institution partly owned by his father and the Société Générale de Belgique. On 25 February 1920, alongside his brother Fernand and minister Aloys Van de Vyvere, he established Compagnie Financière Belge des Pétroles. The company secured oil supplies from Romania following negotiations that resolved claims with German entities. The expansion of Petrofina was hindered by the outbreak of World War II, which resulted in the destruction of its principal refinery located in Dunkirk. After the war, the Carlier family faced allegations of economic collaboration. On 1 January 1946, Hector Carlier took his own life at his Boterberg residence in Kalmthout, while his brother Fernand escaped to Brazil.

Personal life

In 1933, Hector married Amelia Goossens from Woensdrecht, who passed away in 1989. The couple had three children: Amalia (deceased 2001), Ferdinand (1935–1986), and Marie-Antoinette (1934–2007), all of whom remained unmarried. Following their mother's passing, the two sisters resided modestly at Boterberg castle in Kalmthout. When Marie-Antoinette died in 2007, the family's wealth was inherited by private beneficiaries and the King Baudouin Foundation.