Jean-Claude Decaux
Jean-Claude Decaux | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 15, 1937 Beauvais, France |
| Died | May 27, 2016 (aged 78) |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Founder of JCDecaux |
Jean-Claude Decaux (15 September 1937 – 27 May 2016) was a prominent French entrepreneur who established the advertising firm JCDecaux. Today, the enterprise is overseen by his sons, Jean-François Decaux and Jean-Charles Decaux.
Personal life
Originating from Beauvais, France, Decaux was the son of a shoe retailer. He was married, fathered three children, and resided in Paris. He passed away on 27 May 2016 at the age of 78.
Career
At the age of 18, after a disagreement concerning the window display of his family’s shoe shop, Jean-Claude launched a roadside billboard venture across France. However, in 1963, new regulations on billboards forced him to cease operations. The following year, he created JCDecaux by negotiating with the city of Lyon to construct and manage bus shelters in return for advertising rights. This innovative approach facilitated swift growth into additional urban areas.
In 1980, Decaux introduced the Sanisette, a self-cleaning public restroom designed to replace Paris’s conventional pissoirs. By January 2015, Forbes valued his net worth at approximately $6.2 billion.