Jean-Paul Elkann
Jean-Paul Elkann | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1921-12-28 Paris, France |
| Died | 1996-11-23 Paris, France |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, business executive |
| Known for | President of Compagnie Financière Jean-Paul Elkann; president of Parfums Caron; vice president of Parfums Givenchy; director at Christian Dior SA Group; Jewish communal leader |
Jean-Paul Elkann (28 December 1921 – 23 November 1996) was a prominent French financier and served as president of Compagnie Financière Jean-Paul Elkann (CFJPE).
Early life and education
Elkann was born in Paris to industrialist Armand Elkann (1882–1962) and Berthe Bloch. He studied at Lycée Janson de Sailly and gained admission to Polytechnique in 1940. However, due to rising anti-Jewish persecution, he and his family fled France.
Refugee in New York
He completed his academic pursuits in the United States, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia Business School in 1943 while residing at The Pierre hotel in New York City.
Following his education, Elkann joined the metallurgical sector alongside his father. He became owner and president of Vanadium Steel Italiana starting in 1948, led Vanadium Alloys Steel Canada from 1950, and held the position of Vice President at Vanadium Alloys Steel USA beginning in 1953.
Return to Paris
Elkann returned to France in 1953 and transitioned into the perfume industry. By 1962, he was appointed president of Parfums Caron. Later, he served as vice president of Parfums Givenchy between 1980 and 1983, and was a director within the Christian Dior SA Group as well as several other leading French corporations. His involvement extended to Jewish communal leadership where he acted as president of the Consistoire israélite de Paris from 1967 to 1982, chaired the Israelite Central Consistory of France from 1982 to 1992, and briefly held the interim presidency of the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF) in 1982.
Although not observant, Elkann was a supporter of Orthodox Judaism and contributed to various cultural and business organizations. These included serving as vice president of the France-Israel Chamber of Commerce, chairing the Association de coopération économique France-Israël, acting as governor at Haifa’s Technion, and holding administrative roles at Yabné school and the Alliance Israelite Universelle. Additionally, he was a member of the board of overseers at Columbia Business School.
Personal life and death
Jean-Paul Elkann married Carla Ovazza (1922–2000), a descendant of a Jewish banking dynasty from Turin; they had a son named Alain Elkann, born in New York in 1950. Alain later wed Margherita Agnelli, daughter of Fiat’s influential industrialist and key shareholder, Gianni Agnelli, in 1975.
Following their separation, Elkann married Francoise Schuhl in 1953; they had a daughter named Brigitte Elkann. He passed away on 23 November 1996 in Paris.
Honours
- Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur, awarded in 1988
- Recipient of the National Order of Merit (France) in 1996