Joseph Oughourlian

Joseph Marie Oughourlian (Paris, February 15, 1972) is a French entrepreneur, businessman, and financier of Armenian and Lebanese descent. He is the founder of the investment fund Amber Capital and the largest shareholder of PRISA Group, where he has served as chairman since 2021, as well as chairman of the newspaper El País since 2025. Oughourlian is also the president of Racing Club de Lens since June 16, 2018.

Biography

Early life and education

Joseph Oughourlian was born in Paris on February 15, 1972. He is the son of neuropsychiatrist Jean-Michel Oughourlian and grandson of Joseph Oughourlian, who was First Vice-Governor of the Bank of Lebanon from 1962 to 1983 and a survivor of the Armenian genocide. His mother, a nurse, is English.

He completed his secondary education at Sainte-Croix de Neuilly, earning his baccalaureate in 1989. He graduated from HEC Paris (Paris School of Higher Commercial Studies) and Sciences Po (Paris Institute of Political Studies).

He also earned a master's degree in economics from the Sorbonne (University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne).

Professional career

Oughourlian began his career in 1994 at Société Générale. In 1996, he moved to New York, where the following year he began managing funds for Société Générale. This led to the creation of the first Amber fund in October 2001, using seed capital from the bank.

In 2005, he founded the investment fund Amber Capital in New York. In 2012, he relocated the management company to London due to significant investments in Europe. The firm also has offices in Milan, where Oughourlian has invested in around twenty different companies.

Through Amber Capital, Oughourlian operates as an activist investor, increasing capital in companies he deems poorly managed and seeking to influence their operations.

In 2014, after the departure of Frédéric Vincent, he took over Nexans.

In December 2015, he became a board member of Spanish media group PRISA. From April 2019 to February 2021, he served as vice chairman and main shareholder via Amber Capital, which manages €1.1 billion in assets. Since February 2021, he has been the non-executive chairman.

In 2016, he invested in video game company Gameloft and increased tensions between Vivendi and Ubisoft. He also encouraged Total to raise its offer for Saft.

In 2017, he pushed Solocal to restructure its debt and persuaded Lactalis to increase its offer for Parmalat. In 2019, he asked Suez to revise its strategy and sell Spanish subsidiary Agbar.

In 2020, he called for the removal of Arnaud Lagardère for mismanagement, demanding the dismissal of the Lagardère supervisory board.

In March 2025, he became chairman of the Spanish newspaper El País, owned by PRISA Group.

Sports involvement

In 2011, Oughourlian invested in Colombian football club Millonarios of Bogotá, leaving management to his partner Gustavo Serpa. By 2021, he owned over 85% of the team's shares.

In May 2016, he acquired Racing Club de Lens and on June 16, 2018, he became chairman of its board. He reorganized the club's finances, reducing losses from €17 million to €3 million while advocating for affordable ticket pricing and a "contract" with fans. In December 2019, he expressed his dream of bringing European football back to Bollaert Stadium and, in July 2020, became president of the new RC Lens women's team.

In December 2017, he also became a shareholder in Italian football club Calcio Padova, which was promoted to Serie B in 2018–2019.

Personal life

Oughourlian resides in London with his wife, Jennifer "Jennie" Banks, and their three children: Jean, Alice, and Julien.

He has been vice president of the Armenian General Benevolent Union in the United Kingdom since 2010.

He is also a major sponsor of Sciences Po.