Julien Balkany
Julien Balkany | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 29, 1981 Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, investor |
| Known for | Chairman of Panoro Energy ASA; co-founder of Nanes Balkany Partners |
Julien Balkany (born 29 January 1981 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) is a London-based French entrepreneur and investor. He holds the position of Chairman at Panoro Energy ASA, a Norwegian oil and gas firm with its headquarters in London, and is a co-founder of Nanes Balkany Partners, a private investment company located in New York. Balkany also participated unsuccessfully in the French parliamentary elections held in June 2012.
Studies and personal life
Of Hungarian heritage, Balkany’s father, Gyula Balkany, survived deportation to Auschwitz before moving to France where he established Rety, a fashion company based in Paris.
Balkany grew up in Neuilly, France, and completed his education at Sainte-Croix de Neuilly and Prepasup-Ipesup Paris. He pursued political science studies at the Institute of Political Studies in Strasbourg and later studied finance at UC Berkeley. His professional journey began with Bear Stearns’ emerging markets division in New York.
Business career
In 2008, Balkany co-founded Nanes Balkany Partners alongside Daryl Nanes. This New York-based activist hedge fund concentrates on value-driven investments in publicly listed oil and gas enterprises. Balkany has gained recognition as an activist shareholder and corporate raider through his focus on undervalued companies. In May 2013, he acquired a substantial shareholding in Petrogrand and actively pushed for the Swedish oil company to withdraw from Russia, openly endorsing Shelton Petroleum’s hostile takeover bid.
From January 2009 until March 2011, he acted as non-executive vice-chairman and board member of Toreador, an oil and gas exploration firm operating within France, with the objective of enhancing shareholder value. After facing criticism related to the company’s involvement in shale gas exploration amid France’s ban on hydraulic fracturing, he stepped down from the board but remained a special advisor to Toreador’s president until August 2011 when he severed all connections with the organization.
Recognition
In 2008, Balkany was named the top trader and hedge fund manager under 30 by Trader Monthly. Later, in August 2018, he was ranked #97 among the Top 100 most influential French entrepreneurs.
Political career
On 11 November 2011, he declared his intention to run in the June 2012 French legislative elections representing the First constituency for French residents overseas, which includes the United States and Canada. He ultimately secured fourth place, receiving 6.6% of the votes cast. In early 2013, he opted not to participate in the following election for the same seat. According to reports from Le Figaro, his withdrawal came after reaching an agreement to become the UMP candidate for the upcoming European Parliament election set for May 2014.
Dispute over French-language private schools
During a campaign stop in Montreal, Balkany suggested restricting enrollment of children of American celebrities in overseas French high schools ('Lycée Français') to give preference to French citizens. Nevertheless, these private institutions in North America function independently from direct French government administration, even though they hold accreditation from the Agency for French Teaching Abroad.