Margarita Louis-Dreyfus

Margarita Louis-Dreyfus
Born	Margarita Olegovna Bogdanova (1962-07-01) July 1, 1962 Leningrad, Soviet Union
Occupation(s)	Business magnate, chairwoman of the Louis-Dreyfus Group
Years active	2007–present
Known for	Chairwoman of the Louis-Dreyfus Group, principal shareholder of Olympique de Marseille (former)

Margarita Louis-Dreyfus (born Margarita Olegovna Bogdanova on 1 July 1962) is a Swiss business magnate of Russian origin and serves as the chairwoman of the Louis-Dreyfus Group.

Early life

She was born in Leningrad and brought up by her grandfather, who worked as an electrical engineer. Margarita pursued legal studies in Moscow and later studied economics in Leningrad.

Career

After the passing of her spouse, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, due to leukemia on 4 July 2009, she took over leadership of the Louis-Dreyfus Group and became the principal shareholder of Marseille, the football club owned by Robert since 1996. Her involvement in the company’s management began in 2007 when Robert included her following his illness diagnosis.

On 29 August 2016, Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, together with Marseille's mayor, Jean-Claude Gaudin, revealed that Frank McCourt had agreed to acquire Marseille. The sale was completed on 17 October 2016 for roughly 45 million euros, representing a deliberate exit from ownership of the football team.

Personal life

Margarita met Robert Louis-Dreyfus during a flight from Zurich to London in 1988. They wed in 1992 and had three sons, one of whom is Kyril, who holds the positions of chairman and majority owner of English Premier League club Sunderland. Prior to marriage, Margarita worked for a company dealing with circuit-board equipment but later dedicated herself to family life. Following her husband's death from leukemia, she assumed the chairmanship of the Louis Dreyfus Group in 2009.

By 2016, her fortune was valued at approximately $9.5 billion. She holds Swiss citizenship and resides in Zurich with her three sons: Éric (born in 1992) and twins Maurice and Kyril (born in 1997). Her partner is Philipp Hildebrand, who formerly led the Swiss central bank. Together, they have twin daughters born in 2016.

Additionally, Margarita is related by marriage as a second cousin once removed to American actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.