Édouard de Rothschild

Édouard Étienne Alphonse de Rothschild (French pronunciation: ​[edwaːʁ etjɛn alfɔ̃s də ʁɔtʃild]; born December 27, 1957) is a businessman and part of the French branch of the prominent Rothschild family.

Early life and education

Édouard de Rothschild was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine. He is the son of Guy de Rothschild (1909–2007) and Marie-Hélène van Zuylen van Nyevelt (1927–1996). His father is Jewish and his mother is of half Egyptian, quarter Dutch, and quarter Jewish descent. He attended the Cours Hattemer, a private school. He studied law at Panthéon-Assas University in France and in 1985 graduated with an M.B.A. degree from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Career

In July 2003, Édouard de Rothschild was made head of Rothschild & Cie Banque, the Paris-based bank he founded in 1987 with his half-brother David René de Rothschild and cousin Éric de Rothschild. He stepped down in June 2004 saying he would remain involved as the non-executive chairman of the bank's supervisory board while taking on projects unrelated to finance. Until May 2005, he was a member of the Supervisory Board at Imerys S.A., a company the family had been a majority or significant shareholder in since 1880.

In January 2005, Édouard de Rothschild invested €20 million for a 37% controlling stake in the French newspaper Libération. The left-wing daily was founded by philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and Maoist militant journalist Serge July in 1973 but in recent years has sustained substantial losses.

He owns a share of the Château Lafite vineyard.

Personal life

Edouard has been married twice:

• In 1982, he married Mathilde Alexe Marie Christiane Coche de la Ferté (b. 1952), former wife of Sir Valentine Abdy. The marriage ended in divorce
• In 1991, he married Arielle Marie Mallard (b. 1963). She is the vice-president of the humanitarian organization CARE France and represents her country on the Board of Directors of CARE International. She holds a doctorate in economics and previously worked at the World Bank and Lazard Frères. They have four children:

1. David de Rothschild (twin)
2. Alienor de Rothschild (twin)
3. Ferdinand de Rothschild
4. Louis de Rothschild

An avid horse enthusiast, Édouard de Rothschild competes both nationally and internationally in equestrian show jumping. He inherited the Haras de Meautry stud farm in Toques in Basse-Normandie where he breeds thoroughbred race horses. His involvement in racing led to his 2004 election as President of the French horse racing association, "France Galop." Being of partial Jewish descent, he accepted an invitation in 2010 from the Israeli Equestrian Federation to represent Israel in international competitions.