Michel Lhuillier
Michel Lhuillier | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michel Jones Lhuillier 1941 (age 84–85) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder of M Lhuillier |
| Spouse |
Amparito Llamas (m. 1964) |
| Children | 4 (inc. Monique) |
Michel Jones Lhuillier is a Filipino businessman who founded the eponymous M Lhuillier pawnshop chain.
Early life and education
Michel Jones Lhuillier was born in French Indochina (in current-day Vietnam) in 1942.[1][2] His father Henry Lhuillier is French, while Angelita Escaño Jones is a Filipino who hails from Cebu.[3][4] Michel starting at age seven, began helping the family business and learned skills on jewelry appraisals and bookkeeping every summer break.[5]
Michel Lhuillier obtained a degree in liberal arts and commerce at the De La Salle College in Manila. He graduated at the University of the Philippines Cebu with a master's degree in business administration.[5]
Career
Business
Michel settled in Cebu with his wife and helped maintain the family business of pawnshops and jewelry stores. He also held an executive position in the Visayan Electric Company which is managed by the Lhuilliers.[4]
Lhuillier founded the eponymous M Lhuillier business in the early 1980s as an offshoot of the financial services of his father.[6] The company, Michel J. Lhuillier Financial Services (Pawnshops), Inc., was laterincorporated in 1992.[7]
The Cebu Safari and Adventure Park in Carmen, Cebu was opened in 2018 under the M Lhuillier Group.[8]
Diplomacy
Lhuillier is an honorary consul for France in the Visayas. In 2014, he was conferred the Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.[9]
Sports
Lhuillier was involved in the formation of a Cebu-based football team named M. Lhuillier Jewelers F.C. in 1987. The team was formed after he met with Australian coach Graeme MacKinnon.[10] The team is known for winning the 1988 PFF National Championship.[11]
In 2019, Lhuillier is reportedly the chairman of the Cebu Provincial Sports Commission.[7]
Personal life
Michel Lhuilier married to Filipino socialite and former model Amparito Llamas on August 2, 1964 at the San Agustin Church in Manila. They had four children.[4][12][7] He met Llamas, who is of Spanish descent, while he was still a college student.[5]
Lhuillier is a collector of exotic animals and plants which led to him opening a safari in Carmen.[8]
References
- ↑ Picornell, Jaime (February 21, 2016). "A real surprise for Michel Lhuillier". Retrieved July 7, 2026.
He dines late, and so by the time he got there the place was filled up with 75 guests for as many number of years as he was chalking up—friends and relations, mostly.
- ↑ Newman, Jenara Regis Lhuillier (June 4, 2012). "20 things you might not know: Michel". Retrieved July 7, 2026 – via PressReader.
Michel Lhuillier is the country's pawnshop king, He was born in Vietnam, to a Frenchman father who was an honorary consul in the 1970s and a Filipino mother, Angelita Escaño Jones.
(subscription required) - ↑ "The Lhuillier legacy: A glimpse of the history behind one of the nation's biggest financial biz, M Lhuillier". Philippine Daily Inquirer. May 3, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Picornell, Jaime (September 21, 2014). "Amparito on first meeting Michel Lhuiller: 'You danced like Elvis Presley'". Lifestyle.INQ. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Building a legacy of excellence and service". The Philippine Star. June 25, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ "M. Lhuillier commemorates legacy in milestone store". Philstar.com. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- 1 2 3 Dagooc, Ehda M. (May 31, 2019). "Top 100 Cebuano:michel Lhuillier". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- 1 2 "Cebu Safari: A dream come true". Cebu Daily News. Philippine Daily Inquirer. February 22, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ Picornell, Jaime (July 12, 2014). "Michel Lhuillier knighted by France". Lifestyle.INQ. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ Olivares, Rick. "A look back at the 1988 PFF National Champions Cebu". Philstar.com. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ↑ Violeta, Jade (November 8, 2013). "Mackinnon leads reunion of M Lhuillier football team". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ↑ "The Lhuillier legacy: A glimpse of the history behind one of the nation's biggest financial biz, M Lhuillier". Philippine Daily Inquirer. May 3, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2026.