Thomas Schmidheiny
Thomas Schmidheiny | |
|---|---|
 ISC-Symposium 2004 | |
| Born | 17 December 1945 |
| Alma mater | Tufts University Zurich Polytechnic |
| Occupation | Major shareholder of LafargeHolcim |
| Spouse | married |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent | Max Schmidheiny |
| Relatives | Stephan Schmidheiny (brother) |
Thomas Schmidheiny (born 17 December 1945) is a Swiss billionaire businessman. He is the former chairman of cement manufacturer, Holcim.
Early life
Schmidheiny was born in 1945,[1] the son of Max Schmidheiny (1908-1991). The family's construction materials empire (bricks, cement, etc.) was divided in 1984, with Thomas inheriting Holcim, the concrete and cement company, and his brother Stephan, also a billionaire, was given the construction company Eternit.[2]
Schmidheiny holds a doctorate from Tufts University and a Diplomingenieur degree from the ETH Zurich,[2] and an MBA from IMD Business School, Switzerland.[3]
Career
Until 2003, Schmidheiny was the chairman of Holcim, one of the world's leading cement manufacturers, founded by his grand-uncle in 1912.[4] Schmidheiny resigned his chairmanship as part of a deal to settle an investigation of insider trading in Spain.[5] He has remained on the Board since that time.[6] Since the merger between Holcim and Lafarge, Schmidheiny is the biggest shareholder of Lafarge-Holcim.[7]
In 2013, Schmidheiny and Rainer-Marc Frey acquired Lonrho through their investment vehicle, FS Africa, in a £174.5 million takeover.[8][9][10]
Schmidheiny is a member of the Executive Advisory Board of the World.Minds Foundation.[11]
Personal life
Schmidheiny is married with four children; he owns vineyards and wineries in Argentina, Switzerland and the US (Cuvaison in the Napa Valley[12]), including his residences in Rapperswil-Jona and Klosters.[2][13]
The Indian School of Business has a Thomas Schmidheiny chair of family business. As of 2023, the post was held by Sougata Ray.[14]
References
- ↑ "Thomas Schmidheiny". LafargeHolcim. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- 1 2 3 "Forbes profile:: Thomas Schmidheiny". Forbes. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ↑ "Thomas Schmidheiny". IMD business school.
- ↑ "Dr. Thomas Schmidheiny: From Family Business to Family Wealth Management". The Fletcher School. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ↑ "World Business Briefing | Europe: Switzerland: Insider Trading". The New York Times. 8 February 2003. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ↑ Meier, Simone (2 October 2011). "Schmidheiny Plans to Boost Holcim Stake, SonntagsZeitung Reports". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ↑ "Holcim's biggest shareholder backs plan to list North American business". Reuters.
- ↑ "UK's Lonrho gets buyout offer at nearly double its value". Reuters.
- ↑ Osborne, Alistair (15 May 2013). "Lonrho bows out after sale to Swiss investors for £175m". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- ↑ Allix, Mark (15 May 2013). "FS Africa to buy Lonrho for £175m". Business Day Live. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- ↑ "Team – WORLD.MINDS". Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ↑ "Cuvaison: Our Story". cuvaison.com. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ↑ "Luxury and discretion on the fringes of the WEF". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ↑ "Faculty Directory". Live Mint. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2013.