Serge Dassault
Encyclopedia
Serge Dassault is a French
entrepreneur
(Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Group) and conservative
politician
. According to Forbes
magazine, he was the 96th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $9.3 billion.
Dassault is the son of Marcel Dassault
, from whom he inherited the Dassault Group
. Since the elder Dassault's death, he has continued developing the company, with the help of current CEO Charles Edelstenne.
Serge Dassault studied at the Lycée Janson de Sailly
, the École polytechnique
, Supaéro and HEC Paris. During the Second World War, he was jailed when his father was sent to Buchenwald
for refusing to cooperate with the Germans in the airplane industry.
Dassault's group also owns Groupe Le Figaro
.
He is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement
political party, as is his son Olivier
, who is a deputy
in the French National Assembly
. He is a former mayor of the city of Corbeil-Essonnes
, a southern suburb of Paris
. In 2004, Serge Dassault helped finance the 200-million-euro
Islamic cultural center (essentially, a mosque
) in his city of Corbeil-Essonnes out of his own funds.
In December 1998, Dassault was sentenced to two years' probation in the Belgian
Agusta scandal
, and was fined 60,000 Belgian francs (about €1,500).
In 2004, Serge Dassault became a senator
, and in this position, he has been an outspoken advocate of conservative positions on economic and employment issues, claiming that France's taxes and workforce regulations ruin its entrepreneurs.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
(Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Group) and conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. According to Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine, he was the 96th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $9.3 billion.
Dassault is the son of Marcel Dassault
Marcel Dassault
Marcel Dassault, born Marcel Bloch was a French aircraft industrialist.-Biography:Dassault was born in Paris. After graduating from the lycée Condorcet, Breguet School and Supaero, he invented a type of aircraft propeller used by the French army during World War I and founded the Société des...
, from whom he inherited the Dassault Group
Dassault Group
Dassault Group, is a French group of companies led by Serge Dassault.Managing directors are Claude Dassault and Olivier Costa De Beauregard.- Subsidiaries :*Dassault Aviation;...
. Since the elder Dassault's death, he has continued developing the company, with the help of current CEO Charles Edelstenne.
Serge Dassault studied at the Lycée Janson de Sailly
Lycée Janson de Sailly
Lycée Janson de Sailly is a lycée located in the XVIe arrondissement of Paris, France. It is generally considered as one of the most prestigious lycées in Paris...
, the École polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
, Supaéro and HEC Paris. During the Second World War, he was jailed when his father was sent to Buchenwald
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
for refusing to cooperate with the Germans in the airplane industry.
Dassault's group also owns Groupe Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
.
He is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
political party, as is his son Olivier
Olivier Dassault
Olivier Dassault is a French politician, currently serving as a deputy in the French National Assembly. He is also the son of Serge Dassault and grandchild of Marcel Dassault. He was elected 16 June 2002 as deputy for the first circonscription of Oise, running on the Union for a Popular Movement ...
, who is a deputy
Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of deputies is the name given to a legislative body such as the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or can refer to a unicameral legislature.-Description:...
in the French National Assembly
French National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
. He is a former mayor of the city of Corbeil-Essonnes
Corbeil-Essonnes
Corbeil-Essonnes is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although neighboring Évry is the official seat of the Arrondissement of Évry, the sub-prefecture building and administration are located inside the commune of Corbeil-Essonnes.In the 19th...
, a southern suburb of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In 2004, Serge Dassault helped finance the 200-million-euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
Islamic cultural center (essentially, a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
) in his city of Corbeil-Essonnes out of his own funds.
In December 1998, Dassault was sentenced to two years' probation in the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Agusta scandal
Agusta scandal
The Agusta scandal or the Case Agusta-Dassault was a Belgian corruption scandal. It resulted from the purchase of military helicopter of the Agusta A109 Agusta-type by the Belgian Army in 1988, where Agusta and Dassault bribed various office holders...
, and was fined 60,000 Belgian francs (about €1,500).
In 2004, Serge Dassault became a senator
French Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of France, presided over by a president.The Senate enjoys less prominence than the lower house, the directly elected National Assembly; debates in the Senate tend to be less tense and generally enjoy less media coverage.-History:France's first...
, and in this position, he has been an outspoken advocate of conservative positions on economic and employment issues, claiming that France's taxes and workforce regulations ruin its entrepreneurs.