David René de Rothschild - Biography

David René James de Rothschild (born December 15, 1942 in New York City, New York) is a banker and a member of the French branch of the Rothschild family. He is the chairman of Rothschilds Continuation Holdings, a Swiss holding company (which is believed to be controlled by Concordia BV, another holding company, this time registered in Holland). He was formerly the chairman of De Beers.

Early and personal life

David de Rothschild was born in the United States as a result of his parents having to escape the Nazis during the German occupation of France in World War II. He is the son of Guy de Rothschild (1909-2007) and his first wife and distant cousin, the former Baroness Alix Hermine Jeannette Schey de Koromla (1911-1982). While his mother remained in New York City throughout the war, his father went to England where he joined the Free French Forces. Following the liberation of France, the family returned to their home in Paris. His parents eventually divorced and from his father's second marriage he has a half-brother, Edouard.

In 1974, David de Rothschild married Olimpia Anna Aldobrandini (b. 1955) in Reux, Calvados. They have the following children:

• Lavinia Anne Alix (b. 1976)
• Stéphanie Anne Marie (b. 1977) married (2005) Augustin de Buffévent
• Alexandre Guy Francesco (b. 1982) married (2009) Olivia Bordeaux-Groult
• Olimpia Linda de Rothschild (b. 1988) (adopted. 2000)

The Rothschilds made their home in Normandy at Château Reux on the seigneury between the village of Reux and the small town of Pont-l'Évêque where David de Rothschild served as town mayor for 18 years. About 125 miles north of Paris, the place is France's preeminent horse breeding area and is close to Haras de Meautry, the breeding farm run by his brother Edouard. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1991.

Education and early career

Baron David de Rothschild was educated at Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris in Paris from which he graduated in 1966. He began his business career at Société miniére et métallurgique de Peñarroya, one of the family's international mining businesses headquartered in Paris. He then began training in de Rothschild Frères bank.

French nationalisation

French government reform of banking regulations ended the legal distinction between banques d'affaires and deposit banks and in 1967 de Rothschild Frères became Banque Rothschild, a limited-liability company. David de Rothschild's father was an aggressive businessman who strove to expand the bank and their investments in mining and oil exploration as chairman of Imetal S.A.. However, the family fortunes suffered a severe setback following the election to the French Presidency of the socialist government of François Mitterrand in 1981. The new parliament nationalized a number of large companies and banks including that of the Rothschild family. An angry and discouraged 72-year-old Guy de Rothschild left France for a time and settled in New York City where the family had existing but limited business activities.

Later career

In an October 18, 2003 interview with George Trefgarne published in the The Spectator, David de Rothschild said that after nationalisation it took until 1986, when the Socialists lost power, for Rothschild family members to get a new banking licence. In 1987 a successor company called Rothschild & Cie Banque was created by David de Rothschild who was joined by his half-brother Edouard and cousin Eric de Rothschild. Capitalized at only $1 million and starting with just three employees, they soon built their tiny investment bank into a major competitor in France and continental Europe.

In 2003, following the retirement of Sir Evelyn Robert de Rothschild as head of N M Rothschild & Sons of London, the English and French firms merged to become one umbrella entity called "Group Rothschild." Ownership was shared equally between the French and English branches of the family under the leadership of David de Rothschild. In 2007, the English branch sold their share to the French branch. The French branch now fully own N M Rothschild & Sons.

As of 2008, David de Rothschild holds the following corporate positions:

• Chairman of N M Rothschild & Sons
• Chairman of Rothschilds Continuation Holdings
• Vice Chairman of Rothschild Bank AG
• Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Paris Orleans
• Senior Partner of Rothschild & Cie Banque
• Member of the Supervisory Board of Compagnie Financiere Saint-Honore
• Member of the Supervisory Board of Compagnie Financiere Martin Maurel
• Member of the Supervisory Board of De Beers Group
• Member of the Supervisory Board of Groupe Casino

David de Rothschild also owns a share of the Château Lafite-Rothschild vineyard but is not active in the day to day operations.

• See list of references at Rothschild banking family of France.