François Michelin

François Michelin (born June 15, 1926 in Clermont-Ferrand ; † April 29, 2015 there ) was a French entrepreneur. He was a son of Étienne Michelin and grandson of the company's founder, Édouard Michelin . From 1955 to 2002 he was managing director of the Michelin group and was responsible for the international growth of the group. He enjoyed a legendary reputation in his home country.

Life

After the death of his parents, Michelin was raised by his grandmother and aunt Marthe Rollier. He studied mathematics in Paris. In 1951 he joined the family business under a false identity and worked incognito in three shifts for the first two years. On May 28, 1955 he was co-managing director at the side of Robert Puiseux. In 1959 he became the sole managing director. Under his leadership, the radial tire developed by the company gained international acceptance . Michelin relied on a continuous expansion strategy. While the company was the tenth largest tire manufacturer in the world when he took office, the acquisition of Uniroyal Goodrich in 1989 made it the largest with a global market share of 20 percent. In the early 1990s, Michelin was forced to restructure and lay off masses, not least at the main plant, due to the increased debt burden.

The deeply Catholic and conservative Michelin, who gave little information about his private life and company affairs, was described as "the most mysterious boss in France" and criticized several times for his patriarchal leadership style.

In 1999 he handed over the management to his son Édouard Michelin (1963-2006).

Honors

On April 12, 2009 he was appointed Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (Ch. LH) of the French Legion of Honor .