The Dassault Family, a French billionaire Dynasty, Transitions Leadership to The Fourth Generation
- Angelyn Tan
- Jun 25
- 1 min read
Updated: Jun 30
Two sons of French billionaire Laurent Dassault have assumed responsibility for managing the conglomerate Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault (GIMD), which oversees a significant portion of the family's $42 billion fortune.

Julien, 46, and Adrien, 41, the fourth generation of one of Europe's wealthiest families, are now directors on the supervisory board, as shown by a company filing cited by Bloomberg.
GIMD manages the family's substantial holdings, comprising fighter and business planes, real estate, premium wines, an art auction house, and Le Figaro, a prominent French newspaper. The family's wealth is estimated at around $42.4 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The heirs possess a 40% interest in Dassault Systemes SE and around 67% of Dassault Aviation, which has prospered owing to the Rafale combat aircraft and its investment in defense contractor Thales SA.
The Dassault succession is marked by conflict among the remaining third-generation siblings. Recently, the chairmanship of GIMD has passed between Marie-Helene and Thierry, siblings of Laurent, who remains on the board.
Since the beginning of this year, Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, has been supervising GIMD. Laurent and his siblings acquired the Dassault holdings upon the demise of their father, Serge Dassault, in 2018.
Following 13 years in the banking sector, Laurent commenced his tenure at Dassault Groupe, the family's aerospace and software business, in 1991. Furthermore, he holds the position of director of Artcurial, the family's art auction company, which also conducts auctions for equines and real estate, as reported by Forbes. Laurent's grandfather, Marcel, founded Dassault Aviation, a firm that initially manufactured propellers during World War I.
Commenti