Ariane de Rothschild talks about a bottle of wine or a honeypot as long and as seriously as a M&A or managing a portfolio of stocks. “As diverse and distant as they are, the two universes are complementary and respond to each other”, she assures. His career, however, sticks first to the banking professions. She adds : “In both areas, I leave nothing to chance. ” Sporty appearance, sober outfit, long curly hair and piercing blue eyes, she unleashes sharp phrases that stick to her reputation, passionate about the world of finance, indeed, as well as that of the art of living. And wine.
Her husband, Benjamin de Rothschild, with whom she had four daughters, died of a heart attack on January 15, at the age of 57. He was the sole heir to Edmond and Nadine de Rothschild, whose fortune weighs some 4.5 billion euros. Since the sudden death of her husband, Ariane de Rothschild has found herself alone in the front line at the head of the group, of which she has held the keys since 2015, the first woman to have reached the top of this family dynasty which dates back to the 18th century.e century.
She makes heads fall
Benjamin de Rothschild, whose passions were sailing, cars and hunting, was known as an excellent banker. But his wife is not just a “wife of”. After an MBA at Pace University, in New York, and strong experience at Société Générale and AIG Trading, in Australia and New York, she joined Rothschild in 1993. French, born Ariane Langner in San Salvador, tossed about Throughout her childhood between South America and Africa, depending on the places of mutation of her father, a German executive in a globalized company, she spoke five languages.
“When she arrives in the family, Ariane is already an outstanding banker”, confirms Nicolas de Rabaudy, a close friend of the Rothschilds and author of an (out of print) biography devoted to Edmond. The latter died in 1997. Two years later, Ariane married her son and heir. From 2008, Ariane de Rothschild sat on the supervisory boards of banks in Paris and Geneva, chaired by her husband. Seven years later, she takes the reins. It cleans up, operates an in-depth revolution in all areas, not without brutality, according to a quasi-military strategy. Heads are falling. Unlike her husband, she doesn’t like to delegate. Critics, including internally, are raining. Because she’s a woman, maybe. Because she’s not a born Rothschild, no doubt. Because it does not care about banking conservatism, surely.
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