米歇尔·大卫·威尔(Michel David-Weill,1932年11月23日—):华尔街最后的大亨。
米歇尔·大卫·威尔(Michel David-Weill),1932年11月23日出生于法国巴黎,法国投资银行家。米歇尔·大卫·威尔在世界上最杰出的财务咨询和资产管理机构――拉扎德银行最后一任由创始人的后代担任的CEO,在任近25年。
1876年,米歇尔•大卫-威尔的曾祖父在美国旧金山创立了拉扎德银行。作为近几十年来最优秀的国际投资银行之一,拉扎德参与完成了众多可以写入华尔街历史的重大并购、收购案。然而,拉扎德又是低调和神秘的。曾有多少专著、多少报道描述这家银行和这位传奇的总裁,而米歇尔·大卫-威尔却一直小心翼翼地躲避着媒体。
古稀已过的米歇尔·大卫-威尔提笔书写自己的人生——《The Last Tycoons》(译为《最后的大亨》)。他在书中言谈由衷、毫无保留,涉及我们每个人都关注的主题,设置着一个又一个可能令读者诸君拍案而起的“挑衅”。他催人思索,他会让你思绪遄飞。你可以把他的这部回忆录看做是事业成功的指南,也可以从中读到一名男子对他的生活的反思。
Michel David-Weill (born November 23, 1932 in Paris, France) is a French investment banker and former Chairman of New York City based Lazard Frères.
He is the son of Berthe Haardt and Lazard Frères chairman Pierre David-Weill (1900-1975). During the last year of Nazi occupation, at age 11, he had to hide with his mother and younger sister, in a French village called Béduer (Lot, south-western France). After the war was over, he went to live in New York City with his family. He was educated at the Lycée Français de New York and l'Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris. In 1956, he married Hélène Marie Lehideux, with whom he has four children.
By inheriting equity stake, he became the largest stake holder in both Lazard New York and Lazard Paris, while also holding stakes in Lazard London. Following the 1977 retirement of André Meyer, Michel David-Weill became chairman of Lazard - working closely with managing director, Felix Rohatyn, who, like David-Weill, was also made senior partner at Lazard in 1961. Also, by the power provided in clause 4.1 of Lazard partnership agreement, he alone had the power to set compensations and had the right to fire any partners at his discretion.
Under David-Weill's direction, Lazard began to expand its business from traditional M&A advising to areas such as asset management and municipal bond. He also made numerous astute hires, most notable being Steve Rattner. Lazard's profits also jumped from $5 million in the late 70s to $500 million in the late 90s.
David-Weill also re-united the branches of Lazard by combining his stakes in New York and Paris and buyout Pearson for its stake in Lazard London for more than $600 million.
After the retirement of Rohatyn, the firm's most prominent deal maker, however, Lazard under David-Weill's leadership began to take a turn for the worse. Other deal makers such as Ira Harris and Rattner also left the firm.
In order to resurrect his fortune, David-Weill made the fateful choice of hiring Bruce Wasserstein as CEO. Wasserstein, however, later decided to put Lazard up for IPO, against the wish of the family patriarch. For that reason, David-Weill has stated that he regretted ever having hired Wasserstein.[citation needed]
He was honored by the government of France, made a Commander of the Legion of Honor and Commander of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, that nation's highest cultural honor.
David-Weill is currently a director of Groupe Danone, one of the world's largest food-product companies.