The owner Louis-Dreyfus is back to where she started in terms of her ownership of the commodity trading company. Now she is planning for the long-term.
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus remains the majority shareholder in the raw materials trading company Louis Dreyfus Co (LDC) after selling a stake to the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ, the «Neue Zuercher Zeitung» (behind paywall, in German) reports on Monday.
Proceeds of the sale were used to pay a billion-dollar loan used to buy out other family shareholders, as finews.com reported. Now, the Russian native can plan more freely, as the family foundation Akira still has some debts, but these are «easily manageable,» the heiress tells the paper.
Drive From Middle East
Louis-Dreyfus is hoping for new impetus from the Middle Eastern backer - the sovereign wealth fund is heavily invested in the health sector, an area where the LDC chair sees great potential, especially in the link between food and medicines.
The 58-year-old business leader also has a longer-term focus. She has three sons from her marriage to Robert Louis-Dreyfus, Eric, Kyril and Maurice and twin daughters from her marriage to Swiss ex-central banker Philipp Hildebrand.
Family Hands
Maurice shows the most interest in LDC's business, Louis-Dreyfus tells the paper, but should one of the sons want to take over the family business, he will have to hold his own - the name alone won't be enough, she says.
LDC might not remain in family hands forever, chair Louis-Dreyfus points out, adding that she does not rule out a company listing.
