Jean Burelle

Jean Burelle and his brother Laurent have minted billion-dollar fortunes by growing their late father's holding company, Burelle SA. The brothers share control of 77% of the company. It has interests in the financial and real estate industries, and also owns a majority stake in the publicly-traded Compagnie Plastic Omnium (Market Cap: $3.3 billion), a leading global supplier of automotive components and body control modules. Jean joined Plastic Omnium in 1967 as department manager. He was chairman and chief executive officer from 1987 to 2001, when his brother took over. He then moved on to be chairman and chief executive officer of Burelle SA. A strong advocate of business and industry, he also serves as the chairman of MEDEF, or the "Movement of the Enterprises of France," the largest union of employers in France. Jean is also a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur and Officier de l'Ordre National du Mérite. Read Less