Henri de La Croix de Castries (; born 15 August 1954) is a French businessman. He was chairman and CEO of AXA from 2000 to 2016. He has been chairman of the Bilderberg Group steering committee since 2012.
Since 2015, he has been chairman of French think tank Institut Montaigne, based in Paris.
Early life Henri de La Croix de Castries was born on August 15, 1954, in Bayonne. His father was Count François de La Croix de Castries (1919/20–2011) who had a military career in Korea, Indochina, and Algeria. His maternal grandfather, Count Pierre de Chevigné, was a colonel in the Free French forces during the Second World War.
With the backing of his family, De Castries broke with custom by not choosing a military career, although he did perform his national service in a parachute regiment, where he developed a passion for freefall.Adam Jones (January 25, 2008), Lunch with the FT: Henri de Castries Financial Times.
De Castries attended the private Catholic school Saint-Jean de Passy, followed by high school at the Catholic Collège Stanislas de ParisAnnuaire 1972-1973 du Collège Stanislas, Paris, Collège Stanislas, 1972, . He graduated from HEC Paris in 1976, the same year as Serge Lepeltier and Denis Kessler, from the École nationale d'administration (ENA) alongside Dominique de Villepin, François Hollande and Ségolène Royal in 1980 (Promotion Voltaire).
He also holds a law degree and speaks fluent English and German.
Career From 1980 to 1984, De Castries performed audit assignments on behalf of the Minister of Finances of France, and in 1984 he became a member of the management of the French Treasury. In 1986, he participated in the privatisation initiated by Jacques Chirac's government, including Compagnie Générale d'Electricité, now known as Alcatel-Lucent, and TF1, both on the CAC 40.
De Castries started his career at AXA in 1989, when he joined the central financial direction. In 1991, he was appointed general secretary, in charge of restructurations and mergers (integration of Compagnie du Midi). He was appointed general director in 1993, in charge of North America and UK in 1994, and in charge of the merger and integration with Union des assurances de Paris (UAP) in 1996. He served as President of the Board of Equitable (which became AXA Financial) in 1997, and has been Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2000. In 2009, he took full charge at AXA by consolidating the role of chairman with his chief executive position.Scheherazade Daneshkhu (October 7, 2009), De Castries is to take full charge of Axa Financial Times.
Late in De Castries' tenure, AXA became the first global financial institution to shun investments in coal companies when it sold 500 million euros of coal assets in 2015.Pilita Clark (May 22, 2015), Axa pledges to sell €500m of coal assets by end of year Financial Times. In 2016, he decided that AXA would join a global movement to exit tobacco investments by unloading about $2 billion in cigarette company stocks and bonds.David Jolly (May 23, 2016), French Insurer AXA to Exit Tobacco Investments After Activists’ Campaign New York Times.
In March 2016, it was announced De Castries would retire from both chairman and CEO roles at AXA on 1 September.
By late 2016, De Castries was regarded as frontrunner for taking over as chairman of HSBC;Sinead Cruise and Simon Jessop (November 7, 2016), HSBC investors fear timetable to find new bosses is slipping Reuters.Ingrid Melander (January 17, 2017), French financier de Castries backs presidential hopeful Fillon Reuters. instead, the position went to Mark Tucker. Following the primaries for the 2017 presidential election, he served as François Fillon’s senior adviser and was tipped by news media for a future role as finance minister.Javier Espinoza and Patrick Jenkins (September 11, 2017), Former Axa boss Henri de Castries joins General Atlantic Financial Times.
In 2017, De Castries joined General Atlantic, the majority shareholder of Argus Media, as chairman and senior advisor.Henri de Castries General Atlantic.
Other activities Corporate boards LVMH, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2024)Mimosa Spencer (18 April 2024), Arnault heirs join LVMH board, tightening family hold Reuters. Stellantis, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2021) Stellantis. Argus Media, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2018)Henri de Castries joins Argus board of directors Argus Media, press release of June 29, 2018. HSBC, Independent non-executive member of the Board of Directors (since 2016)Henri de Castries HSBC.Chad Bray (November 13, 2015), Ex-C.E.O. of Diageo and AXA Chairman to Join HSBC Board New York Times. LeapFrog Investments, Member of the Global Advisory CouncilAdvisory Board LeapFrog Investments. Nestlé, Independent Member of the Board of Directors (2012–2024)Henri de Castries Nestlé.
Non-profit organizations Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2019)Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Board of Trustees Welcomes Five New Members Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, June 6, 2019. German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Member of the Presidium (since 2019) Institut Montaigne, President (since 2015)Henri de Castries Institut Montaigne. Bilderberg Group, Chairman of the Steering Committee (2010-2019) American Friends of the Louvre, Member of the Advisory BoardAdvisory Board American Friends of the Louvre. Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques (FNSP), Member of the Board Institut du Bosphore, Honorary President of the Scientific CommitteeScientifica Committee Institut du Bosphore. Museum Berggruen (Berlin), Member of the International CouncilInternational Council Museum Berggruen. Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), Member of the Strategic CommitteeStrategic Committee Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA). Re-Imagine Europa, Member of the Advisory Board Re-Imagine Europa. Association pour l'Aide aux Jeunes Infirmes, Member of the Board of Directors AXA Atout Cœur, President Geneva Association, President (2003-2008)
Political positions In a joint contribution published in French newspaper Le Monde in June 2012, De Castries – alongside fellow CEOs Franco Bernabè of Telecom Italia and Peter Löscher of Siemens – made a plea for European Union leaders to boost integration and restore growth in light of the European debt crisis.James Regan (June 26, 2012), EU gets wake-up call from major business leaders Reuters.
Personal life De Castries lives on the Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris, and his brother-in-law lives in the same building. He spends his weekends in a castle in Anjou, and one week a month in the United States. He is married and has three children.
References