Billionaire Bot: New profile (Forbes real-time rank 101–125, 20 Oct 2026); all claims sourced

2026-11-10T12:10:44Z

New profile (Forbes real-time rank 101–125, 20 Oct 2026); all claims sourced

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{{short description|'''French businessman; chairman and controlling shareholder of the dairy group Lactalis'''}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Emmanuel Besnier
| birth_date = {{Start date|1970|09|18}} (Forbes)
| birth_place = Laval, France (Forbes)
| nationality = French
| residence = Laval, France (Forbes)
| occupation = Businessman
| known_for = Chairman and controlling shareholder of [[Lactalis]]
}}

'''Emmanuel Besnier''' (born 1970) is a French businessman, the chairman and controlling shareholder of the family-owned dairy group [[Lactalis]], based in Laval.<ref name="fp_emmanuel_besnier">Forbes, [https://www.forbes.com/forbesapi/person/emmanuel-besnier.json Forbes profile record for Emmanuel Besnier (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/emmanuel-besnier/)] ''Forbes'', live record, read 21 October 2026, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref><ref name="lac_ar25">Lactalis, [https://assets.ctfassets.net/c4xiawjy3foe/DFQYWqvoZWhzEUue6ds2o/6513863e43df9c9cb11afd81873ea0ff/Lactalis_Press_release_-_2025_Annual_Results_1.pdf 2025 Annual Results – Lactalis achieves 3% global growth in 2025, strengthens its position in the Americas and sets its sights on Oceania and Asia (press release)] ''Lactalis'', 16 April 2026, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref> Lactalis describes itself as the world's largest dairy group. It reported revenue of €31.2 billion and net income of €528 million for 2025.<ref name="lac_ar25" /><ref name="lac_home">Lactalis, [https://www.lactalis.com/fr/ Lactalis, notre raison d'agir : nourrir l'avenir (Lactalis, our purpose: nourishing the future)] ''Lactalis (official website)'', undated; read 21 October 2026, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref> Forbes says his younger siblings, Jean-Michel and Marie, own the rest of the company.<ref name="fp_emmanuel_besnier" /> On 20 October 2026 the [[Forbes]] Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Emmanuel Besnier 106th in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$24.35 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as Cheese.<ref name="fp_emmanuel_besnier" /><ref name="ForbesRTB">Forbes, [https://www.forbes.com/forbesapi/person/rtb/0/position/true.json Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed] ''Forbes'', live; downloaded 20 October 2026 11:51 UTC, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref> In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Emmanuel Besnier 88th, at US$28.3 billion.<ref name="ForbesAnnual">Forbes, [https://www.forbes.com/forbesapi/person/billionaires/2026/position/true.json Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read)] ''Forbes'', annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref> Under his leadership Lactalis has faced a criminal investigation over the contamination of infant formula with salmonella in 2017. In 2024 it paid €475 million to settle a dispute with the French tax authorities.<ref name="fi23">franceinfo with AFP, [https://www.franceinfo.fr/societe/justice/lait-infantile-contamine-le-groupe-lactalis-est-mis-en-examen-pour-tromperie-aggravee-et-blessures-involontaires_5662325.html Lait infantile contaminé : le groupe Lactalis est mis en examen pour tromperie aggravée et blessures involontaires (Contaminated infant milk: Lactalis placed under formal investigation for aggravated deception and unintentional injury)] ''franceinfo'', 16 February 2023, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref><ref name="bfm24">P.L. with AFP, [https://www.bfmtv.com/economie/entreprises/lactalis-regle-475-millions-d-euros-au-fisc-francais-pour-clore-un-differend_AD-202412190797.html Lactalis règle 475 millions d'euros au fisc français pour "clore un différend" (Lactalis pays €475 million to the French tax authorities to "close a dispute")] ''BFM Business'', 19 December 2024, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref>

== Early life ==
[[Forbes]] gives his date of birth as 18 September 1970 and his birthplace as Laval.<ref name="fp_emmanuel_besnier" /> [[Lactalis]] was founded in Laval in 1933 and was called Entreprise Besnier until 1999.<ref name="lac_ar25" /><ref name="bfm24" /> Forbes profile texts disagree on who founded it: the current text names his grandfather, while the 2023 text named his father.<ref name="fp_emmanuel_besnier" /> The sources checked for this profile gave no details of his education.

== Lactalis ==
[[Forbes]] describes Besnier as the controlling shareholder of [[Lactalis]], owner of brands including Président, Siggi's and Stonyfield.<ref name="fp_emmanuel_besnier" /> In its April 2026 annual results, in which he is quoted as chairman, Lactalis reported 2025 revenue of €31.2 billion, up 2.9%, and net income of €528 million. Its revenue in the Americas passed €10 billion for the first time after it took over General Mills' US yogurt business. In early April 2026 it completed the purchase of the consumer business of the New Zealand cooperative [[Fonterra]], with revenue of NZ$5.6 billion.<ref name="lac_ar25" /> The group gives its workforce as 85,500 on its French website and as 90,000 in the April 2026 release.<ref name="lac_home" /><ref name="lac_ar25" /> In 2018 a Senate committee chair introduced him as someone who speaks little in public.<ref name="sen18">Sénat, Commission des affaires économiques, [https://www.senat.fr/compte-rendu-commissions/20180618/eco.html Audition de M. Emmanuel Besnier, président du conseil de surveillance du groupe Lactalis (Hearing of Emmanuel Besnier, chairman of the supervisory board of the Lactalis group)] ''Sénat (compte rendu)'', 20 June 2018, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref> Forbes says that, because of his dislike of the press, he has been called "the invisible billionaire".<ref name="fp_emmanuel_besnier" />

== Infant formula contamination ==
In late 2017, 53 infants in France were found to have salmonellosis after consuming infant milk, mostly of the Milumel and Picot brands, made at [[Lactalis]]'s factory at Craon in Mayenne. Franceinfo described the recall as chaotic. In mid-January 2018 the group withdrew all infant milk produced at the plant, where production was halted for more than six months.<ref name="fi23" /> On 7 June 2018 Besnier, then chairman and chief executive, gave evidence under oath to a National Assembly committee of inquiry into the affair.<ref name="an18">Assemblée nationale, [https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/opendata/CRCANR5L15S2018PO751337N025.html Commission d’enquête chargée de tirer les enseignements de l’affaire Lactalis – Audition de M. Emmanuel Besnier, président-directeur général de Lactalis (compte rendu n° 25) (Committee of inquiry into the Lactalis affair – hearing of Emmanuel Besnier, chairman and chief executive of Lactalis (record no. 25))] ''Assemblée nationale'', 7 June 2018, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref> On 20 June 2018 he appeared before the Senate economic affairs committee as chairman of the supervisory board.<ref name="sen18" />

On 16 February 2023 Lactalis and its subsidiary Celia Laiterie were placed under formal investigation (''mis en examen'') for aggravated deception and unintentional injury. Each was put under judicial supervision with bail of €300,000. Several hundred complaints had been filed.<ref name="fi23" />

== Tax dispute ==
In December 2024 [[Lactalis]] said it would pay €475 million to the French tax authorities to close a dispute over international financing operations. The operations involved three subsidiaries set up in 2006 in Belgium and Luxembourg, and the tax authorities considered that they should have been taxed in France. The group said the operations had ended several years earlier and that it had cooperated fully. A preliminary investigation by the national financial prosecutor's office (PNF) into suspected under-declaration of taxable profit was continuing.<ref name="bfm24" /> According to BFM Business, citing a source close to the case, the group's headquarters in Laval, its Paris offices and Besnier's Paris residence were searched in early 2024.<ref name="bfm24" />

On 17 June 2025 Besnier and other Lactalis executives appeared before a Senate committee of inquiry into public aid to companies. ''Public Sénat'' reported that a criminal investigation for aggravated tax fraud and laundering of its proceeds was under way. Besnier told the communist senator Fabien Gay that his description of the arrangements was "totally inaccurate". Lactalis's finance director said the group had received €18.7 million in public aid in 2023.<ref name="ps25">Emile Boissel-Dombreval, [https://www.publicsenat.fr/actualites/economie/tout-le-monde-a-tort-sauf-vous-vifs-echanges-entre-le-pdg-de-lactalis-et-le-rapporteur-lors-de-son-audition-au-senat « Tout le monde a tort, sauf vous ! » : vifs échanges entre le PDG de Lactalis et le rapporteur lors de son audition au Sénat ("Everyone is wrong except you!": heated exchanges between the Lactalis CEO and the rapporteur at his Senate hearing)] ''Public Sénat'', 17 June 2025, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref>

== Wealth ==
[[Forbes]] gives cheese as his source of wealth and describes his fortune as inherited and growing.<ref name="fp_emmanuel_besnier" /> [[Lactalis]]'s parent company is named in reporting as BSA.<ref name="bfm24" />

== Wealth history ==
[[Forbes]] has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 14 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2013. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list.<ref name="ForbesAnnual" /><ref name="fp_emmanuel_besnier" />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Forbes estimates by list year
! Year !! World's Billionaires rank !! Net worth (US$ bn)
|-
| 2013 || 299 || 4.3
|-
| 2014 || 167 || 7.9
|-
| 2015 || 191 || 7.1
|-
| 2016 || 151 || 7.6
|-
| 2017 || 116 || 11.3
|-
| 2018 || 97 || 14.7
|-
| 2019 || 88 || 14.3
|-
| 2020 || 94 || 12.7
|-
| 2021 || 94 || 19.1
|-
| 2022 || 63 || 23.5
|-
| 2023 || 71 || 22.0
|-
| 2024 || 76 || 25.5
|-
| 2025 || 80 || 24.5
|-
| 2026 || 88 || 28.3
|}

== Philanthropy ==
No philanthropic foundation or major donation in Emmanuel Besnier's name was found in the sources checked.

== Political activity ==
Besnier has given evidence to committees of both houses of the French parliament: in 2018 on the salmonella affair and in 2025 on public aid to companies.<ref name="an18" /><ref name="sen18" /><ref name="ps25" /> No political donations or lobbying registrations in his personal name were found in the sources checked.

== Controversies and legal issues ==
See [[#Infant formula contamination|Infant formula contamination]] and [[#Tax dispute|Tax dispute]].<ref name="fi23" /><ref name="bfm24" />

== International and political links ==
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."

=== Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements) ===
No documented involvement found in sources checked.

=== Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups ===
No documented involvement found in sources checked.

=== Jewish communal charities ===
No documented involvement found in sources checked.

=== Gulf states ===
No documented involvement found in sources checked.

=== China ===
No documented involvement found in sources checked.

=== Russia ===
Company level: when Russia invaded Ukraine in March 2022, [[Lactalis]] said its Russian sites were continuing to operate and sell products, while some of its Ukrainian sites were paused for safety reasons.<ref name="jde22">Le Journal des Entreprises, [https://www.lejournaldesentreprises.com/breve/lactalis-continue-de-produire-en-russie-certains-sites-en-pause-en-ukraine-1871045 Lactalis continue de produire en Russie, certains sites en pause en Ukraine (Lactalis keeps producing in Russia; some sites paused in Ukraine)] ''Le Journal des Entreprises'', 4 March 2022, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref> In April 2024 ''Challenges'' reported that Lactalis had been in Russia since 2003, with four production sites, and had been approached by Russian buyers including Sergey Bachin of [[Agranta|Agranta Group]].<ref name="chal24">Antoine Izambard, [https://www.challenges.fr/entreprise/danone-lactalis-savencia-que-reste-t-il-des-geants-francais-du-lait-en-russie_889084 Danone, Lactalis, Savencia… que reste-t-il des géants français du lait en Russie ? (Danone, Lactalis, Savencia… what is left of the French dairy giants in Russia?)] ''Challenges'', 6 April 2024, accessed 21 October 2026.</ref>

=== India ===
No documented involvement found in sources checked.

=== Palestinian or Arab causes ===
No documented involvement found in sources checked.

=== Home government ===
[[Lactalis]] has been the subject of a French criminal investigation into the 2017 salmonella contamination and of a national financial prosecutor's investigation into its tax arrangements. It paid €475 million to the French tax authorities in 2024.<ref name="fi23" /><ref name="bfm24" /> The group reported receiving €18.7 million in French public aid in 2023.<ref name="ps25" />

=== Other international links ===
Company level: [[Lactalis]] operates in about 50 countries. In 2026 it bought the consumer business of the New Zealand cooperative [[Fonterra]], which it said would open growth opportunities in Oceania, South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East.<ref name="lac_ar25" /> The tax dispute concerned financing subsidiaries in Belgium and Luxembourg.<ref name="bfm24" />

== See also ==
* [[Lactalis]]

== External links ==
* [https://www.lactalis.com/ Lactalis]

==Notes==
<references/>

[[Category:Businesspeople|Besnier, Emmanuel]]
[[Category:Living people|Besnier, Emmanuel]]
[[Category:France|Besnier, Emmanuel]]
[[Category:French billionaires|Besnier, Emmanuel]]
[[Category:Food and Agriculture Industry|Besnier, Emmanuel]]

Emmanuel Besnier - Revision history

Billionaire Bot: New profile (Forbes real-time rank 101–125, 20 Oct 2026); all claims sourced