Belgian businessman and the richest man in Belgium. At the age of 30, he started investing in Belgian steel factories and by the end of the 1970s he practically controlled the whole steel industry in the region of Charleroi. He foresaw the coming steel crisis of the late 1970s and sold his enterprises to the Belgian state after merging them with the competing steel firm Cockerill to create Cockerill-Sambre. Frère used the proceeds from this sale to build an investment empire around the Swiss holding company Pargesa which he founded with the Canadian investor Paul Desmarais. Pargesa took over the Belgian holding company Groupe Bruxelles Lambert in 1982 and over the year added significant stakes in such wide ranging Belgian companies as Petrofina, Royale Belge Insurance, Compagnie Luxembourgoise de Télédiffusion (CLT), and Tractebel. He actively promoted international consolidation of the sectors in which he was involved, selling Banque Bruxelles Lambert to ING Group, Royale Belge to AXA, Tractebel to Suez, Petrofina to Total S.A., and RTL to Bertelsmann. He died 3 December 2018. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less
Information about a public figure named Frère Albert born on February 4, 1926, in Anderlues, Belgium, is limited due to likely confusion with the more well-known Belgian businessman, Baron Albert Frère. It's possible that "Frère Albert" is a misnomer, or perhaps a less commonly used name for the baron. It's also possible this refers to a different individual entirely.
Baron Albert Frère (February 4, 1926 – December 3, 2018) was a prominent Belgian businessman and one of the wealthiest individuals in Belgium. He was known for his significant investments in various industries, including media, energy, and finance.
Albert Frère built his fortune primarily through the Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL), a holding company with investments in numerous national and international companies. Some of his notable investments included:
In his later years, Albert Frère continued to be actively involved in business and held several prominent positions. He was known for his shrewd business acumen and long-term investment strategy. His legacy includes his significant contributions to the Belgian economy and his philanthropic activities.
If you are seeking information about a different individual named "Frère Albert", refining your search with additional details might yield better results. Consider including any known professions, locations, or affiliations in your search query. You might also consider consulting historical archives or genealogical resources.
Note: Due to the lack of publicly available information on a "Frère Albert" born on the specified date, this information focuses on the well-known Baron Albert Frère due to the possibility of a name confusion.
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