Walter Butler (French businessman)

Walter Butler is a French/American businessman. He is the founder of Butler Capital Partners, an investment and private equity firm.

Early Life and Education

Walter Butler was born in Brazil[1] to a Brazilian mother and an American father.[2][3] He moved from Brazil to France when he was a child following his parents' divorce.[4]

Butler attended Instituts d'études politiques de Bordeaux where he received a Master of Law degree. He later attended ÉNA, an elite school for high-level civil servants, where he received a degree in 1980.[4]

He is a United States citizen.[1]

Career

After completing studies at the ÉNA, Walter Butler served from 1983 to 1986 as an Inspector of Finances at the French Ministry of Finances.[2][3] From 1986 to 1988, he was an advisor to the Minister of Culture and Communication François Léotard.[2][5] In this position, he played a key role in the privatization of French television channel TF1, working alongside Jean-Marie Messier.[4]

In 1988, he joined investment bank Goldman Sachs in New York.[1] From 1988 to 1990, he was executive director of Goldman Sachs in New York, then London.[6] He has stated that his experience with the firm was where much of his business knowledge was formed.[7]

In 1991, he founded Butler Capital Partners, an investment fund and venture capital business.[1][2]

Through Butler Capital Partners, Butler is known for his involvement with companies including Flo, Sernam, Ipsos, BDDP, PSG and Virgin.[7] Butler is also known for his role in the privatization of ferry company National Corsican-Mediterranean Co., SNCM, in 2006.[1][8]

In 2008, Butler became a stakeholder in Virgin Megastores when Butler Capital Partners purchased a majority stake in Virgin Group from Lagardère.[9][10]

In 2015, Butler led the acquisition of Isodev, an SME loan platform that had been liquidated earlier that year.[8][11]

In 2018, Butler became the largest shareholder of Noerden, a Shanghai-based startup that manufactures smart watches and other devices.[3][12]

References

  • Tagliabue, John (2005-10-07). "An American Investor Rides the Merger Wave in France, to Labor's Chagrin". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Tagliabue, John. "A venture capitalist is shaking up France". Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Qui est Butler Capital Partners, le discret propriétaire de Virgin Megastore?". La Tribune (in French). Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  3. 1 2 3 "SNCM, Flo, PSG, Virgin... Walter Butler, le franc-tireur du sauvetage d'entreprise". Challenges (in French). Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  4. 1 2 3 "Walter Butler, énarque et proche de Dominique de Villepin". Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  5. ↑ "Inspection générale des finances : destins d'une élite d'Etat". Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  6. ↑ "Walter Butler: Executive Profile & Biography". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  7. 1 2 "Walter Butler Achat, vente, occasions..." Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  8. 1 2 "Walter Butler tente de relancer Isodev". lesechos.fr (in French). Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  9. ↑ "Virgin, nouvel échec de Walter Butler". Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  10. ↑ BUSINESS, BFM. "Qui est Butler Capital Partners, le propriétaire de Virgin ?". BFM BUSINESS (in French). Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  11. ↑ "Walter Butler veut capitaliser sur la marque de prêts participatifs Isodev - Actualités Financements & Marchés". L'AGEFI (in French). 2015-05-05. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  12. ↑ "Les Start-Up Qui Célèbrent La Culture Et L'Art De Vivre | Forbes France". Forbes France (in French). 2018-02-14. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
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