Early Life and Education
Édouard Carmignac was born in Paris on September 5, 1947. He spent his early years in Peru, where his father worked in import-export. He attended a British school, Markham College, until the age of 12. He then earned a master's degree in economics from the Sorbonne in 1969 and an MBA from Columbia University's Business School in 1972.
Rise to Success
Carmignac began his career as a financial analyst at Blyth Eastman Dillon in 1972. He then worked at BNP Paribas. In 1984, he founded Pyramide Gestion. In 1989, Carmignac founded Carmignac Gestion with Éric Helderlé, capitalizing on the growing need for independent fund management in France. Under his leadership, Carmignac navigated financial crises successfully. He stepped back from daily fund management in 2019 but retained his positions as Chief Investment Officer (CIO) and Chairman.
Key Business Strategies
Carmignac's success is rooted in his early focus on technology, commodities, and emerging markets. He increased Carmignac's assets under management significantly during the 2000s. He is known for his outspoken commentary on political affairs and advocating for economic reforms.
Philanthropy
In 2000, Carmignac created the Fondation Carmignac, which manages a contemporary art collection of over 300 works and the Carmignac Photojournalism Award, which annually supports an investigative report. The Fondation Carmignac opened an exhibition space in 2018 on the island of Porquerolles to showcase its collection.
