Christophe de Margerie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christophe de Margerie
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de Margerie in 2009
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| Born |
Christophe Rodocanachi
6 August 1951 Mareuil-sur-Lay-Dissais, France
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| Died | 20 October 2014 (aged 63) Moscow, Russia
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| Education | ESCP Europe |
| Occupation | CEO of Total S.A |
| Years active | 2007–2014 |
| Board member of | Total S.A. |
| Relatives | Pierre Taittinger (grandfather) |
Christophe de Margerie (born August 6, 1951 – died October 20, 2014) was an important French businessman. He was the boss, or chairman and CEO, of a big French oil company called Total S.A..
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Early Life of Christophe de Margerie
Christophe de Margerie was born in Mareuil-sur-Lay-Dissais, France, on August 6, 1951. His birth parents were Pierre-Alain Rodocanachi and Colette Taittinger. Later, his mother married Pierre-Alain Jacquin de Margerie, who adopted Christophe.
He went to a business school in Paris called ESCP Europe. Christophe de Margerie was also the grandson of Pierre Taittinger, who started a group called Jeunesses Patriotes.
Christophe de Margerie's Career at Total
Margerie joined the Total Group, Total S.A., in 1974 after finishing school. He started working in the company's finance department. He also worked in the part of the company that finds and produces oil.
In 1995, he became the head of Total Middle East. By May 1999, he joined the company's main leadership team. He became the president of the Exploration & Production division in January 2002.
On May 12, 2006, he joined Total's board of directors. He then became the CEO on February 14, 2007. On May 21, 2010, he became the chairman of the company. He held this important role until he passed away in 2014.
Total's Global Growth Under Margerie
Under Christophe de Margerie's leadership, Total grew its business around the world. They expanded their work in places like Iraqi Kurdistan, Myanmar, Qatar, and Russia.
De Margerie had strong connections with many countries, especially Russia. He believed that Western oil companies should keep working with Russia. He thought that some international rules against Russia were not helpful. Russia's President Vladimir Putin called de Margerie a "true friend" of Russia. He said de Margerie helped create many important projects between France and Russia.
In July 2011, de Margerie and other French business leaders asked the French government to collect more taxes from companies.
Christophe de Margerie's Death
Margerie died in an airplane crash in Moscow on October 20, 2014. Three crew members also died in the accident. Their names were Yann Pican, Maxime Rassiat, and Ruslana Vervelle. The plane, a Dassault Falcon 50, hit a snowplow while taking off from Vnukovo International Airport.
Margerie was flying back to Paris after a meeting near Moscow. He had met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. They had talked about investing in Russia. French authorities started an investigation into the accident.
Margerie's Legacy
After his death, Christophe de Margerie was given the Russian Order of Honour. This is a special award from Russia.
In 2017, a large icebreaking ship was named after him. It is called the Sovcomflot icebreaking LNG carrier. The ship is 299 meters long and helps transport natural gas.
