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Loïc Féry (born 15 March 1974) is a French businessman. He worked as a financial trader in Hong Kong and the City of London from 1997 to 2007, for Société Générale and Crédit Agricole. He founded the investment firm Chenavari in 2007 and became the owner of football club FC Lorient in 2009.[1]
Loïc Féry | |
|---|---|
 Féry in 2010 | |
| Born | 15 March 1974 Nancy, France |
| Education | HEC Paris |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman and football club owner |
| Known for | Owner of football club FC Lorient |
| Spouse | Olivia Féry (2001–2022) |
| Children | 3 including Arthur Fery (son) |
Early life and education
editFéry was born in Nancy.[1] He grew up in Pont-à-Mousson, also in Lorraine, where his parents were teachers; his father in physical education, his mother in mathematics. He achieved a Bac C (now Baccalauréat scientifique) with the mention très bien grade. He attended the Lycée du Parc school in Lyon and the HEC Paris.[2]
Aged 19, Féry took a year out of his studies after his first year to lead a telematics project in Eastern Europe, having won a competition. He then had a six-month internship in a trading room.[3]
Career
editFinancial markets
editFéry worked as a financial trader in Hong Kong, moving there in September 1997 during the Asian financial crisis. He was put in charge of credit markets in South East Asia for Société Générale, remaining there until 2000. He developed a company called Asiabooster to help European start-ups in the continent, but it fell to the Dot-com bubble.[3]
Having returned to Europe in 2001, Féry settled in London. His former boss at Société Générale set him the task of setting up Crédit Agricole's business in the British capital, leading 150 people in 2006. In March 2007, he was the highest paid person in the company. Four months later, with the company now known as Calyon after its merger with Crédit Lyonnais, one of Féry's subordinates lost €200 million on the New York stock exchange. Féry was fired in September[3]
Before the end of 2007, Féry set up the hedge fund Chenavari, named after a peak visible from his childhood home.[3][2] As of 2020, Chenavari had $5 billion in assets.[4]
FC Lorient
editFéry considered buying OGC Nice, Nîmes Olympique, Grenoble Foot 38 or Sheffield Wednesday before buying FC Lorient in 2009.[4] The Nice offer in 2001 was with a Korean business partner, and was rejected for lack of transparency, while the president of Nîmes changed his mind as his club was promoted to Ligue 2, and Wednesday was considered too expensive and risky for Féry.[5] Aged 35, he was the youngest president in Ligue 1.[3] As of 2012, Lorient was the only Ligue 1 club not in debt.[5]
In late 2012, Féry was elected president of the administration council of the Ligue de Football Professionnel.[6] In July 2018, he and Francis Graille of AJ Auxerre were elected presidents of the same body for Ligue 2 clubs.[7]
Féry's club were relegated back to Ligue 2 in 2017. After achieving promotion back to Ligue 1 in 2020, he invested heavily, saying that only Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and OGC Nice were spending as much.[4] In July 2023, he received attention for signing 2018 FIFA World Cup winner Benjamin Mendy days after the player was acquitted of sexual offences in England.[8] Lorient were relegated again from the 2023–24 Ligue 1, despite having the eighth-biggest budget. Féry admitted responsibility for Lorient's relegation and the mistake of abolishing the role of sporting director, which had left coach Régis Le Bris with the added role of player recruitment.[9]
Personal life
editFéry was married to Olivia Féry, born Olivia Gravereaux, an ex professional tennis player who also represented Hong Kong during their stay there. They divorced in 2022.[3][10] Their son Arthur Fery became a professional in the same sport, under his British nationality.[11][12]
According to French business magazine Challenges, Féry was France's 398th richest person in 2023, with a net worth of €320 million. This was an increase from his €120 million fortune in 2011.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b du Guerny, Stanislas (23 July 2013). "La double vie de l'ex-trader Loïc Féry" [The double life of ex-trader Loïc Féry]. Les Echos (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ a b Petry, Antoine (5 February 2014). "Un Lorrain chez les Merlus" [A man from Lorraine with Les Merlus]. Vosges Matin (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Boursier, Nadine; Cogné, Baptiste (22 July 2024). "PORTRAIT. « Laisser une trace » : de la finance au foot, Loïc Féry, l'ascension d'un homme pressé" [PORTRAIT. "To leave an impact": from finance to football, Loïc Féry, the rise of a busy man]. Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "Lorient president Loïc Féry: 'Watch out, because Ligue 1 is coming'". The Guardian. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ a b Cherrier, Solen (16 September 2012). "Loïc Féry : Ballon rond, finances carrées" [Loïc Féry, Round ball, squared finance]. Le Journal du Dimanche (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ Maes, Antoine (22 November 2012). "Loïc Féry (Lorient): «Au départ, on m'a pris pour un original dans le foot»" [Loïc Féry (Lorient): "At the start, I was taken as someone original in football"]. 20 minutes (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ Gilles, Louis (20 July 2018). "Les nouveaux Présidents de Ligue 2 au Conseil d'Administration de la LFP sont connus !" [The new Ligue 2 Presidents of the LFP Administration Council are revealed!] (in French). Ma Ligue 2. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ Sheldon, Dan; Slater, Matt (28 July 2023). "How Benjamin Mendy returned to football – five days after being found not guilty of rape". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ Copley, James (1 July 2024). "FC Lorient owner delivers interesting relegation verdict on new Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Loïc Féry s'adresse aux supporters des Merlus" [Loïc Féry addresses the Merlu supporters] (in French). FC Lorient. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ Crooks, Eleanor (5 July 2023). "Arthur Fery could turn pro after gaining confidence from playing Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ Thompson, Grant (3 July 2023). "Arthur Fery: Wimbledon Native To Face Medvedev In Grand Slam Debut". ATP Tour. Retrieved 21 September 2023.