Frédéric Jousset
Frédéric Jousset | |
|---|---|
 Jousset in 2015 | |
| Born | 3 May 1970 |
| Education | HEC Paris |
| Occupation(s) | Businessperson Philanthropist |
| Known for | Co-founder of Webhelp |
Frédéric Jousset (born 3 May 1970) is a French entrepreneur and philanthropist.[1] He co-founded Webhelp in 2000 and sold it to Concentrix in 2023 on a $4.8 billion valuation.[2] Patron of the arts, he created the foundation Art Explora and its investing arm ArtNova in 2019.[3]
Early life[edit]
Jousset is the son of Marie-Laure Jousset, Chief Curator at Beaubourg,[4] and Hubert Jousset, President of the GEFIP and the École normale de musique. Jousset graduated from HEC in 1992.
Career[edit]
Jousset began his career in 1994 for Kérastase, a division of L'Oréal.[5] In 1998, he founded his first company, Clientis SA, a software publisher for beauty salons. He then joined the American strategy consulting firm Bain & Company where he worked as a strategy consultant.[6] In June 2000, he co-founded Webhelp SA with Olivier Duha, initially offering IT support services and later expanding into operating call centers and outsourcing business services.[7]
In 2014, Jousset obtained a 50-year concession for the Relais de Chambord hotel located in front of the Château de Chambord. He called upon the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte for the complete renovation. The hotel reopened in March 2018 with 55 rooms, suites, and a gourmet restaurant.[8] Frédéric Jousset bought Beaux Arts Magazine in 2016[9] and Le Quotidien de l'art in 2017.[10] In 2018, the Minister of Culture Françoise Nyssen entrusted him with the steering of the working group linked to the culture pass for young people.[11]
In 2020, he stepped down from his executive position at Webhelp, but remained vice-president of the board.[3] In 2023, he sold Webhelp to Concentrix in a deal that valued his company at $4.8 billion.[2]
Art patronage[edit]
Jousset was a member of the Acquisitions Commission of the Musée du Louvre from 2007 to 2014.[12] Webhelp contributed to the acquisition of "La Fuite en Egypte" by Nicolas Poussin. As a result of these different forms of support, he became a member of the Louvre's patronage council and was awarded the distinction of grand patron of the museum.[13] From 2016 to 2023, he was administrator of the Musée du Louvre by decree of the Minister of Culture.[14]
On 2019, Jousset launched the foundation Art Explora with the goal to open up the world of art to a wider audience. He also launched ArtNova, a 100-million euros fund to invest in the cultural ecosystem, with a special interest in art tech. ArtNova's profits finance the projects and programs of the Art Explora foundation.[3] The Art Explora & Académie des Beaux-Arts European Prize was launched in 2020 to support innovative cultural programs (150,000 euros awarded annually).[15] In the UK, the foundation financed a 10-week mobile museum program with the Tate.[16] In 2023, the foundation inaugurated the Y Hangar, the earliest surviving airship hangar in the world that was transformed into a contemporary art center.[17]
In 2021, Jousset announced the construction of a super-large catamaran, the first museum-boat to sail the oceans. A small model of the ship was on exhibit in the France Pavilion during the Expo 2020 in Dubai.[18] The ship was moored in March 2024 in Venice.[19]
Other roles[edit]
- 2011-2014: Chairman of the board of directors of the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts
- 2018-2022: Chairman HEC Alumni[20]
- 2019-2023: Chairman of the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs[21]
- Member of Croissance Plus, the Founders Forum, and the association Le Siècle
Distinctions[edit]
- Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (July 2014 - France)
- Knight of the National Order of Merit (France) (June 2010 - France)
- Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (14 July 2008 - France)
- Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (14 July 2014 - France)[22]
- Commander of the Order of Order of Ouissam Alaouite of the kingdom of Morocco (2008 - France)
- Medal of Grand Donor by Ministry of Culture and communication (2007 - France)
- Knight of the Legion of Honour (1 January 2019)[23]
In 2012, Jousset was awarded the Mercury of Honour for Business Creation at HEC and, along with Olivier Duha, he was elected Manager of the Year in 2013 by Nouvel Économiste/Financial Times.[24]
References[edit]
- ^ "Frédéric Jousset, the Businessman Bringing Culture to the People". France-Amérique. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Concentrix looks beyond North America with $4.8 bln deal for Wbhelp". Reuters. 29 March 2023.
- ^ a b c "A French Tech Entrepreneur Has Seeded a $119 Million Investment Fund for Startups Expanding Access to Culture". Artnet News. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Frédéric Jousset, l'art d'entreprendre". Les Echos (in French). 29 June 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Frédéric Jousset, l'art d'entreprendre". Les Echos (in French). 29 June 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "ENTREPRENEURS PASSIONNES". relationclientmag.fr/ (in French). December 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ à 07h00, Le 11 juillet 2010 (11 July 2010). "Frédéric Jousset : "Nous continuons à créer des emplois en France"". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 2 March 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Univers. La renaissance du Relais de Chambord". Point de Vue (in French). 1 May 2018. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Beaux Arts Magazine change de mains". Les Echos (in French). 9 May 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Médias : le Quotidien de l'Art change de formule et lance son hebdo". L'ADN (in French). 25 January 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Frédéric Jousset, l'homme qui conduit le Pass culture". 30 June 2018.
- ^ "Frédéric Jousset ou l'amour de l'art". Les Echos (in French). 26 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Frédéric Jousset nommé président du conseil d'administration de l'Ecole nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts". Connaissance des Arts (in French). 27 September 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ Scanvic, Jeanne (8 March 2023). "Emmanuel Faber et Eric Lombard nommés au conseil d'administration du musée du Louvre". Espace presse du musée du Louvre (in French). Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "French tech entrepreneur funds new €150,000 award for European cultural institutions focused on 'digital and environmental impact'". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ Brown, Mark (22 February 2023). "Fostering curiosity: the Tate brings great art to the people of Merseyside". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Bureau, Olivier (12 March 2024). "160 000 visiteurs et près d'une centaine d'événements : à Meudon, le hangar Y souffle sa première bougie". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "French art foundation unveils plans for mobile museum on board a €32m catamaran". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ Dalley, Jan (22 March 2024). "Philanthropist Frédéric Jousset is improving access to art — by land and by sea". www.ft.com. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Gouvernance | HEC Alumni". hecalumni.fr (in French). Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Frédéric Jousset - Nominations au Journal officiel de la République française". jorfsearch.steinertriples.fr. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Le co-fondateur de Webhelp acquiert Beaux Arts Magazine pour 5 M€". Capital Finance (in French). 10 May 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Décret du 31 décembre 2018 portant promotion et nomination" (PDF). Legiondhonneur.fr (in French). 1 January 2019.
- ^ "Olivier Duha et Frédéric Jousset,"Managers de l'année"". Le nouvel Economiste (in French). 19 December 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2020.