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