Nationality France Spouse(s) Danielle Bibas Ethnicity Jewish Children two | Occupation Businessman Name Maurice Bidermann Known for CEO of Bidermann SA | |
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Full Name Maurice Zylberberg Born April 4, 1932 (age 92) ( 1932-04-04 ) Belgium | ||
Maurice Bidermann, real name Maurice Zylberberg, (Anderlecht, 4 April 1932 in Belgium) is an industrialist in the textile sector, descendent from Polish Jews. He is a Knight of the French National Order of Merit in 1991.
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Biography
Being Jewish, he lived along with his sister Evelyne from 1941 to 1943 with a Christian family in Aix-en-Provence; while his sister Regina is hidden in a convent. In 1943, the German police detain him and he is sent to a clinic in Bandol due to health problems. In 1946, Maurice Zylberberg arrived in Paris. In 1948 he left Paris to Israel and joined the Israel Defense Forces for 18 months but returned to France to work in a food factory. In April 1950, he entered the business of textiles and clothing from his uncle George Bidermann. Bidermann quickly introduced new technical manufacturing processes and personnel management revolutionizing the textile industry. These innovations allow the company Bidermann to reach a production level unrivaled in Europe, paving the way for export. During that time he was signing an agreement with the Soviet Union in 1966 on 310,000 menswear. In France, the Group Bidermann then has the licensing models menswear brands Yves Saint Laurent, Daniel Hechter, Daniel Cremieux or André Courrèges. In the United States, Bidermann Group acquired the brand Calvin Klein sportswear men, Ralph Lauren women's wear. The family business that employed 60 people in 1950 became twenty-five years later an industry group of some thirty factories producing live and employing about 18,000 people across the world (12 000 foreign and 6000 in Europe).
The Iraq War and new competition disrupt the growth of Bidermann Group experiencing difficulties that require it to restructure its production, both French and American. Maurice Bidermann preferred to save jobs and tries to revive the group through acquisitions in the 1990s including the farms brands Burberry, Arrow and Gold Toe licenses. However, Maurice Bidermann was forced to cede part of its French group Deveaux Group in 1995.
Elf Case
Bidermann was sentenced to three years in prison, two suspended, and fined one million euros for the leaders of "abuse of corporate assets, the misuse of corporate assets to expense Elf, presenting false accounts "and" spreading false information "on the consolidated statements of Bidermann group" in 1992.
Philanthropy
Maurice Bidermann has contributed to the development of the spirit of cooperation between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples such as supporting to NGOs like Action against Hunger, or the Museum of Warsaw in Poland, the country of origin of his parents. In 1974 he created the Association of Friends of French university AFBGU (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev), the development of a program between Jewish and Muslim students at the University of Haifa, development and training of mediators and a training school for teachers at the University of Tel Aviv, the creation of the Lycée Franco-Israeli Raymond Leven in Tel Aviv or the granting of micro-credits for projects involving Israelis and Palestinians.
Personal life
Maurice Bidermann is married to Danielle Bibas, born 11 December 1940 in Casablanca, Morocco. They have two daughters.