André J. Cointreau is the president and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of l’Ecole de Cuisine et de Pâtisserie Le Cordon Bleu, better known as

Le Cordon Bleu Le Cordon Bleu (French for " The Blue Ribbon") is an international network of hospitality and culinary schools teaching French ''haute cuisine''. Its educational focuses are hospitality management, culinary arts, and gastronomy. The instituti ...

. During his tenure, he has shifted the Le Cordon Bleu business from one school in Paris to a multinational concern with nearly 30 schools in 15 countries.

Early life and career

Cointreau is a direct descendant of the family that created and marketed Cointreau liqueur. He holds degrees from the Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) and Sciences Po, Paris (Sciences Politique). Cointreau began his career with Unilever and later The

American Express American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized in payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The company was found ...

Banking Corporation before he joined the family business as a commercial director in 1977 amid battles for control of the liquor magnate by the controlling families. Cointreau struck on his own in 1984, buying Le Cordon Bleu from

Madame Elisabeth Brassart Élisabeth Brassart (1897–1992) was the proprietor of the Le Cordon Bleu school in Paris from 1945 to 1984. Le Cordon Bleu had been founded in 1895 by Marthe Distel and Henri-Paul Pellaprat. In 1945, after the end of WWII, she purchased what ...

, an old family friend.L.A. Times: Profile of Andre Cointreau
/ref> He went on to become chairman and managing director of the family company Pages, and secretary general of Cognacs

Frapin Frapin is a Cognac producer based in the town of Segonzac, in the heart of the Grande Champagne region of France. The Frapin family has been established in the South West of France since 1270, initially as a family of wine-growers. They then bec ...

. He was also involved in the holding company that was created to manage the family owned assets of Rémy Martin and Cointreau. He stayed in the family business until 1984 following disputes over control of the firm between Cointreau and Rémy Martin. Among other activities within the food and wine world, Cointreau helped to create the Science and Food Culture Foundation within the Académie des Sciences, and the Institute des Hautes Etudes du Goût (HEG) in conjunction with

Reims University The University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (; URCA), also known simply as the University of Reims, is a Lists of universities in France, public university based in Reims, France. In addition to the main campus in Reims, the university has seve ...

. He also serves as CEO of Pierre Deux, a

retail business Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

focusing on French country decor and furnishings which he acquired in 1993; his wife, Hedwidge Cointreau de Bouteville, runs the Pierre Deux stores of which there are 20 based around France, the United States and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Awards

In 2003, he was awarded “Person of the Year” by the Federation of Alliances Francaises of the US. In 2005, he received the Hall of Fame award for his contribution to the International Food & Beverage Forum. In 2008, Cointreau was awarded the Légion d’Honneur from the Foundation Alliance francaise for his contributions and accomplishments as head of Le Cordon Bleu and "for his unique educational concept."Foundation Alliance Francaise: Andre Cointreau awarded on d'Honneur
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cointreau, Andre French chief executives Living people Year of birth missing (living people)