François Michelin
| François Michelin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
15 June 1926 Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne France |
| Died | 29 April 2015 (aged 88) Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, France |
| Residence | La Bosse, Orcines, Auvergne, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Business executive, CEO of Michelin 1955-1999 |
| Children | 5, including Édouard Michelin |
| Parent(s) |
Étienne Michelin Madeleine Callies |
| Relatives |
Édouard Michelin (paternal grandfather) Rémy Montagne (brother-in-law) |
François Michelin (15 June 1926 – 29 April 2015) was a French heir and business executive. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Michelin from 1955 to 1999. Under his leadership at the helm of a family business founded by his grandfather in 1889, Michelin became the number one manufacturer of tires globally, dominating the marketshare in Europe and the United States. A practising Roman Catholic, he was idiosyncratically non-hierarchical and conducted business from his hometown of Clermont-Ferrand in the rural Auvergne.
François Michelin was born on 15 June 1926 in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, France.
His grandfather, Édouard Michelin, was the founder of Michelin, when it was known as Michelin & Cie. His father was Étienne Michelin and his mother, Madeleine Callies. He became an orphan at the age of ten.
He received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.
Michelin started his career in 1951. He worked under a false name with regular factory workers, to learn on the job. He first worked as a fitter, then a driver, and later in sales and marketing.
He served as the CEO of Michelin from 1955 to 1999.
He increased the marketshare from the tenth top tire manufacturer in the world to number one. For example, from 1960 to 1979, he opened twenty-five new factories globally, even as far away as Vietnam. He hired Carlos Ghosn in 1978 to expand Michelin's marketshare in the United States. After he acquired Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Co. in 1990, Michelin dominated the US marketshare. While the buyout incurred debt for the company, Michelin stood firm in his decision to consolidate. By 1994, he was proved right, as the company was solvent again.
He pioneered the use of the radial tire, which became the gold standard of tires globally thanks to him. In 1993, he launched the green tire, which helps cars consume less fuel.
His leadership style was non-hierarchical. He believed in listening to all employees no matter what their ranks or social statuses were. He also believed in letting his employees take risks to innovate. Moreover, he believed business needed to be conducted discreetly and stressed the need for confidentiality.
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