Generali

"Years later, it was in the opposite direction that money would fly over the Alps. The same Bernheim, though well-versed in Italian affairs, had ingloriously lost the presidency of insurer Generali in 1999: "They dismissed me like a valet who would have stolen from the drawers of the house," he bitterly complains. From this wound obviously arises a desire for revenge, of which Vincent Bolloré, always in search of an opportunity, will be the perfect instrument. "He was a friend of the family," confirms the entrepreneur. "When I took over my father's company, I had lunch with him. Since then, we have not been separated. Behind everything I have done, Antoine has always been there." This is particularly true for Italy."

"Until his removal from the executive presidency of insurer Generali in April 2010, he held a record of longevity at the head of one of Europe's most prosperous financial groups, founded in Trieste in 1831 and which counted writer Franz Kafka among its fleeting employees. An inveterate bridge player, the man is as complex as his career is atypical."

"The major shareholder of Mediobanca, at the core of Generali and UniCredit, the major investor of Covivio, a European real estate leader, engaged with Prada in the redevelopment of the former railway yard to create the Olympic village of Milan-Cortina 2026. A way to diversify his fortune into financial investments, which generally offer a higher return than manufacturing ones, but also the possibility of directly influencing the choices of the main Italian financial institutions, to which he has not spared criticism."

"Indeed, Leonardo has decided in recent years to diversify part of his estate into finance. And he has enjoyed it. He entered Mediobanca, becoming the largest shareholder just below the 20% threshold, and has increased his hold on Generali. He wants to take Italian finance beyond its localism."

"Mediobanca and Generali missed that qualitative, and sizeable, leap that he had the courage to make with Luxottica. It needs to be done. He wants to make them play the international game."

"Like Pierre Moussa, the president of Generali, Antoine Bernheim is a pillar of Le Siècle. He has always been exceptionally loyal, just like at the dinners of the Revue des Deux Mondes. Politicians speak very freely. Despite the presence of several newspaper directors (Jean-Marie Colombani, Serge July, Laurent Joffrin...) and esteemed writers, the golden rule is that the conversations that take place are never shared outside. "An ideal table of Le Siècle includes a politician, a financier, a business leader, an intellectual in the broad sense, and a perspective on foreign affairs. We also try to mix political sensitivities," adds the person who dedicates four days a month to the meticulous preparation of this "battle plan"."