Groupe Frere Bourgeois

Strategic Concepts & Mechanics

Strategic PatternFlanking Around Entrenched Giants

Identity & CultureLoyalty Bought with Friday Paychecks

Relationship LeverageBoard Seats as Reconnaissance Posts

Cornerstone MoveSell the Company to Itself — Internal Reverse Takeovers

Competitive AdvantageClassified Stock as Control Multiplier

Cornerstone MoveFind the Key Man and Close Before Combat

Operating PrincipleCash Business Preference from Bus Roots

Strategic PatternConcentrated Diversity Over Grab-Bag Portfolios

Signature MoveWin Small, Consolidate, Then Leap Geometrically

Signature MoveWallpaper-Roll Planning Then Relentless Pressure

Cornerstone MoveBuy Cheap Shells, Strip and Reload the Portfolio

Operating PrinciplePool-of-Light Negotiation Theater

Relationship LeveragePolitical Access Without Political Office

Signature MoveDebt as Temporary Tool, Never Permanent Foundation

Capital StrategyDividends as Upward Cash Escalator

Signature MoveChief of Staff Handles Architecture, Boss Handles Vision

Decision FrameworkAcquire Capacity, Never Build in Inflation

Signature MovePocket the Stake, Play with Winnings Only

Primary Evidence

"ness. Besides the French investors in Paribas, Volvo of Sweden (through its Swiss subsidiary, Volvo Financial) had a stake in Paribas, as did Belgium’s Groupe Frere Bourgeois, headed by industrialist and fin¬ ancier Albert Frere, a man whose history much resembled that of Paul Desmarais."

Source:Rising to Power - Paul Desmarais & Power Corporation

"Paribas owned a share of Volvo Sweden; Volvo Sweden owned a piece of Paribas. Paribas owned a share of Groupe Frere Bourgeois of Belgium; Groupe Frere Bourgeois owned a share of Paribas. The same held true with Power Corporation of Canada, S. G. Warburg (u.s. merchant bankers), and the British Becker Group (stock under¬ writing, financiers, general securities dealers), the last two of whom had joined Paribas in an international merchant banking venture, W arburg-Paribas-B ecker."

Source:Rising to Power - Paul Desmarais & Power Corporation

Appears In Volumes

Rising to Power - Paul Desmarais & Power Corporation