Haunted houses exist. 9, Champs-Elysées roundabout, holy of holies of the Dassault empire, is populated by shadows. You have to cross the high gates, climb a flight of steps and enter the entrance hall to meet the owners. On the wall, under one of the last examples of the “Eclair” propeller, Marcel Dassault’s first invention in 1916, lined up photos of the group’s founder, his sons, Claude and Serge, and one of his little ones. -son, Olivier, disappeared in a helicopter accident in 2021. This private mansion, the folly of the Duke of Morny, half-brother of Napoleon III, who had it built to satisfy the desires of his mistress the Countess Le Hon, is much more than just an address. It’s a history book.
The story of a family, the Blochs, which became Dassault in the aftermath of the Second World War, and whose tragedies, heartbreaks, hatreds and victories are inseparable from the national story of the last hundred years. The story also of a group, one of the finest jewels of French capitalism, at the unique crossroads of defense with Dassault Aviation, its Mirage and other Rafale, of high technology with Dassault Systèmes, world software champion, media with Le Figaro and the world of art with Artcurial, which has become one of the most beautiful auction houses on the planet.
How many secret contracts were signed in the discreet offices with eggshell walls of this small palace? Here, luxury has faded. No paintings by Rothko or any street art pope. Photos of planes – lots of them – and photos of Olivier Dassault in one of the work rooms. A few oils, incongruous business gifts, sometimes hung askew. In a corner, a Louis XV chest of drawers sits next to an antediluvian printer. Long corridors, lined with rows of chairs, lead to service staircases leading to the kitchen and dining room. Only the gilding of the reception room, the ultimate tribute to the countess and her whims, has survived the centuries. The signs of power are elsewhere. Better yet, they are invisible.
War of Succession
On January 9, a small revolution will disrupt the frozen time at the headquarters of the holding company which oversees all of the group’s activities. Charles Edelstenne, key general director of the Dassault group, will hand over the keys to the empire to Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation. A long-announced handover last February, just to silence the rumors. The founder’s ex-accountant Marcel, Serge’s right-hand man and his successor at the head of the holding company upon the latter’s death, left precise instructions. No party or surprise dinner. Among these people, we don’t show off, we work and we bow out when the time comes. “When I left the group, I did nothing, it’s tradition,” says Bernard Monassier, the family’s ex-notary, and former member of the committee of wise men, this circle of independent personalities. created by Serge Dassault to reflect on the destiny of the company.
At almost 87 years old, Charles Edelstenne is letting go of the helm. In 2022, already reached by the age limit engraved in the statutes, he was renewed for two years. He would have liked to continue a little longer. So many years in the service of Dassault and their companies; a whole life, and emptiness afterwards. But the heirs decided otherwise.
Who then to succeed him? The hypothesis that one of Serge’s descendants would take control was quickly ruled out. In fact, it was never even considered. Too many hatreds, reheated hatreds, not really the desire, nor the required skills slip the bad tongues. From then on, the war of succession was played out elsewhere, outside the family, even if certain heirs were tempted to push their champion. Jean-Pierre Raffarin would have been proposed for a time by Laurent Dassault. If the former Prime Minister’s CV ticked all the boxes, notably that of the address book, very useful for negotiating arms contracts, his overly courteous relations with the Chinese authorities would have raised eyebrows among certain members of the family and the government. committee of wise men.
An armchair for two
So, almost eighteen months ago, the decision was made to find the rare gem internally. “The choice was made very calmly and the decision was voted unanimously by Serge Dassault’s heirs,” explains a close friend of the house. The reality is a little more complex. The scenario of a triumvirate composed of Eric Trappier, the CEO of Dassault Aviation, Bernard Charlès, that of Dassault Systèmes and Olivier Costa de Beauregard, the figures man of the holding company, has been put together. But power is not divided, it is exercised. Especially in the Dassault house. So no more baroque and inevitably unstable carriages. It was necessary to decide between the two most powerful barons in the kingdom: Trappier or Charles?
The first, known to be close to the family, was appointed head of Dassault Aviation in 2012. It was he who won the first export contracts for the Rafale, extricating the company from a dark decade in terms of sales. abroad and shutting up all the grumps who have so denigrated the French combat aircraft. The second, close to Edelstenne, with whom he founded Dassault Systèmes, has financial power on his side. “He’s a visionary. A French-style Elon Musk, without the eccentricities and excesses,” exclaims one of the company’s leaders. In two decades, Dassault Systèmes has become the group’s cash machine, with a turnover almost a billion euros higher than that of the aircraft manufacturer. And a market capitalization almost three times higher. One of the greatest successes of French tech, which led its boss to say that the Dassault name is now better known abroad for its sophisticated software than for its combat planes. Would Bernard Charlès have ended up irritating certain members of the family when his total remuneration reached in 2023, 46.8 million euros, making him the highest paid manager of all the companies in the SBF 120, d ‘after Proxinvest’s calculations?
The coin fell on the side of Eric Trappier, who will combine his position as CEO of Dassault Aviation and that of general director of the holding company, in addition to his role as president of the very powerful UIMM, the metallurgy union. Bernard Charlès will remain at the helm of Dassault Systèmes but will report directly to the supervisory board. Small consolation: no link of subordination between the two men.
It remains to be seen how long this tandem can last. “In the short term, no problem, but I wouldn’t put my hand in the fire if we look ahead to two years,” breathes a member of the committee of wise men. On January 9, Eric Trappier – who has just celebrated his 65th birthday – will therefore sit in Charles Edelstenne’s chair, in the office, garden side, on the second floor of the Rond-point mansion. In 1952, when Marcel Dassault bought this small palace, he decided to occupy two offices. One, to the east, to admire the dawn turning the Champs-Elysées pink. The other, on the opposite side, on the west side, to follow the last rays of the sun caressing the tall trees in the garden. When he died, his son Serge moved into the first, preferring the hustle and bustle of the main avenue to the rustling of the foliage. Since his death, the room has been unoccupied. It will remain so. But the ghosts are there. The sun never sets on the Dassault house.
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