AIAC Executives Attend the Choose France Summit at the Palace of Versailles
For Immediate Release:
Versailles, France -- May 15, 2023 – American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) Founder and Chairman L. M. Levie was among the 32 American delegates invited by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, to the Choose France Summit held at the Palace of Versailles. Mr. Levie was joined by Marc Renard-Payen, Managing Director of AIAC. The Choose France Summit showcased France's commitment to technological innovation, environmental sustainability and economic growth. The Summit included meetings with President Macron and his top cabinet ministers. The event featured a luncheon, panel discussions and meetings in the main palace’s state rooms, followed by a formal reception and banquet in the great hall of L’Orangerie, adjacent to the palace gardens. Brigitte Macron, First Lady of France, accompanied President Macron at the banquet.
At the evening banquet, President Macron unveiled his France 2030 Program and announced €13 billion in foreign direct investment involving 28 projects and 8,000 new jobs for 2023, a new record, including four giga-factories for manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles.
Mr. Levie was among 32 delegates in the US delegation, including:
Elon Musk, Founder and Chairman of Tesla, Tesla Energy, SpaceX, and Neuralink
Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer
Philipp Hildebrand, Vice Chairman, Blackrock
John Waldron, President and COO, Goldman Sachs
James Gorman, Chairman and CEO, Morgan Stanley
Mary Callahan Erdoes, CEO, JPMorgan Chase Asset & Wealth Management
Jane Fraser, CEO, Citibank
Israel Englander, CEO, Millennium Capital
James Quincey, Chairman, The Coca-Cola Company
Bob Iger, CEO, The Walt Disney Company
Raj Subramaniam, President and CEO, FedEx
Steven Bandowczan, CEO, Xerox
Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman and CEO, Air Products
Alex Karp, Co-Founder and CEO, Palantir Technologies
Tim Knavish, President and CEO, PPG
Evan Spiegel, Co-Founder and CEO, Snap Inc., Director, KKR
Christine Taylor, President and CEO, Enterprise Holdings
Dirk Van de Put, Chairman and CEO, Mondelez International
Mark Newman, Chairman, Chemours
Other prominent invited guests from finance and industry at the Choose France Summit included:
Ahmed Al Calily, Director, Abu Dhabi Investment Council and Mubadala Capital
Mansoour Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud, CEO, Qatar Investment Authority
His Excellency Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of Saudi Aramco
Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara, CEO, Temesek
Dhanin Chearavanont, Senior Chairman, CP Group
Soopakij Chearavanont, Chairman, CP Group
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Air India, Tata Consumer, and Indian Hotels
Lakshmi Mittal, Executive Chairman, Arcelor Mittal
Sunil Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises
Masayuki Hyoko, Chairman, Sumitomo Corporation
Jean-Laurent Bonnafe, Director and CEO, BNP Paribas
Philippe Brassac, Chairman, Credit Agricole
Frederic Oudea, CEO, Societe General
Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka Group-IKEA
Maurice Levy, Chairman, Publicis Groupe
Christophe Baviere, CEO , Eurazeo
Pierre-Andre De Chalendar, Chairman, Saint-Gobain
Borje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson
Aiman Ezzat, CEO, CapGemini
Pekka Lundmark, President and CEO, Nokia
Ross McInnes, Chairman, Safran
Florent Menegaux, CEO, Michelin
Cedrik Neike, Director, Siemens
Stefan Oelrich, CEO, Bayer Pharmaceuticals
Benoit Potier, Chairman, Air Liquide
Luc Remont, Chairman and CEO, EDF
Alexandre Richard, Chairman and CEO, Pernod Ricard
Thomas Schinecker, CEO, Roche Group
Ulf Mark Schneider, CEO, Nestle
Nikolai Setzer, CEO, Continental AG
Jakob Staushold, CEO, Rio Tinto
Frederic Arnault, CEO of LVMH Watches
Mr. Levie commented, “It was a distinct honor and delight to personally meet President Macron and the First Lady at the Chateau de Versailles. I also enjoyed greeting old friends, including our industrial customers and investment bankers, and making new friends among the enthusiastic Summit delegates. AIAC has been privileged to participate and contribute to the vibrant French economy for nearly two decades.”
Mr Levie continued, “The creativity, talent, and drive we find in France is unmatched anywhere in the world. It was evident to all in attendance at the 2023 Choose France Summit that President Macron, Finance Minister Le Maire, Ambassador Pascal Cagni, and their colleagues and advisors have a highly sophisticated understanding and keen appreciation of the key economic drivers and conditions which foster dynamic economic growth and job creation in our fast moving world. It is no surprise that France is now the clear leader in attracting direct foreign investment in Europe.”
In addition to the formal events, the Summit delegates were also treated to guided tours of the Palace of Versailles and its extensive art collection, including the Queen’s Private Apartment, the Countess du Barry’s Apartment, and the Royal Chapel. The President of Versailles, Catherine Pegard, cordially greeted delegates.
The following morning in Paris, the co-sponsor of the Choose France Summit, Business France, arranged a private guided tour of the Musee du Louvre for Mr. Levie and his guests. They were greeted by Madame Laurence de Cars, President of the Louvre, along with her associates. “The French government literally rolled out the red carpet for us,” Mr. Levie commented. “It is a pleasure doing business in France,” he added.
About Choose France
Held annually at the Palace of Versailles, the Choose France Summit is the flagship forum for showcasing French economic growth, technology, and development. President Emmanuel Macron convened over 200 multinational corporate leaders to the event. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire gave the luncheon presentation and President Macron delivered the evening banquet address, highlighting the France 2030 Plan. Mr. Macron, his cabinet ministers and their advisors directly engaged with the global delegates throughout the event.
About AIAC
Established in 1996, American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) is a diversified industrial group with manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. AIAC has acquired and grown noncore subsidiaries and divisions of Boeing, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Johnson Controls, Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, Visteon, Carlyle, Ahlstrom, Tolko, Groupe Suez, Groupe Rexel, and many other leading multinational corporations.
AIAC manufacturing companies serve companies and governmental entities worldwide in all major sectors, including aviation, space, defense, automotive, truck, rail, marine, petro-chemical, solar, nuclear, food, confectionary, beverage, civil engineering and infrastructure, commercial construction, mining, dredging, disaster relief, education, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. AIAC companies manufacture materials, components, assemblies, packaging, equipment, and finished products. In addition, AIAC companies are exclusive, authorized distributors of leading branded wire and cable, electrical devices, lighting products, and plumbing supplies, construction equipment, indoor and outdoor cooking appliances and fixtures, electronic piano keyboards, cameras, and watches in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
AIAC manufacturing companies are trusted, critical suppliers to the largest companies in the world. Of the global blue chip companies represented by delegates to the Choose France Summit, AIAC companies manufacture precision products for Tesla, Spacex, Pfizer, Roche, Siemens, Siemens Energy, Renault, Peugeot, Toyota, Nissan, Tetra Pak, SK, ENGIE, Alstom, EDF, Stellantis, Continental, Groupe Antolin, Aspen Pharmaceuticals, and Eramet, among others. In addition, AIAC companies are authorized distributors in Asia for the products of Schneider Electric, Legrand, and Prysmian, among others. See www.aiac.com.
About AIAC in France
AIAC has actively invested in France since 2005 and currently owns and operates 31 manufacturing and distribution operations throughout the country. AIAC companies in France produce and distribute aluminum foil, electronic controls and sensors, precision titanium, nickel and stainless steel tubing, logistical pallets, complex injection molded components and assemblies, and robotic manufacturing systems. These companies serve the automotive, truck, rail, marine, aviation, space, defense, food, beverage, confectionary, pharmaceutical, nuclear power generation, solar, petro-chemical, and retail sectors of the French and the EU economy. AIAC companies are a supplier to nearly every major company in France. See www.aiac.com, www.eurofoil.com, www.neotiss.com, www.belink-solutions.com, www.gecoe.fr, www.epalia.com, and www.epalia.fr.
Media Contact:
Isabel Carro Toro, Vice President
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
+34 689 295 827 (Spain)
+ 1 787 244 3175 (USA)
icarro-toro@aiac.com
www.aiac.com
Click on any image below to enlarge.
