Armand Petitjean

AWARD LAUREATES | Armand Petitjean


Armand Petitjean

Former President Lancôme

Armand Petitjean (1884-1969) was the founder of Lancôme, the internationally recognised cosmetics brand, whose name itself was initially inspired by the ruins of a castle. Born into a family of distillers, he founded the company in France in 1935. His motive was to create a brand that was able to deliver the much sought after ideal of French elegance to the world. His initial five perfumes were a big success and he eventually moved on to develop skincare products. His first skincare product was launched in 1936; a repair cream called Nutrix, which is still available today. In 1938 he branched into cosmetics, with his branch of Lancôme lipsticks becoming bestsellers. He was notoriously critical of advertising, stating that Lancôme would never advertise, making its early success all the more impressive. In 1961 he sold the company to his son, who subsequently sold Lancôme to L’Oreal in 1964. Today Lancôme remains one of the top brands in the luxury beauty sector, represented and used by models, actresses and make-up artists alike.

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Antonio Ortiz Mena

AWARD LAUREATES | Antonio Ortiz Mena


Antonio Ortiz Mena

Secretary of the Treasury and former President of the Inter-American Development Bank

Antonio Ortiz Mena was a Mexican economist and politician who held numerous government posts over the course of his career. He studied Law before working in the Mexican banking sector, at the Department of the Federal District and The National Urban Mortgage Bank. He served as Deputy Director of the National Mortgage Bank from 1946 to 1952, and later, he was appointed Director-General of the Mexican Institute of Social Security. He then became the Mexican Secretary of Finance and Public Credit in 1958, and retained this position until 1970. He oversaw a period of sustained economic growth and development in Mexico and was credited with helping usher in the ‘Mexican Miracle’, which elevated millions of Mexicans into the middle class. He went on to become President of the Inter-American Development Bank, leading it for seventeen years. During his leadership the Inter-American Development Bank dramatically increased their lending and he assisted in diversifying their operations, concentrating on Latin American infrastructure projects and financing for microenterprises. Following his resignation in 1988, Mr Ortiz Mena became the Director of Banamex, one of Mexico’s biggest commercial banks. He died in 2007 at the age of 99.

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Anton Jaumann

AWARD LAUREATES | Anton Jaumann


Anton Jaumann

Former Bavarian State Minister for Economy and Transport

Anton Jaumann was a German politician who served as the Bavarian Minister for Economy and Transport. Born in 1927 he studied Theology, Economics and Law before starting his own law firm in 1957. During this time he also served as CEO of the National Association of Bavarian Foreign Trade. He was a member of Bavaria’s parliament from 1958 until 1990. In 1966 he became State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance before becoming the Bavarian State Minister of Economy and Transport in 1988. During his term as Minister of Economy and Transport he made several key decisions and was noted as one of the many outspoken critics who voiced their concerns over the construction of the Munich Franz Josef Strauss Airport.

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Akio Morita

AWARD LAUREATES | Akio Morita


Akio Morita

Founder of Sony Corporation

Akio Morita was a Japanese businessman who co-founded the Sony Corporation. Born in Nagoya in 1921, his family were sake brewers who had been in the business for over 400 years. Mr Morita was viewed as the natural heir to the family business. From an early age he had a preoccupation with the functions of electronic appliances and was interested in maths and physics during his schooling years. He went on to study Physics at Osaka Imperial University and upon graduating was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Japanese Army during World War Two. It was during this time that Mr Morita met Masaru Ibuka, who would later become his co-founder of the Sony Corporation. In 1946 Mr Morita and Mr Ibuka founded the Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K, which had 20 employees and an initial capital of 190,000 yen. In 1949 the company developed the magnetic recording tape and sold its first tape recorder in 1950. By 1957 they had created a pocket-sized radio and in 1958 they changed their company name to Sony. During this period, Mr Morita was instrumental in Sony’s marketing, finances and human resources departments while Mr Ibuka worked on product improvements and technological developments. In 1960 they produced the first transistor television and in 1975 they produced the first home video recorder. In 1979 they released the Walkman, which became the world’s first portable music player. In 1984 they produced the Discman; an advancement on their previous Walkman products. From 1960 onward they expanded their company, opening up stores in the United States and becoming the first Japanese company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr Morita relinquished his position as Chairman in 1994 due to illness and died in 1999.

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