Édouard Michelin

Who was Édouard Michelin?

Édouard Michelin, was managing partner and co-chief executive of the Michelin Group. He was the great-grandson of Édouard Michelin, a co-founder of the company.

He was born in Clermont-Ferrand; after first studying at Ecole Massillon in Clermont-Ferrand, he entered the Lycée Sainte-Geneviève in Versailles. He also spent almost a full year studying at Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, South Carolina. It is there that he gained fluency in English.

An engineering graduate of the École Centrale de Paris, he joined the Michelin Group, which was then headed by his father, François Michelin, in 1985. He initially worked at the lower levels of the company, including a stint on an assembly line. In 1987–1988 he completed his military service on French nuclear submarines.

When he returned to the company in 1989 he was first appointed production manager at Le Puy-en-Velay plant, then team manager at Montceau-les-Mines. He was appointed CEO of Michelin North America, in charge of both industrial plant and truck UOT sales and distribution, under the leadership of Carlos Ghosn, a future Renault Nissan CEO.