Francis Lemaire: Belgium's Radio Pioneers with a Fortune of 69 Million Euros
Francis Lemaire Fortune
Francis Lemaire, a radio technician from Brussels, is the key figure behind the transformation of the company. Radio Contacthas become one of the most popular radio stations in French-speaking Belgium. In its early days in the 80s, when the radio landscape was still largely anarchic, Lemaire leveraged its technical expertise to connect radios by satellite and deploy powerful transmitters that soon enabled Radio Contact to cover a large part of Belgium, including Flanders. Francis Lemaire's personal fortune is estimated at over 69 million euros.
Francis Lemaire co-founded Radio Contact with two associates : Pierre Houtmans and Freddy Neyts. Houtmans, a liberal from Brussels, and Neyts, married to Flemish politician Annemie Neyts, have contributed important skills and political contacts, ensuring that Radio Contact a presence in all three regions of Belgium. Despite these assets, Lemaire never succeeded in establishing the station in Flanders, mainly due to the rise of Radio Donna (now MNM), supported by the State under the supervision of the Minister for the Media, Eric Van Rompuy.
In Wallonia, however, the success of Radio Contact was dazzling. In 2006, the station was fully integrated into the RTLafter a period of gradual partnership. The integration of Radio Contact in RTL Group allowed Lemaire to retain 24.9 % of the shares, while continuing to benefit from the station's commercial success.. In 2013, GBL (Groupe Bruxelles Lambert), the investment holding company of the famous businessman Albert Frère, has acquired 25 %s from the BertelsmannRTL's majority shareholder. This strategic agreement has strengthened the ties between RTL and GBLtwo European media and financial powers.
Albert Frère's influence, through GBLhas enabled RTL to extend its influence in the Belgian media market and optimize its operations. The Frère familywith a tradition of investing in strategic businesses, has played a key role in the group's continued growth. RTL and Radio Contact. Francis Lemaire has managed to make a lot of money.
In 2021, the sale of RTL Belgium to the Rossel/DPG consortium for 230 million euros, Francis Lemaire realized a capital gain of 14 million euros, bringing his personal fortune to around 69 million euros. Despite this transaction, Radio Contact remains the most listened-to radio station in French-speaking Belgium, with a market share of around 20 %.
Today, Francis Lemaire lives with his family in Luxembourg, while maintaining an influential role in the Belgian media. La Lemaire familythanks to vision and boldness of Francis Lemaire, continues to make media history in Belgium, with a fortune estimated at 69 million euros.
