Waldemar Kita
Waldemar Kita (born 1953) is a French-Polish millionaire and owner of FC Nantes since 2007.
Waldemar Kita | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 May 1953 Szczecin, Poland |
| Nationality | Polish, French |
| Occupation(s) | Owner and president of FC Nantes (2007–present) |
Optics
Kita was born in Szczecin, Poland. He made his fortune by establishing Cornéal laboratories in 1986. The company grew to become the foremost French, and fourth largest European firm in designing and manufacturing intraocular lenses for cataract surgery and in the treatment of glaucoma. In December 2006, Kita sold Cornéal to Allergan for €180 million.[1]
Football
Kita is a passionate football fan. In 1998, he bought Swiss club FC Lausanne-Sport, which he led as the chairman up until 2001 when he sold the club again.[2]
In 2007, he then bought Ligue 1 club FC Nantes, an eight-time French football champion. Kita reportedly paid around €10 million for club the at the time financially strained club.[2] He has been the chairman of the club ever since.
He was chosen as the best executive in French Football in 2014 by the prestigious magazine France Football.[3]
See also
References
- Allergan, acquiert le français Corneal, Bienvoir.com, published 9 November 2006, retrieved on 10 June 2009.
- "Polish businessman Waldemar Kita buys Nantes" by Extra Football, 29 July 2007, retrieved on 15 September 2008.
- "Polak Waldemar Kita odbierze nagrodę France Football". Retrieved 27 May 2019.