Death of André Bénard
The Eurotunnel Group has learnt with sadness the death of André Bénard who was Chairman of Eurotunnel during the construction of the Channel Tunnel. The thoughts of the management and employees of the Group go out to his family and loved ones.
André Bénard was one of the most important architects of the Channel Tunnel project, running the business between the moment when the Concession Agreement was signed (1986) and the opening of commercial services (1994). He was the link between Eurotunnel, TML, investors and the French government. He brought the project to life through his perseverance and sang-froid, for over eight years. Alongside his British co-Chairman, Sir Alastair Morton, he initiated the bi-national operating mode still at the heart of Group culture today.
André Bénard, an engineer from Ecole Polytechnique, had developed most of his career at Royal Dutch Shell until 1986. He took up the role at the head of Eurotunnel in September 1986 and run it to the opening of the Channel Tunnel in May 1994.
Jacques Gounon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Eurotunnel SE stated
“André Bénard was a visionary who was determined to deliver the exceptional technical challenge represented by the Channel Tunnel. The Tunnel has been declared “Major Building Project in the last 100 Years” by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, and so far more than 360 million people have benefitted from his efforts”.
