November 17, 1986 – The Assassination of Renault CEO Georges Besse
Georges Besse (Renault)
On this day in 1986 Georges Besse, the 58-year-old CEO of French automaker Renault, was gunned down just steps from his Paris home. Besse had become head of the company in 1985 when it was not profitable. Under his aggressive actions, Renault reported gains for the first time in years, just two months before Besse's assassination. In addition, Besse invested heavily into American automaker AMC, of which Renault was a major stockholder. While many executives saw AMC as worthless, as it too was losing money at the time, Besse forecast Jeep to be among the most profitable brands in North America. He did his part to make that happen.
1986 Renault advertisement
The quick turnaround of Renault was not without significant loss for the French people. To become pro...