Biography

Busson was born in Switzerland. His father, Pascal Busson, was a former French army officer and Algeria veteran, and later a stock broker turned financier. His mother, Florence "Flockie" Harcourt-Smith, was an English former debutante. His parents met in Paris and named their son after the mysterious Hungarian-born banker Árpád Plesch, who was not only Florence Busson's stepfather (he was the second husband of her mother, Marysia Ulam Krauss Harcourt-Smith), but also her stepgrandfather (Plesch's first wife was his second wife's mother, Leonie Ulam). Plesch also was a mentor to Italy's richest man, the late head of Fiat, Gianni Agnelli. Busson's aunt, Joanna Harcourt-Smith, was a companion of Timothy Leary.

Growing up in Switzerland, some sources have suggested that Busson made early profits selling toothpicks door-to-door (which he denies), but he was educated in France and at the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland. He then served national service as a nurse in the French army, where a friend said: ''"He loved the discipline of the army - it was the making of him." .

On being demobbed, Busson luxuriated in the Riviera life, enjoying a well-publicised relationship with the actress Farrah Fawcett and appearing regularly in the tabloid gossip columns. As he often refuses to give interviews, stories surround Busson - the story about Fawcett is that he masqueraded as an Italian prince on the French Riviera where, he wooed Fawcett away from Ryan O'Neal. The story is only partly true, in that it was perpetuated by the gossip columnist "Taki" as a sort of in-joke: Taki knew Busson's mother, who was friends with Fawcett; Busson's father often met Fawcett at dinner parties.

Finance career

Busson entered the world of hedge funds in 1986. Employed by Paul Tudor Jones’s fund Tudor Investments, when it generated a huge return for investors after the 1987 stock-market crash, Busson’s reputation was sealed and other money managers sought out his services. They included Louis Bacon, Julian Robertson and Paul Marshall, and resultantly Busson set up EIM in 1992 to help manage assets for his wealthy clients.

In 1995, EIM had just seven employees with $100 million under management. Today Busson now employs 172 people around the world at EIM. The fund has $12.5 billion under management. On average, EIM's portfolios have generated gross returns of just under 12 per cent annually over the past decade. The firm distinguishes itself from its rivals by offering investors a bespoke service, creating tailor-made portfolios for clients to suit their risk appetites. EIM has offices in several cities, including New York, Gibraltar, Nyon, and Singapore.

ARK

Each of ARK’s 13 trustees is given a specific area to look after, with money raised going to treating AIDS victims in Africa, taking children out of care in Bulgaria and Romania - it has taken 1,500 youngsters out of care in Romania; and developing educational academies for disadvantaged children in Britain and India.

Busson says of ARK: "If we can apply the entrepreneurial principles we have brought to business to charity, we have a shot at having a really strong impact, to be able to transform the lives of children."

Personal life

Busson had two sons by his relationship with the model Elle Macpherson, Arpad Flynn Alexander Busson and Aurelius Cy Andrea Busson. The couple got engaged on the announcement of Macpherson's second pregnancy in August 2002. Aurelius Cy's birth in February 2003 led to tensions, with Macpherson booking herself into Arizona's exclusive Meadows Institute, where she was treated for exhaustion and post natal depression. The couple parted in July 2005, and issued a joint statement: "Whilst remaining the greatest of friends, we have decided to spend some time apart to consider our future. We have had, and in many ways continue to have, a wonderful relationship, which has produced two beautiful children. There is no third party involved.". According to Macpherson, Busson is so devout a Catholic he decided he couldn't marry a divorcée, despite having two children with her out of wedlock and despite Macpherson herself being Catholic.

Busson is engaged to Hollywood actress Uma Thurman. Their romance began at a private dinner in Milan co-hosted by Gianni Versace and Tony Blair. Thurman and MacPherson were friends until these recent events. Although initial reports of engagement at an early stage in the relationship where denied by Thurman's rep, adding the pair had no plans for marriage, it was announced on 28 June, 2008 that the pair were now engaged.

In 2006, Busson was voted the seventh most wanted person at a party in the United Kingdom, according to Tatler magazine - while Macpherson was voted in at eleventh.

References

External links

• Bio at his charity ARK
• EIM Group corporate website