Harold Parisot welcomes Tony Parker at the Westin Vendôme, Paris, February 2, 2024
Tony Parker, the famous Franco-American basketball player, will be in the spotlight at a luncheon organized by the Chinese Business Club at the exclusive Westin Vendôme hotel in Paris on February 2.
Following in the footsteps of Anthony Bourbon (Feed) and Nicolas Dufourcq (Bpifrance), it’s now the turn of Franco-American former professional basketball player Tony Parker to be the guest of honor of the Chinese Business Club. This business network is 90% Franco-French… despite its name. He will be speaking at a luncheon in Paris, at the Westin Vendôme, on Friday February 2.
A successful business career
“Tony Parker is a French sports legend. His successful reconversion to business is an example to the younger generation and to entrepreneurs. He is a hit in season 4 of the M6 reality TV show “Qui veut être mon associé?” (a French adaptation of the American “Shark Tank”) which he has just joined, and where he pulls viewers up by their bootstraps. Inviting a top-level sportsman on the eve of the Olympics is good timing for us,” explains Harold Parisot, President of this highly prestigious premium club.
The president of ASVEL, Lyon-Villeurbanne’s professional basketball club, is indeed a sports icon in France and beyond. An active supporter of the City of Light’s bid against Los Angeles, in 2018 he was announced as Paris 2024’s first education ambassador, in order to “promote the values of sport and the Olympic Games among young people”. He also represents a symbol of success in business.
But who is he really? What drives his ambition? What are his entrepreneurial secrets? What are his doubts and difficulties?
All these questions will be raised at this luncheon for those who “count” in France. Jacques Séguéla, Christian Courtin-Clarins, Laurent Dassault, Thierry Orsini, Sébastien Guyot, Eric Revel, Ulysse Gosset and many other personalities will be present at this event. With a few last-minute surprises.
Tony Parker, nicknamed TP, 41, is said to have built up a fortune estimated at 200 million euros since his early days in basketball.
Now retired, and following a serious car accident in 2019, the former San Antonio Spurs star has chosen to reconvert to entrepreneurship. A friend of the media, Eva Longoria’s ex-husband is on the judging panel of M6’s Qui veut être mon associé? alongside seven investors, including Marc Simoncini (Meetic), Eric Larchevêque (Ledger) and Jean-Pierre Nadir (Fairmoove).
Through a holding company called Infinity Nine (a nod to the number 9 on his yellow jersey), TP likes to diversify his investments in promising start-ups. He is also a shareholder in wine (Château La Mascaronne, Château Noël Saint Laurent) and champagne (Maison Jeeper), with the aim of exporting his products to the United States. His Smart Good Things company, listed on Euronext, donates part of its sales to social causes.
His most ambitious … and perilous project? To create a 500-bed hotel complex (plus 200 extra beds) in Villard-de-Lans (Isère). Investment cost: 96 million euros. The municipality of this attractive mountain resort in the Vercors region is enthusiastic about the project, which will create jobs. But some local residents are critical of the project’s sheer size, which will create ecological problems and a shortage of reasonably priced housing for local residents.
France’s leading business club
Founded in 2012 by Harold Parisot (no relation to Laurence Parisot), the Chinese Business Club aimed to foster exchanges between French and Chinese businessmen. But covid has come and gone … Today, networking is above all Franco-French. This circle of influence has 130 members (CAC 40 companies, ETIs, SMEs and start-ups) representing all business sectors. The list of members is available on the Chinese Business Club website.
The Chinese Business Club organizes around 15 events a year, including a luncheon every month with a celebrity, as well as a few cocktail parties. There is no seating plan: everyone sits at the table they prefer. The lunches are attended by former ministers, senators, members of parliament, high net worth individuals, business angels, show biz stars, chefs… Guests of honor and celebrities are featured in photos on the website. From Nicolas Sarkozy to Juliette Binoche to Didier Raoult at the podium. It’s an eclectic but effective club, it seems, since “90% of members renew their membership every year”, says Harold Parisot. Membership fees start at €9,500 ex-VAT, with intermediate options up to €75,000 ex-VAT for gold members, who then enjoy a seat at the head table… and other privileges.
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Featured Photo: Side-by-side portraits: on the left Harold Parisot, on the right Tony Parker. Harold Parisot, founding president of the Chinese Business Club, and Tony Parker, the famous basketball player and businessman. © Chinese Business Club and Jerome Domine/ABACAPRESS.COM
