Pierre-Yves Gerbeau
Encyclopedia
Pierre-Yves Gerbeau is a French
businessman, based in the United Kingdom
.
ian family, where his parents ran an office supply company. In addition to their house in the 12th arrondissement
of Paris, they also had a weekend residence in the Forest of Fontainebleau
.
player, playing in several championships and becoming a member of the French national team
, before a severe ankle injury curtailed his sports career in 1989.
On an edition of the BBC's 'The Daily Politics Show' Gerbeau revealed that he had been suspended from the French Olympic Organisation because he supported London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.
degree at Sciences Po
.
On 5 February 2000 Gerbeau was appointed Chief Executive of the New Millennium Experience Company, the operator of the Millennium Dome
in London
. His appointment followed the sacking of Jennifer Page
after an opening night fiasco and poor attendances in January 2000. He was brought in to turn around the fortunes of an attraction struggling in the face of major financial problems and negative publicity. Whilst in charge, he became well known for his enthusiastic and confident personality, and was affectionately nicknamed "the Gerbil
" by the British press.
Following the closure of the millennium exhibition at the end of 2000, Gerbeau became Chief Executive of X-Leisure, operator of the Xscape
centres and other leisure facilities.
television presenter, and has a daughter (Clemence) from another relationship. He also has a daughter with Kate; Chloe was born on 7 November 2008.
Appearing on the BBC
's Question Time
on 28 May 2009, Gerbeau declared that he would live in Britain for the rest of his life, jokingly describing France as "a communist
country."
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
businessman, based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Early life
Gerbeau was born into an affluent ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian family, where his parents ran an office supply company. In addition to their house in the 12th arrondissement
XIIe arrondissement
The 12th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France....
of Paris, they also had a weekend residence in the Forest of Fontainebleau
Forest of Fontainebleau
The forest of Fontainebleau is a mixed deciduous forest lying sixty kilometres southeast of Paris, France. It is located primarily in the arrondissement of Fontainebleau in the southwestern part of the department of Seine-et-Marne...
.
Sports career
Gerbeau started out in 1984 as a professional ice hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player, playing in several championships and becoming a member of the French national team
French national ice hockey team
The French men's national ice hockey team has participated in the IIHF European Championships, the IIHF World Hockey Championships and the Olympic Games. They are currently ranked 14th in the world in the IIHF 2009 world rankings. It is controlled by the Fédération Française de Hockey sur Glace...
, before a severe ankle injury curtailed his sports career in 1989.
On an edition of the BBC's 'The Daily Politics Show' Gerbeau revealed that he had been suspended from the French Olympic Organisation because he supported London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Business career
He then turned to business, first with TPS Conseil, then in 1991 joined Euro Disney, rising rapidly to become Vice-President of Park Operations and Attractions in 1997. His responsibilities included ticketing, the safety and maintenance of attractions, and sorting out the queues. He was credited with turning the attraction around after a difficult start. He later left Disney to complete a Master of Business AdministrationMaster of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
degree at Sciences Po
Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris
The Institut d'études politiques de Paris , simply referred to as Sciences Po , is a public research and higher education institution in Paris, France, specialised in the social sciences. It has the status of grand établissement, which allows its admissions process to be highly selective...
.
On 5 February 2000 Gerbeau was appointed Chief Executive of the New Millennium Experience Company, the operator of the Millennium Dome
Millennium Dome
The Millennium Dome, colloquially referred to simply as The Dome or even The O2 Arena, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building, originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His appointment followed the sacking of Jennifer Page
Jennifer Page (Millennium Dome)
Jennifer Anne "Jennie" Page, CBE was Chief Executive of the London Millennium Dome project from 1 March 1995 until she was fired after a flawed opening night and poor early attendance at the start of 2000.-Education:...
after an opening night fiasco and poor attendances in January 2000. He was brought in to turn around the fortunes of an attraction struggling in the face of major financial problems and negative publicity. Whilst in charge, he became well known for his enthusiastic and confident personality, and was affectionately nicknamed "the Gerbil
Gerbil
A gerbil is a small mammal of the order Rodentia. Once known simply as "desert rats", the gerbil subfamily includes about 110 species of African, Indian, and Asian rodents, including sand rats and jirds, all of which are adapted to arid habitats...
" by the British press.
Following the closure of the millennium exhibition at the end of 2000, Gerbeau became Chief Executive of X-Leisure, operator of the Xscape
Xscape (building)
Xscape buildings are large, strikingly designed and unusually shaped buildings. Typically they contain a real snow indoor ski slope, leisure facilities and related shops...
centres and other leisure facilities.
Personal life
He is married to Kate Gerbeau (née Sanderson), a BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television presenter, and has a daughter (Clemence) from another relationship. He also has a daughter with Kate; Chloe was born on 7 November 2008.
Appearing on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Question Time
Question Time (TV series)
Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience...
on 28 May 2009, Gerbeau declared that he would live in Britain for the rest of his life, jokingly describing France as "a communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
country."