When Fabrice de Gaudemar joined the executive board of Eurazeo in March last year aged 36, he became the youngest person at the French private equity group to hold a senior board role. His entry into the private equity industry 11 years ago, via the French ministry of defence, was unconventional, but he has been at the heart of some of Eurazeo’s biggest deals.

He grew up in the southern French city of Marseilles, where he developed a love of rugby, and still plays fullback for the Crédit Agricole team in the French corporate championship. "I prefer team games like rugby, rather than individual ones," de Gaudemar said.