Rossignol Group announces the passing of Laurent Boix-Vives

Park City, Utah – June, 19, 2020 – Rossignol Group employees were deeply saddened this morning to learn of the death of Laurent Boix-Vives. The company’s legendary president and leader for some 50 years, Mr Boix-Vives passed away on Thursday, June 18th at the age of 93. The Group extends its sincere condolences to his family and loved ones in the name of the great Rossignol family of which he was the spiritual father.

Laurent Boix-Vives was a visionary industrialist and a leading personality in the ski industry throughout his career. A leader in the development of winter sports throughout both France and worldwide, Boix-Vives helped create and develop the ski resort of Courchevel before acquiring Rossignol in 1956 at the age of 29. The passionate entrepreneur then transformed Rossignol, the brand founded in 1907, into the world’s leading ski company through a combination of innovation and internationalization. Mr Boix-Vives placed an equal amount of his passion and focus toward racing, remaining very close to Rossignol’s many athletes and champions throughout the years, and placing competition at the heart of the company’s values.

From the little town of Voiron, France, Boix-Vives continued to focus his energy, attention to detail, and vision on the company until 2005, marking fifty years of intense dedication to the world of skiing as he positioned Rossignol as the global market leader. In March 2005, Mr Boix-Vives celebrated the incredible benchmark of 50 million pairs of skis produced.

Laurent Boix-Vives remains forever an integral part of Rossignol, the company he ran from 1956 to 2005 and to which he devoted his life.

Rossignol Group President & CEO Bruno Cercley said, “Rossignol Group has lost its legendary figurehead, who succeeded in turning a small workshop in Voiron into the world’s leading ski group. Laurent Boix-Vives was certainly one of the 20th century’s greatest entrepreneurial success stories, and he was instrumental in popularizing winter sports in France and throughout the world. The great Rossignol family is profoundly saddened to learn of his passing. Those lucky enough to have met him remember a deeply humane man who was always ready to listen and as caring as he was exacting. He managed to pass on his great attention to detail and to doing things well to those around him. We have lost a symbol, a mentor and a friend.”

###

ROSSIGNOL Group

The Rossignol Group, headed by Bruno Cercley, designs, manufactures and markets a broad range of winter sports equipment. The Group brands provide a continuous, year-round experience accompanying consumers in every moment of sporting effort and leisure, from elite-level athletes to amateurs, from the mountains to the city. The Group’s global headquarters is located in the French Alps near Grenoble with five different industrial sites (Sallanches, Nevers, Saint Etienne de Saint Geoirs, Artès, Montebelluna) across western Europe and a U.S. headquarters in Park City, Utah. The Group houses a strong portfolio of complementary brands: Rossignol – the iconic brand for winter sports, and ready-to-wear fashion and apparel; Dynastar – the specialist ski brand; Lange – the iconic ski boot brand; Look – the long-standing premium manufacturer of ski bindings; Time Sport – the iconic brand of cycling; Raidlight – for outdoor enthusiasts, Felt – the premium bike manufacturer; Risport – the reference for ice-skating; Kerma – specialized in ski poles and technical equipment; and Dale of Norway, an iconic Norwegian brand known for its high quality wool-based knitwear. Each has built their own unique identity and draw their inspiration from the mountains. Rossignol is majority owned by Nordic Private Equity fund Altor since 2013.