September 4, 2023

Un Grand Monsieur

“Frenchmen! For more than thirty years in peace and war I have marched with you. I am marching still along the same road.” –Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 21 October 1940

Winston Churchill’s stirring wartime broadcast to the French people underscored the statesman’s lifelong admiration for France. In return, French-born executive Jean-Paul Montupet has spent decades expressing his deep admiration for, and support of, Churchillian causes in the United States.

As a Senior Fellow of the Association of Churchill Fellows at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, a member of the Association’s Board of Governors at America’s National Churchill Museum (ANCM), and founding Executive Committee Chairman of the International Churchill Society (United States), Jean Paul Montupet has long believed in the importance of learning from Churchill’s legacy.

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“Jean-Paul’s exceptional ability to bring individuals and organizations together in support of our mission is extraordinary,” said Timothy Riley, the Sandra L. and Monroe E. Trout Director and Chief Curator for America’s National Churchill Museum. “His capacity to ‘think big’ encourages everyone to create innovative and meaningful programs and partnerships, most notably the incredible alliance with America’s National Churchill Museum at Westminster College and the National Churchill Leadership Center at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.”

Montupet, together with International Churchill Society Chairman Laurence Geller, was a driving force in establishing the alliance between America’s National Churchill Museum and the National Churchill Leadership Center that has been in place since 2016.

LEFT Jean-Paul Montupet presiding at the Enid and R. Crosby Kemper Lecture at Churchill Fellows Weekend in March 2015. RIGHT Jean-Paul Montupet greets guests at 50th Anniversary Celebration of America’s National Churchill Museum at Westminster College in May 2019.

Jean-Paul and his wife Isabelle have supported ANCM programs with generous contributions for decades. “We are exceedingly grateful for their financial support and also for Jean-Paul’s vision and counsel,” remarked Riley. His leadership and logistical acumen enabled ANCM to add to its impressive list of legendary lecturers at Westminster College, including former British Prime Minister John Major, Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer, Gen. David Petraeus, Jon Meacham, and Garry Kasparov.

Biography

Jean-Paul Montupet received his M.B.A. from École des Hautes Études Commerciales in Paris before serving as Chairman of Leroy-Somer, Inc. and Chairman of Montupet SA in Paris, Europe’s largest aluminum foundry. He joined St. Louis-based Emerson Electric in 1981, serving in a variety of senior executive positions before being named Executive Vice President in 1990.

Now retired from Emerson, Montupet serves on the boards of several global corporations. He has served as Chair of the ICS-US Executive Committee since 2016.