GBLB

Groupe Bruxelles Lambert SA

A Belgian investment holding company, Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL) owns long-term stakes in well-known businesses across Europe, including sporting-goods giant Adidas and spirits maker Pernod Ricard. It was founded in 1972 by banker Léon Lambert, growing out of the family's Banque Lambert, which later merged with the Bank of Brussels. Its name carries the Brussels banking heritage; under financier Albert Frère, GBL became a powerful behind-the-scenes force in European deal-making, once helping break a long deadlock to create energy giant Engie.