French-American Gerard Louis-Dreyfus is the Chairman of Louis-Dreyfus Energy Service and he has an estimated net worth of $3.4 billion in 2006 according to Forbes. Born Gerard C. Louis-Dreyfus on June 21, 1932 in Paris, France, he is the great grandson of Leopold Louis-Dreyfus who founded the Louis-Dreyfus Group in 1851. He is also the father of Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Louis-Dreyfus earned his estimated net worth when he worked at the law firm of Dewey Ballantine and later, he joined the family conglomerate Louis-Dreyfus Group in 1965. The family business has interests in citrus, agricultural commodities, energy (crude oil and petroleum products, natural gas, petrochemicals and plastic resins), agricultural financial risk management, manufacturing, real estate, shipping, and telecommunications. He served as the chief executive officer of the group which he passed in 2006 to his nephew, Robert Louis-Dreyfus. Robert is also a high-profile businessman who worked for Adidas, pharmaceutical research firms, IMS, and ad giant Saatchi & Saatchi. Gerard still remains as the chairman of the group that he inherited from his great-grandfather.

Gerard Louis-Dreyfus is also known as William Louis-Dreyfus after he adopted the name as a symbol of his integration into the American society. He is a graduate of Duke University and Duke University School of Law. He was also the chairman of the Poetry Society of America from 1998 to 2008.