Trafigura founders: Claude Dauphin

Claude Dauphin and several colleagues left Marc Rich + Co in 1993 following the controversy surrounding Rich's US indictment to co-found Trafigura Beheer. The company was established in the Netherlands and built its early business primarily in crude oil trading, taking advantage of the market relationships and trading expertise its founders had developed at Marc Rich. Over the following three decades Trafigura grew from a small startup to become the world's third-largest independent commodity trading house by revenue, competing with Vitol and Glencore. The company's business spans crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, metals, and minerals. Trafigura also operates extensive infrastructure assets including storage terminals, ports, and logistics networks globally. The company is privately owned and structured as a partnership, rewarding its trader-executives with equity stakes. Trafigura became one of the major suppliers of oil and metals to China as that country's commodity demand grew. It has also faced controversies including the toxic waste dumping scandal in Ivory Coast in 2006. Dauphin passed away in 2015. The company continues to be managed by former colleagues and successors.