Jules Gaeber

Leithum, Luxembourg

Owner of Vodafone, major shareholder in AT&T

**Jules Roland Gaeber** (born 29th October 1960) is a Luxembourgish businessman, diplomat, politician and journalist who was Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 2013 to 2018, and President and Secretary General of the European Union from 2019 to 2022. He is one of the richest people in the world, having been ranked in the Forbes 100 every year since 1992, and has come first a record 19 times, most recently in 2026, the current edition of the list.

Gaeber was born in Leithum, Luxembourg to a Belgian mother and a Luxembourgish father. Aged 14, Gaeber attended Luxembourg City Financial Academy, and then attended the University of Luxembourg aged 18, which is regarded as one of the best financial universities in the world.

In 1983, Gaeber and his friend Pierre Lefebvre founded G&L, a business based in Luxembourg specialising in telecommunications. By 1986, it had become the premier source of telecommunications in the country, surpassing Tele Lux. In 1987, Gaeber ran for Prime Minister of Luxembourg for the first time, as a member of the Socialist Democratic Union. He came third, but in 1988 became the official richest man in Luxembourg and moved to Switzerland, and bought a stake in Swiss telecommunications company STDA.

G&L fully purchased STDA in 1989, and Gaeber earned a doctorate in politics from the University of Zurich in 1990.

## Early life

Jules Roland Gaeber was born in Leithum, Luxembourg, on 29th October 1960, the only son of Daniel Gaeber and Michele Zwijnaarde. They spent most of their early years in Leithum, but moved to Luxembourg City when Gaeber was aged 10.

### Education

After attending Luxembourg Financial Academy from 1974 to 1978, Gaeber studied Business and Politics at the University of Luxembourg. He graduated in 1982, and worked for six months in a branch of BNP Paribas in Luxembourg City, before founding G&L with childhood friend Pierre Lefebvre.

## Early business career

Gaeber co-formed G&L with Pierre Lefebvre, a company specialising in telecommunications software and equipment. Originally local to the towns of Leithum and Weiswempach, G&L's popularity spread quickly, and by 1984 had reached Luxembourg City. Gaeber's jovial attitude to business and the success and reliability of the companies equipment led to the unparalleled success of G&L, becoming the majority telecommunications equipment company in Luxembourg with 78% of the share in 1987.

Gaeber ran for Prime Minister of Luxembourg in 1987, coming third. He then moved to Zurich, where he bought a stake in Swiss company STDA. A strong business relationship formed, and Gaeber was appointed CEO of STDA after the death of Dutch business magnate Arnold Schwegen. Gaeber planned for G&L to surpass STDA in Switzerland, and therefore dissolved STDA as part of G&L, forming just one company. The Swiss section of G&L was renamed G&L Schweiz, with new branding and logos.

In 1991, Gaeber bought shares in oil company Texaco, after the administration of rival company Aral. Thus, in the financial year of 1992, Gaeber became one of the 100 richest people in the world, as listed by Forbes, with a net worth of $17B.