Claude Dauphin, the billionaire who co-founded and led Trafigura Beheer BV to become one of the world’s largest commodity traders, died Wednesday morning in hospital in Bogota after a battle with cancer.
Dauphin, 64, was a protege of Marc Rich, before co-founding Trafigura in 1993. Under his leadership as chief executive officer and chairman, Trafigura negotiated oil deals from Angola to Russia and secured metals and minerals from Zambia to Mongolia. The company reported record first-half profit this year of $654 million.
