Billionaire Castel’s Beer Empire Is Rocked by Family, CEO Split

French billionaire Pierre Castel’s secretive beer and wine empire has entered a period of turmoil after an heir resigned from a key holding company and the CEO wrote publicly of agitation within the top echelons.

Alain Castel, a nephew of the 99-year-old founder, left his role as a director of Luxembourg-based D.F. Holding earlier this month, according to a filing for the company. He took on the role in May 2023, around the same time as Gregory Clerc became chief executive officer of the eponymous Castel Group entity and also joined the D.F. board.