Air Liquide, 118 years of history with individual shareholders

Air Liquide would not have been able to exist and grow without the confidence of its shareholders. It was the initial investment of 24 private individuals, plus the investments of all those who joined them afterwards, that have ensured the Group’s expansion. Over the years, you have grown in number and our relationship has strengthened. Let’s revisit this long history.

For all moments that mattered in the last 100 years, you were there…

FEBRUARY 20, 1913

Listing on the Paris Stock Exchange

24 shareholders in 1902, 1,380 in 1913… Today, you are 420,000 individual shareholders holding 32% of the company’s capital — a record among CAC 40 companies.

MAY 25, 1902

The birth of Air Liquide

Georges Claude developed a process for liquefying air to separate its components. He then teamed up with his former classmate Paul Delorme and both turned to their peers to industrialize their process. On November 8 of that same year, they brought together 24 subscribers, the first 24 shareholders of the company called “L’Air Liquide, société pour l’étude et l’exploitation des procédés Georges Claude”.