He was co-chairman of the client organisation, Eurotunnel, during construction, alongside Alastair Morton.
Like Morton, he was originally an oil man, with Royal Dutch Shell before taking up the role at the head of Eurotunnel in September 1986 and running it to the opening of the Channel Tunnel in May 1994. André Bénard, was the link between Eurotunnel, TML, investors and the French government. Morton, who died in 2004, provided the same role on the British side.
Jacques Gounon, chairman and chief executive of Groupe Eurotunnel, said: “André Bénard was a visionary who was determined to deliver the exceptional technical challenge represented by the Channel Tunnel. The Tunnel has been declared ‘Major Building Project in the last 100 Years’ by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, and so far more than 360 million people have benefitted from his efforts.”
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