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The death of Robert Louis-Dreyfus at the age of 63 is a cause of great shock and sadness to many, especially those who have had the privilege of working with him over many years. He died yesterday after a long and courageous fight against leukaemia.

Among his many business interests, Robert Louis-Dreyfus was Chairman of the Board of the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media and a major shareholder.

Best known as the man who masterminded the renaissance of sports brand Adidas after a difficult period in its history and a former Managing Director of Saatchi and Saatchi, Robert Louis-Dreyfus has been Infront’s Chairman and a major shareholder since the official inception of the company in 2002.

Together with Jacobs Holding AG he supported the management buyout of the successful KirchSport AG in October 2002 following the insolvency of its parent company, KirchMedia GmbH & Co KGaA the same year in April.At the time, KirchSport held the valuable broadcast rights for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups.

The transition from KirchSport to its new name, Infront Sports & Media, was completed officially in mid February 2003. Under Dreyfus’ stewardship, Infront went on to manage the media rights and host broadcast for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany and deliver a spectacularly successful event – the first world sports event ever to be covered entirely on high definition television.

During the past six years, Robert Louis-Dreyfus has played a major role in the development of Infront into a widely diversified successful leading sports marketing company following a major strategic restructuring in 2006 which established the company on its new, diversified path.

Dr. Andreas Jacobs, Vice Chairman of Infront, said: “Robert was a thoroughbred leader and a visionary entrepreneur. During his Chairmanship, Infront has become one of the world’s most reliable and respected sports marketing groups. We all owe him a huge debt of gratitude for his extraordinary contribution and unremitting support. We will never forget him. Our deepest sympathies are now with his family and close friends.

"Philippe Blatter, Infront's President & CEO, added: "I have had the privilege of working very closely with Robert in the last four years and what struck me most was his humanism, simplicity and humility; the passion he brought to his role and his care for other people. He had the will to give, share and transmit his experience. One of his unique gift was being able to inspire and motivate people to achieve their best. He will leave a huge gap, but our thoughts are now with his family."