Gerard Lopez

Gérard López Fojaca (born 27 December 1971) is a Luxembourgish-Spanish businessman active in technology, energy, and sport. He is the co-founder (with Eric Lux) and chairman of Genii Capital. From 2009 to 2015, López was president of the Lotus F1 Team. In 2022, he launched The Lydian Group, a tech conglomerate operating across the digital assets space. In 2000, he co-founded Mangrove Capital Partners. He has previously owned multiple football clubs.

Early life López grew up in a soot-covered house next to a steel mill in Luxembourg. He was recruited to Miami University in Western Ohio to play basketball on a partial scholarship in 1998. He studied management and technology there. He also has a degree in Asian Art.

Career While at university, he founded Icon Solutions, a web services company.

He founded with Eric Lux in 2008 Genii Capital, a finance consulting and investment managing firm. López sits on the board of Directors of WIx, Zink Imaging, Lotus F1 Team and is also a member of the Planning Advisory Committee of the Miami University Business School.

In 2015, he founded Nekton, an investment company and brokerage in energy field, active in South America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. He is also the CEO of the company.

López was formerly chairman of RISE Capital AB, which alongside Nekton, was a co-owner of RISE Capital AB Projects. Nekton divested itself of its interests in RISE in December 2020.

Some of López's companies were said to have featured in the Panama Papers leak in 2016,

In 2022, López and his business partner, Greg Fishman, launched The Lydian Group, a tech conglomerate operating across the digital assets space.

Sports As a huge sports fan, López got into car racing via Eric Lux and Gravity Sport Management. He also participated in long-distance races with Gravity Racing International's team. In 2009, he bought a majority stake in the Formula 1 Renault F1 Team, making Genii Capital the majority owner of the team. While it possessed very few sponsors at the beginning, Microsoft, Unilever and Coca-Cola soon became team partners.

With Kick Partners and Mangrove Sport Business Intelligence, López takes care of the public image and the transfers of football players.

In October 2016, López entered into exclusive talks with President Michel Seydoux for the acquisition of the Lille OSC football club, which he purchased and later sold. López acquired Bordeaux in June 2021. In Portugal, he is the owner of Boavista from 2021, a nationally renowned sports club from Porto.

Under his ownership, both Girondins de Bordeaux and Boavista, as well as Royal Excel Mouscron in Belgium, have been relegated from the top division of their respective leagues into the 4th and 5th tiers of amateur football. On 31 May 2022, Royal Excel Mouscron filed for bankruptcy.

On 16 July 2026, Boavista was ordered to cease operations by 31 July and surrender its premises due to insolvency caused by years of financial difficulties and unpaid debts to creditors. Days later, members and supporters launched a fundraising campaign to secure the funds required by the insolvency administrator to reopen the Estádio do Bessa and resume sporting activities.

In mid-July 2026, Girondins de Bordeaux was relegated from the national championships to Régional 1, the sixth tier in French football, due to financial difficulties and failure to meet financial requirements. On 31 July, López sold Bordeaux to British investment firm Sparta Capital Management for a symbolic one euro, after the firm secured the required €10 million to complete a takeover of the club. Bordeaux subsequently sought for reinstatement to the Championnat National 2 through an appeal to the CNOSF.

Political donations In August 2016, it was reported that López had given the British Conservative Party £400,000, in support of his friend Zac Goldsmith as a candidate in the mayoral election at the time.

Personal life López owns a car collection and it has been featured in Top Gear magazine and in local newspapers.