Jean Jadot

Jean Jadot was born in Belgium in 1862.

His younger brothers, who also became engineers, were Jules and Lambert Jadot (1875–1967).

He graduated from the University of Louvain and worked in Belgium and Luxembourg for several years.

In 1894 Jadot went to Egypt, where he developed the tram system in Cairo.

He was promoted to director of the Lower Egypt Railroad Company.

On his return to Belgium in 1906 Jadot was appointed director in charge of industry development at the Société Générale de Belgique.

Under his direction the Société Générale participated in setting up three mining-related companies in the Congo Free State: the Union Minière du Haut-Katanga (UMHK), the Société Internationale Forestière et Minière du Congo (Forminière) and the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Bas-Congo au Katanga (BCK).

The BCK was founded on 31 October 1906 by the Comité Spécial du Katanga, the Congo Free State and the Société Générale de Belgique to build a rail link from Bukama in Katanga to Port Franqui on the Kasai River, from where mining products could be shipped down to Léopoldville.

Jadot was made managing director of the BCK.

He was assigned by Leopold II to several other projects in the Belgian Congo.

In 1913 Jadot was appointed governor of the Société Générale de Belgique.

Under him the bank entered into new fields of financing, including electricity generation, pharmaceuticals and non-ferrous metals refining.

Jadot died in 1932.