Amphenol vs BNP Paribas: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Amphenol and BNP Paribas side by side

1. 1848BNP Paribas

   Comptoir national d'escompte de Paris founded

   Created by decree in March 1848 to restart commercial credit after the February Revolution, with capital from private subscribers, the City of Paris and the State. It is the oldest root of the BNP side of the group.

2. 1860BNP Paribas

   First overseas branches in Shanghai and Calcutta

   The Comptoir opened branches in Shanghai and Calcutta, becoming the first French bank to build a branch network abroad from scratch, later adding Hong Kong, London, San Francisco and Sydney.

3. 1872BNP Paribas

   Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas formed

   The Banque de Paris, founded in 1869, merged on 27 January 1872 with Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim's Amsterdam-based Nederlandsche Credit- en Deposito Bank to create the investment bank later known as Paribas.

4. 1889BNP Paribas

   Comptoir rescued after the copper crash

   Losses on industrialist Eugène Secrétan's attempt to corner the copper market forced the Comptoir d'escompte de Paris into liquidation, backed by a 100-million-franc Banque de France advance. It was refounded in June 1889 as a deposit bank.

5. 1932Amphenol

   Arthur J. Schmitt founds American Phenolic Corporation

   Arthur J. Schmitt incorporates American Phenolic Corporation in Chicago with a patented molded phenolic radio tube socket, establishing the company's foundation in electronic component manufacturing.

6. 1936Amphenol

   Introduction of industry-standard 75 series microphone connector and lock-in socket

   Amphenol introduces the 75 series uniform microphone connector and a lock-in socket for radio tubes, both becoming industry standards and attracting RCA as a major customer ordering 10,000 sockets daily.

7. 1942Amphenol

   Primary supplier of AN connectors for WWII Allied forces

   Amphenol becomes a critical defense supplier, with its 5015 AN circular connectors becoming standard equipment on military aircraft and communications gear; A-N connector shipments increase 13,572% from January 1941 to March 1943.

8. 1942Amphenol

   Official name change to Amphenol Electronics Corporation

   The company officially changes its name from American Phenolic Corporation to Amphenol Electronics Corporation, formalizing the shorthand name customers had used for years.

9. 1945Amphenol

   Initial public offering

   Amphenol raises $1.5 million from convertible debentures and sells 345,000 shares at $10 per share, giving the company a $4 million market capitalization and providing capital for post-war diversification.

10. 1951Amphenol

    Amphenol engineers develop the BNC connector

    Amphenol engineers Paul Neill and Carl Concelman develop the bayonet coupled BNC coaxial connector, which becomes a standard interface in radio frequency and test equipment applications.

11. 1957Amphenol

    NYSE listing

    Amphenol Electronics Corporation lists on the New York Stock Exchange, marking its transition to a major public industrial company.

12. 1958Amphenol

    Merger with George W. Borg Corporation

    Amphenol completes its largest transaction to date, merging with the George W. Borg Corporation, a maker of automobile clocks, electronic instruments and deep pile fabrics, and is renamed Amphenol-Borg Electronics Corporation.

13. 1966BNP Paribas

    Banque Nationale de Paris created

    Finance minister Michel Debré merged the state-owned CNEP and Banque nationale pour le commerce et l'industrie (BNCI) to form Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP).

14. 1967Amphenol

    Acquisition by Bunker-Ramo Corporation

    Bunker-Ramo Corporation acquires Amphenol, which begins operating as a subsidiary and passes through successive corporate owners for the next 24 years.

15. 1981Amphenol

    Allied Corporation buys Bunker-Ramo for $358 million

    Allied Corporation acquires Bunker-Ramo for $358 million, including the Amphenol division, making Amphenol part of a larger industrial conglomerate.

16. 1982BNP Paribas

    Paribas nationalised

    The Mauroy government nationalised Paribas, which adopted its telegraph address, Paribas, as its brand that year.

17. 1987Amphenol

    LPL Investment leveraged buyout for $430 million

    LPL Investment buys Amphenol from Allied in a leveraged buyout valued at $430 million in cash, and the decentralized management style that defines the modern company takes hold. Martin H. Loeffler becomes president in the same year.

18. 1987BNP Paribas

    Paribas privatised

    The Chirac government returned Paribas to private ownership in January 1987.

19. 1991Amphenol

    Second IPO on NYSE under ticker APH

    Amphenol returns to public markets with a second initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker APH, beginning the modern era of sustained growth and shareholder returns.

20. 1993BNP Paribas

    BNP privatised

    BNP was privatised in October 1993 under chairman Michel Pébereau.

21. 1999BNP Paribas

    Three-way takeover battle

    Société Générale bid for Paribas, and BNP answered with offers for both banks. BNP won control of Paribas but failed to take Société Générale.

22. 2000BNP Paribas

    BNP Paribas created

    The merger of BNP and Paribas was completed in May 2000, combining BNP's retail network with Paribas's investment banking.

23. 2001BNP Paribas

    Full ownership of BancWest

    BNP Paribas agreed to buy the 55% of BancWest, parent of Bank of the West and First Hawaiian Bank, that it did not already own for about $2.45 billion. The Federal Reserve approved the deal on 4 December 2001.

24. 2005Amphenol

    Acquisition of Teradyne connector business for $390 million

    Amphenol acquires Teradyne's connection systems business for $390 million in October 2005, expanding its presence in high speed data and backplane connectors for the growing IT datacom market.

25. 2006BNP Paribas

    BNL acquired in Italy

    BNP Paribas bought Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, making Italy its second domestic retail market.

26. 2009BNP Paribas

    Fortis Bank acquired in Belgium

    In May 2009 BNP Paribas took control of Fortis Bank, now BNP Paribas Fortis, paying with new shares issued to the Belgian state and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It also bought 25% of AG Insurance for ~$1.55 billion (€1.375 billion).

27. 2014BNP Paribas

    US sanctions guilty plea

    BNP Paribas pleaded guilty in New York and agreed to pay about $8.9 billion for processing dollar transactions for Sudan, Iran and Cuba in breach of US sanctions.

28. 2016Amphenol

    Acquisition of FCI Asia for $1.275 billion

    Amphenol acquires FCI Asia from affiliates of Bain Capital for $1.275 billion in January 2016, strengthening its global connector footprint and adding high speed backplane and board-to-board capability.

29. 2021Amphenol

    Acquisition of MTS Systems Corporation for $1.7 billion

    Amphenol acquires MTS Systems for $1.7 billion in April 2021, adding advanced sensor capability that deepens its position in industrial and automotive sensing.

30. 2023BNP Paribas

    Bank of the West sold to BMO

    BNP Paribas completed the $16.3 billion cash sale of Bank of the West to BMO Financial Group on 1 February 2023, leaving US retail banking.

31. 2024Amphenol

    Acquisition of Carlisle Interconnect Technologies for about $2.0 billion

    Amphenol completes the purchase of Carlisle Interconnect Technologies from Carlisle Companies in May 2024 for about $2.0 billion, expanding aerospace, defense and medical harsh environment interconnect capability.

32. 2025Amphenol

    Completion of the $2.1 billion CommScope outdoor wireless and DAS purchase

    Amphenol completes the acquisition of CommScope's Outdoor Wireless Networks and Distributed Antenna Systems businesses, including Andrew, for $2.1 billion in cash. The businesses had about $1.2 billion of 2024 sales.

33. 2025Amphenol

    Record fiscal 2025 revenue of $23.09 billion, up 52%

    Amphenol reports record full year 2025 net sales of $23.09 billion, up 52% year over year and 38% organically, with a 25.4% GAAP operating margin, $4.4 billion of free cash flow and Communications Solutions sales up 91% to about $12.1 billion.

34. 2025BNP Paribas

    AXA Investment Managers acquired

    BNP Paribas Cardif completed the ~$5.76 billion (€5.1 billion) purchase of AXA IM on 1 July 2025 and signed a long-term partnership to manage a large part of AXA's assets.

35. 2025BNP Paribas

    Sudan jury verdict

    A Manhattan federal jury found BNP Paribas liable to three Sudanese refugees in October 2025 and awarded $20.75 million. The bank is appealing.

36. 2026Amphenol

    Completion of the $10.5 billion CommScope CCS acquisition

    Amphenol closes its largest acquisition, buying CommScope's Connectivity and Cable Solutions business for $10.5 billion on January 12, 2026. Amphenol also acquired the CommScope name and expects the business to generate about $4.1 billion of sales in 2026.

37. 2026Amphenol

    Norwitt named chairman as Loeffler retires from the board

    Amphenol announces on February 4, 2026 that chief executive R. Adam Norwitt will also become chairman of the board at the May 2026 annual meeting, as Martin H. Loeffler retires from the board after more than five decades with the company.

38. 2026BNP Paribas

    Ageas partnership reset

    On 28 April 2026 BNP Paribas Fortis sold its 25% of AG Insurance to Ageas for ~$2.15 billion (€1.9 billion) and renewed their Belgian bancassurance partnership, while Cardif raised its Ageas stake to 22.5%.

39. 2026BNP Paribas

    Arval completes Athlon purchase

    Arval completed its purchase of Athlon from Mercedes-Benz Group on 31 July 2026, reaching a combined fleet of 2.3 million vehicles.

Acquisitions

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