New York, February 4, 2015 — Mark Pigott, Executive Chairman of PACCAR Inc, was awarded Chevalier of the French Order of Arts and Letters by Deputy Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy Thomas Michelon on February 3, 2015. The decoration ceremony was held at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York.An industrialist and philanthropist of the first order, Mark Pigott is recognized in both the United States and France as a major patron of the arts and humanities. In March 2014, the Pigott family donated €1 million to the French National Library (Bibliothèque nationale de France) in order to establish scholarships for study in the arts, to purchase new conservation technology, and to restore the Manuscripts Reading Room. In addition, Mr. Pigott is a long standing and Life Member of the American Friends of the Louvre and has generously supported the institution’s academic efforts through the Mark Pigott Lecture and Research Fund since 2010.Deputy Cultural Counselor Thomas Michelon stated, “Because of his unwavering commitment to French institutions such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Musée du Louvre, Mark Pigott is a truly extraordinary supporter of and partner for French culture.
”Mark Pigott is Executive Chairman of PACCAR Inc (www.paccar.com), a Fortune 200 company based in Bellevue (WA) that manufactures trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt, and DAF nameplates. Mark was Chief Executive Officer & Chairman from 1997 – 2014. He is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DAF Trucks N. V. and in 1998 negotiated a design and manufacturing partnership with the French automobile company Renault. In 2013 he was inducted into Industry Week’s Manufacturing Hall of Fame. Mr. Pigott earned Business and Engineering degrees from Stanford University. Mr. Pigott’s philanthropic activities have earned him honors and awards from many different organizations, including the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, the Order of the Orange-Nassau and the Order of the Crown.
The Order of Arts and Letters (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) was established in 1957 to recognize eminent artists and writers, as well as people who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and throughout the world. The Order of Arts and Letters is given out under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Culture and Communication. American recipients of the award include Paul Auster, George Clooney, Ornette Coleman, Agnes Gund, Marilyn Horne, Richard Meier, Robert Paxton, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis.
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The Cultural Services of the French Embassy provides a platform for exchange and innovation between French and American artists, intellectuals, educators, students, the tech community, and the general public. Based in New York City, Washington D.C., and eight other cities across the US, the Cultural Services develops the cultural economy by focusing on six principal fields of action: the arts, literature, cinema, the digital sphere, French language and higher education. www.frenchculture.org
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