Renaud Dutreil
The French connection in Sri Lanka’s urban landscape is getting stronger by the day with the entry of two top French experts into Colombo’s mega Krrish real estate development.
While Renaud Dutreil, global investment consultant and a former Commerce Minister, and experienced architect Edouard Francois, were in Sri Lanka this week in connection with the project just across the road from the Colombo Hilton, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) was preparing for a French delegation and a July 4 symposium on “French Expertise in Urban Development’.
Both French experts are partners in the Indian-based Krrish group project which has had its share of issues relating to making the full investment to the Sri Lankan Government.(see page 1 )
Mr. Dutreil, in a wide ranging interview with the Business Times on June 15, said the Krrish Square is unique and unlike any other real estate project (in the world).
Passionate about heritage and culture, he said in France a lot of value is placed on the past. “We don’t want to destroy what we have created in the past. We protect our past … we have a long, long culture of preservation and respect for the past.”

The former Minister is a one-time chairman of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), the well-known lifestyle brand, and now runs his own consultancy
He stresses the need for oganised and planned development which means ensuring culture, nature, lifestyle, social harmony, equality, and education are all taken on board in the development path.
He believes Sri Lanka is at the right stage of development and could learn from lessons from the past of countries that had tremendous growth like Malaysia or Singapore.
Mr Dutreil discussed the development model of 15-20 years ago where emerging cities were identical with similar buildings, similar towers, similar malls, similar offices and landscaping.
“Now it’s green development and Sri Lanka is at the right moment to be a leader in Asia in this development path,” he said.
“Sri Lanka needs to be different … create a modern city with a Sri Lankan touch.”
The Krrish Transworks upmarket mall would have about 80-100 global lifestyle brands being retailed. Krrish Square would have three towers of 95 floors, 600 apartments, two bridges and 200 hotel rooms.
The 53 year-old former politician is passionate about politics, business, culture, environment and a whole range of issues. Settling down for a ‘conversation’ at Krrish’s project office on the 35th floor of the World Trade Centre, Mr Dutriel is asked by the Business Times what he felt as to whether technology was helping humankind or was there an overload of information.
“Compare technology with food,” he says getting into a long response on what he calls is ‘information obesity’.
“Today some people have too much food which leads to obesity. Information is like food; something that feeds us. If we cannot control the information we get, we are going to have information obesity … too much information, rather than quality information (like quality food).”
He said education in schools should be structured in such a way that students are able to select the information that is meaningful to them, just like looking at a food menu and making a selection.
“Information is all over; the world is feeding you information even against your will – advertising, media – you are in the river (of information and cannot resist the flow. You need to select from the menu of information rather than ‘eat’ everything that is presented to you,” he said.
Mr. Dutreil, who has served in various Government positions and as a minister during 15 years of a political career, says he finds his new life as a businessman far more tangible and satisfying than as a politician.
On the European financial crisis, he blames the political leadership for the plight that Europe is in today.
“The crisis in Europe is due to bad political management and that risk and uncertainty is creating problems for the rest of the world. European leaders are (simply) unable to fix the problems … they are selfish that they do not realize the risks,” he said.
Meanwhile the July 4 symposium is organized by the Sri Lanka France Business Council of the CCC in association with the French Embassy in Colombo. It provides an opportunity for local companies and implementing agencies engaged in urban and infrastructure development to meet with powerful French companies and share French knowhow in different aspects of urban development.
France, the chamber said, is a forerunner in innovative urban development and built environment creation with long established technological dominance in large scale infrastructure projects.
Ten major French companies are in the delegation. They are Alstom Transport – a global leader in high speed trains and urban transport; Credit Agricole CIB, corporate and investment banking arm of the Crédit Agricole group; DTP Terrassement, an earth-moving expert; Degremont, a water treatment plant specialist; Egis Group, involved in consulting engineering works; Ellipse Projects, an engineering and project management company; Signes-Paysage, a French urban design company; Unibridge, involved in pre-designed and prefabricated modular steel bridge systems; Veolia Water, leader in water and wastewater services; and Vinci Construction Grands Projects, involved in the concessions and construction industry.
The sunday times