Paul Van Zuydam

Paul Van Zuydam is the owner and chairman of Le Creuset, a cookware company known for its colorful enameled cast-iron pots.

Van Zuydam acquired Le Creuset in 1988, quitting his job to buy the company himself after a deal he had championed for his then-employer fell through.

Le Creuset was founded in 1925 by two Belgians in Fresnoy-le-Grand, a small village in northern France.

Today, the company brings in more than $700 million in revenue and produces around 10,000 cast iron products a day in its France-based factory.

Paul's son, Paulo Van Zuydam, is the director of the company.

Flame, a gradient red and orange color, is the original color of Le Creuset.