Donald Zilkha, La Médaille d’Or de La Renaissance Française

Donald Zilkha, born in New York, has cultivated a lifelong connection to French culture. Educated at the Lycée Français de New York, he spent summers with his family in Paris, Normandy, and the Pays Basque. He later attended Wesleyan University, where he wrote his senior thesis in French—Paris 1789–1792: Une Révolution manquée—analyzing the shift of power from elite institutions to popular rule through research into contemporary police reports and arrest records.

After graduating, Donald joined JP Morgan and eventually moved to Paris as co‑head of the Mergers and Acquisitions department. Living in France deepened his interest in food and wine: he took courses at La Varenne cooking school, studied at the Académie du Vin, and traveled widely to explore regional traditions. Upon returning to New York, he maintained a studio apartment in the 7ème arrondissement and continued to divide his time between the two cities. His enthusiasm for wine led him to join several distinguished societies, including Les Chevaliers du Tastevin and La Commanderie de Bordeaux, where he served as Maître. In 2008, he co‑founded the Commanderie des Costes du Rhône. He also chaired Les XXVI, a food and wine society that invited leading figures in art, literature, and politics to speak at its dinners. His passion culminated in the publication of Les Crus Bourgeois du Médoc, a guide highlighting under‑recognized Bordeaux wines.

Donald served on the Board of FIAF, where he helped shape a strategic plan to enhance the use of its 60th Street building, developed a sustainable model for its maternelle, and championed efforts to bring the Cannes Film Festival to New York. In recognition of his contributions to Franco‑American cultural ties and philanthropy, he was named chevalier dans l’Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur and was later awarded l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole by the French Ministry of Agriculture.

He remains active in finance and investments and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a trustee emeritus of Wesleyan University, and a member of the Business Council of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.