| Thierry Breton | |
|---|---|
| Minister of the Economy, Industry and Employment | |
| In office 25 February 2005 – 18 May 2007 |
|
| Prime Minister | Dominique de Villepin |
| Preceded by | Hervé Gaymard |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Louis Borloo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 January 1955 Paris, France |
| Political party | RR (1981–2002) UMP (2002–present) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Thierry Breton (born 15 January 1955 in Paris) is a French businessman and politician who is currently the CEO of the IT firm Atos. He was the French Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry in the governments of Prime Ministers Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Dominique de Villepin, Jacques Chirac being the President de la Republique.
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He was born in the XIVe arrondissement of Paris. He married Nicole-Valérie Baroin in 1981 and they have three children: Constance (1984), Alexandre (1985) and Severine (1988). He received a masters degree in electrical engineering and computer science from Supélec and later graduated from the Institut des hautes études de défense nationale (IHEDN).
He began his career as an entrepreneur in New York where he created a software company (FORMA SYSTEMS).
He served as board member of: AXA; La Poste; DEXIA BANQUE; RODHIA; SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC; THOMSON SA (Chairman& CEO); FRANCE TELECOM (Chairman & CEO); ORANGE PLC (Non executive Chairman); BOUYGUES TELECOM; GROUP BULL (Vice Chairman & CEO).
He was the Chairman and CEO of Thomson between 1997 and 2002. Turning around the company, he obtained worldwide recognition for achieving significant improvement in the group's financial performance within a short term. The market capitalisation of the company rose from 1FF up to 100 billions FF over his term.
He was the chairman and chief executive officer of France Télécom (2002–2005) and turned around vigorously the situation, while diminishing the huge indebtness of the company from 70 billions down to 32 billions Euros under his mandate.
He was appointed on 24 February 2005, replacing Hervé Gaymard,[1] until 18 May 2007, replaced by Jean-Louis Borloo.
Since 16 November 2008, he is the active chairman and CEO of Atos S.A., formerly Atos Origin.[2]
He is the author of many books about information technology and economy, and co-author of a novel about cyberspace. He has recently become internationally known and the subject of much ridicule for his interview with the Wall Street Journal (28th November 2011) when he reiterated his intention to ban e-mail at Atos within 18 months.[3]
He is currently a Professor at Harvard Business School where he teaches Leadership and Corporate Accountability (LCA).
He is an officer of the Légion d'honneur and a commandor of the Ordre National du Mérite. He has also been a member of Le Siècle.[4]
| Preceded by Hervé Gaymard |
Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry 2005–2007 |
Succeeded by Jean-Louis Borloo |