Thierry Breton | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Breton in 2019 | |
| European Commissioner for Internal Market | |
| In office 1 December 2019 – 16 September 2024 | |
| President | Ursula von der Leyen |
| Preceded by | Elżbieta Bieńkowska |
| Succeeded by | Margrethe Vestager (caretaker) |
| CEO of Atos | |
| In office 10 February 2009 – 31 October 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Philippe Germond |
| Succeeded by | Bertrand Meunier (as President) Elie Girard (as Director-General) |
| Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry | |
| In office 25 February 2005 – 18 May 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | Dominique de Villepin |
| Preceded by | Hervé Gaymard |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Louis Borloo |
| CEO of France Télécom S.A. | |
| In office 2 October 2002 – 27 February 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Michel Bon |
| Succeeded by | Didier Lombard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 January 1955 14th arrondissement of Paris, Paris, France |
| Citizenship | France Senegal (since 2015)[1] |
| Political party | Independent (2015–2019; 2024–present) |
| Other political affiliations | RPR (1986–2002) UMP (2002–2015) Renew Europe (2019–2024) |
| Spouse |
Nicole-Valerie Baroin
(m. 1981) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | École alsacienne Lycée Louis-le-Grand |
| Alma mater | Supélec Institut des hautes études de défense nationale |
Thierry Breton (French pronunciation: [tjɛʁi bʁətɔ̃]; born 15 January 1955) is a French business executive, politician, writer and former Commissioner for Internal Market of the European Union from 2019 to 2024. Breton was vice-chairman and CEO of Groupe Bull (1996–1997), chairman and CEO of Thomson-RCA (1997–2002) and chairman and CEO of France Télécom (2002–2005). In 2005 he entered politics serving as Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry (2005–2007) in the governments of Prime Ministers Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Dominique de Villepin, during the presidency of Jacques Chirac. From 2007 to 2008 he was a professor at Harvard Business School before joining group Atos from 2009 to 2019 as its CEO.[2]
From 2019, Breton served as the European Commissioner for Internal Market under the presidency of Ursula von der Leyen, an appointment that met with controversy, as he was considered by anti-corruption association Anticor to be at serious risk of conflicts of interest over his previous posts at France Télécom and Atos.[3][4][5] Breton resigned from the position in 2024.[6]
- ^ "In 2015 the President of Senegal honoured Thierry Breton and his wife by granting them Senegalese citizenship (in addition to their French citizenship) in recognition for their commitment to the country over a period of thirty years." europarl.europa.eu
- ^ "Atos on Forbes Global 2000 list". Forbes. May 2015. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
- ^ AFP. "Pour entrer à la Commission européenne, Thierry Breton a bien cédé la totalité de ses actions" (in French). BFM Business. Retrieved 5 February 2020..
- ^ Anticor, Rédaction (12 October 2019). "Anticor porte plainte avec constitution de partie civile dans le dossier des radars automatiques". anticor.org (in French). Retrieved 29 October 2019..
- ^ AFP (25 October 2019). "Commission européenne : Thierry Breton ciblé par une nouvelle plainte d'Anticor" (in French). Le Parisien. Retrieved 8 November 2019..
- ^ Rose, Michel; Chee, Foo Yun (16 September 2024). "France picks Sejourne as nominee for EU Commission after Breton clash". Reuters. Retrieved 16 September 2024.