Corporate Governance

Amundi creates a Global Advisory Board with world-renowned experts in global economic and political issues

Paris, France, May 31, 2016 by Amundi

Amundi, the leading European asset manager, has retained world-renowned experts in economic and political issues to form the Amundi Global Advisory Board. The board members will contribute their insights to the company on global economic, political and strategic developments, and their relevance on financial markets. 

The Board is chaired by Hubert Védrine, former Foreign Affairs Minister of France.

The other members of the Board are:

Dame Helen Alexander, former President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)

Sir Simon Fraser, former Permanent Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Mr. Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister, Italy

Mr. Maurice Levy, Chairman and CEO, Publicis Groupe

Mr. Patrick Ponsolle, former Vice-Chairman of Morgan Stanley International

Dr. Jurgen Stark, former member of the Executive Board and the Governing Council of the European Central Bank

Ms. Isabel Tocino Biscarolasaga, former Minister of the Environment in Spain

Mr. Tatsuo Yamasaki, former Vice Minister of Finance, Japan

The board will meet several times a year to discuss the economic and geopolitical outlook and its impact on financial markets over the coming months and years. The gathered macroeconomic thought leaders, former policy makers and former heads of international firms will exchange views to provide valuable input for Amundi’s investment strategy and its international development.

Yves Perrier, CEO of Amundi, says :“This Global Advisory Board will play an important role in the international development of Amundi, which has been and remains one of its top priorities as the European leader in Asset Management.

We will benefit greatly from the experience and the insight of the board members both to shed additional light to our investment strategy and to better understand the needs of our clients in the countries where we intend to expand.”

The Global Advisory Board Members

Hubert Védrine was Minister of Foreign Affairs of France from 1997 to 2002. 

Previously, from 1981 to 1995, he served successively as a diplomatic advisor, spokesman and Secretary-General (Chief of Staff) under the presidency of François Mitterrand. Today Hubert Védrine is a consultant at HVC, a consulting firm specialized in foreign, economic and geopolitical affairs. He is also an independent director of LVMH since 2004 and chairs the François Mitterrand Institute since 2003.

Hubert Védrine is a graduate from the National School of Public Administration (ENA). He is also the author of many books on geopolitics and strategic issues.

Dame Helen Alexander was President of the Confederation of British Industry (2009-2011), the UK’s most effective and influential business organization.

Today she is Chairman of UBM plc, one of the world's leading business-to-business events organisers. Previously, she was Chief Executive Officer of the Economist Group until 2008 after having been in particular Managing Director of The Economist Intelligence Unit (1993-1997). Dame Helen has also been a member of the boards of Northern Foods plc, BT plc, Centrica plc, Rolls-Royce plc, Deputy Chairman of Esure Group Holdings plc and Chairman of the Port of London Authority. 

Dame Helen holds an MA from Oxford University and an MBA from INSEAD. She  is Chancellor of the University of Southampton.

Sir Simon Fraser was Permanent Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Head of the UK Diplomatic Service from August 2010 to July 2015.

Prior to that Simon was Permanent Secretary at the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and he also served as Director General for Europe and Globalization in the FCO. He has spent 6 years in the European Commission where he was in particular Chief of Staff to European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. He joined the FCO in 1979 and served in Iraq, Syria, Paris and Brussels. Simon Fraser is today Managing Partner of Flint Global Ltd.

Simon Fraser holds an MA from Cambridge University.

Enrico Letta, was Prime Minister of Italy from April 2013 to February 2014

Enrico served also as Minister for EU Affairs (1998-1999), as Minister for Industry and Trade (2000-2001) and as Undersecretary of State to the Prime Minister (2006 – 2008).

Between 2001 and 2015 he was a member of the Italian Parliament, excluding 2004-2006 when he was member of the European Parliament.

He has managed an independent think tank for 10 years (1993-2003) and was also Vice Chairman of Aspen Institute Italia, President of the Italy-Spain Dialogue Forum and a member of the Trilateral Commission.

He holds a PhD in European Union Law from the University of Pisa and is the author of many books on international and economic affairs with particular reference to EU enlargement.

Patrick Ponsolle was Vice-Chairman of Morgan Stanley International and Chairman of Morgan Stanley France from 2001 to 2009 and then Vice-Chairman Europe of Rothschild (2009-2014). Prior to this, from 1983 to 1994, Patrick Ponsolle worked for the Compagnie de Suez (holding company of Suez Group) where he was in particular in charge of the international development of the group, and from 1996 to 2001 he was Executive Chairman of Eurotunnel.

Patrick Ponsolle graduated from Ecole Normale Supérieure and Ecole Nationale d’Administration.

Maurice Levy is Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, a global leader in marketing, communication, and business transformation.

He joined Publicis Groupe in 1971 and was appointed Chairman of Publicis Conseil, the Group’s flagship agency, in 1984. He was appointed CEO of Publicis Groupe in 1987.

Maurice Levy has been awarded numerous accolades for his contributions to the communication industry, and his promotion of tolerance and diversity.

He holds an Engineering degree in Information Technology.

Jürgen Starck was a member of the Executive Board and the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) from 2006 to 2011. He was responsible for Economics, Statistics and Information Systems.

Previously he was Vice-President of the Deutsche Bundesbank in charge of European and International Affairs. For almost thirty years, Jürgen Starck also held various positions at the German Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Chancellery and the Federal Ministry of Economics and served as Personal Representative of the Federal Chancellor in the preparation of G7/G8 Economic Summit for four years.

Jürgen Starck is a graduate from Hohenheim and Tübingen Universities and gained a Doctorate in economics. He wrote many articles and papers on public finances, European monetary integration and on the global financial system.

Isabel Tocino-Biscarolasaga was Minister of Environment of Spain (1996-2000).

Isabel Tocino-Biscarolasaga was Chairwoman of Committee on European Affairs and Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Spanish congress.

Isabel Tocino-Biscarolasaga is a member of the Spanish State Council, a member of the Board of Santander Group and Vice Chairman of the International Association of Women Lawyers. She has been a Member of Parliament for Madrid, Cantabria and Toledo respectively (1986-2002).

Mrs Tocino-Biscarolasaga is Doctor in Law from Universidad Complutense of Madrid.

Tatsuo Yamasaki was Vice-Minister of Finance of Japan, for International Affairs (2014-2015)

Mr Tatsuo Yamasaki has in-depth knowledge of the macroeconomic and policy of Japan.

He has been Director General of the International Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Finance. Before this he was Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Association of the Insurance Supervisors ( IAIS). Previously he worked as a Chief Economist of the JBIC based in Singapore.

Mr Yamasaki is a Senior Professor of International University of Health and Welfare.