Christian Blanc
| Christian Blanc | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the French National Assembly for Yvelines | |
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In office 2002–2012 |
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| Preceded by | Colette Le Moal |
| Succeeded by | Henri Guaino |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 May 1942 Talence, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Political party | New Centre |
| Alma mater | Sciences Po Bordeaux |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
Christian Blanc (born 17 May 1942 in Talence, Gironde) is a French politician and businessman. A former prefect, Blanc has extensive business experience as head of the RATP (1989-1992), Air France (1993-1997) and Merrill Lynch France (2000-2002).
Blanc was elected to the National Assembly from the UDF party in 2002. As member of the New Center party, Blanc was appointed to the newly created position of Secretary of State of the Région Capitale ("Greater Paris"), a position he held between March 18, 2008 and July 4, 2010. He retired in 2012 from the National Assembly after two terms.
Christian Blanc is the son of Marcel Blanc, a member of the French Resistance and exotic fruits merchant. Blanc studied at the Montesquieu high school in Bordeaux before enrolling in SciencesPo Bordeaux. He became one of the main leaders of the National Union of Students of France, where he met future Prime Minister Michel Rocard. Active at the time in the University Antifascist Front for Peace in Algeria, Blanc is subsequently invited by Fidel Castro to the Latin American Solidarity Conference in Cuba in the summer of 1967.
After graduation, Blanc joined a subsidiary of the Caisse des dépôts, a French public sector financial institution, before becoming bureau chief at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Closely associated with Michel Rocard, Blanc ran his 1980 Presidential Campaign.
From 1981 to 1983, Blanc was the chief of staff for European Commissioner Edgar Pisani. He becomes prefect in the Hautes-Pyrénées region (1983-1984). Christian Blanc became secretary general of the Nouvelle-Calédonie region with Edgard Pisani, and was then appointed prefect of Seine-et-Marne (1983-1985).
In 1988, Blanc returned to Nouvelle-Calédonie as head of the “Mission of dialogue” mission of the French government, tasked with finding a political solution to the conflict that was shaking the island at the time. He negotiated the Matignon Agreements, adopted by referendum in November 1988.
In 1989, Christian Blanc became the president of RATP. He resigned in 1992, following a spat with the government. During his presidency, RATP decided to create the first automated metro line – Paris Métro Line 14. He was subsequently appointed CEO of Air France in 1993 and tasked with rescuing the embattled French giant. Blanc developed a staff-backed, wide-ranging strategic plan, which enabled AirFrance to become profitable again in 1997.
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