Ambroise Roux

His mother, Cécile Marcilhacy,[1] was related to the founders of Rhône-Poulenc, a pharmaceutical company now known as Sanofi.

[3] He resigned in 1981, when François Mitterrand became president and nationalized the Compagnie générale d'électricité, which was renamed Alcatel.

[1] He criticized Yvon Gattaz, the president of the Conseil national du patronat français, for not pushing back against Mitterrand's socialist policies.

[1][2] The organization, open to business executives, met at the Hôtel de Crillon to discuss economic policies.

[3] In this capacity, he held meetings with President Mitterrand to suggest pro-business policies, but never let the public know whether he was successful or not.

[3] In 1993-1995, he encouraged Prime Minister Édouard Balladur to take on a pro-business approach as well, and he continued to do so during the presidency of Jacques Chirac in 1995-2007.