[1][2] Zaouati attended primary and secondary school in Marseille's northern suburbs before taking scientific preparatory classes at the Lycée Thiers.
In 1989, he graduated from the National School of Statistics and Economic Administration in Paris (ENSAE) and became a member of the French Institute of Actuaries.
[3][4] Philippe Zaouati began his career in finance in 1989 as a Quantitative Portfolio Manager at BIP Gestion, a subsidiary of Dresdner Bank,[5] which Allianz Global Investors later acquired.
In 1995, Zaouati joined Sogeposte (now La Banque Postale Asset Management) as Head of Product Development.
[9][10][11][12] In 2007, Zaouati was appointed Deputy CEO and a Member of the executive committee of Natixis Asset Management, responsible for Business Development.
[14] In 2014, Mirova was established as a subsidiary of Natixis Asset Management to develop its sustainable investment activities, with Philippe Zaouati as CEO.
[33] In 2016, he joined En Marche (now Renaissance)[34] and contributed to drafting Emmanuel Macron's first presidential program on the environment.