Richard D. French CM (born February 25, 1947) is a Canadian businessman, academic, and a former politician.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, French received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of British Columbia in 1968 and a D. Phil.
[1] After leaving politics, he held various vice presidential positions at Bell Canada from 1989 to 1996.
He is currently the inaugural chairholder of the CN Paul M. Tellier Chair on Business and Public Policy.
[2] He is the author of How Ottawa Decides: Planning and Industrial Policy-making 1968-1980 published in 1984.