UNESCO Chief Audrey Azoulay Emerges as Potential French Prime Minister Pick

Audrey Azoulay appointed Prime Minister for the second term of French President Emmanuel Macron? Speculation is rife. If her appointment were to be confirmed, the Franco-Moroccan would become the second woman to hold the position, after Édith Cresson (May 1991-April 1992).

Born on August 4, 1972 in Paris into a Moroccan Jewish family from Essaouira, Audrey is the daughter of Moroccan journalist and politician André Azoulay, advisor to King of Morocco Hassan II from 1991, then to Mohammed VI, and writer Katia Brami. She attended the Parisian high school Janson-de-Sailly from 6th grade to graduation. In 1994, she earned a master’s degree in management sciences from the University of Paris-Dauphine (1994) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Lancaster University (United Kingdom). Audrey was a student at the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris, "Public Service" section in 1996, before entering the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in 1998 as part of the Averroès promotion (1998-2000).

Alexis Kohler, the current Secretary General of the Élysée and a trusted man of Emmanuel Macron since his time at the Ministry of the Economy, and Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the current Minister of Industry under Jean Castex, are from this promotion. The first position she held after graduating from ENA was that of civil administrator, assigned to the General Secretariat of the Government. After the Regional Chamber of Accounts of Île-de-France and the National Center for Cinema and Animated Image (CNC), this ENA alumna joined the executive under the presidency of François Hollande. She was appointed advisor to the President, in charge of culture and communication from 2014 to 2016, then Minister of Culture in the second government of Manuel Valls and that of Bernard Cazeneuve.

Since 2017, Audrey Azoulay has been the Director-General of UNESCO. Mother of two children, a boy and a girl, born from her marriage to François-Xavier Labarraque, a senior civil servant, teacher and consultant, whom she met during her studies at Sciences Po Paris. Her husband is the president of the Garum conseil company, "strategic and management consulting, innovation, development and project management", she shares her life with the president of the Garum conseil company, "strategic and management consulting, innovation, development and project management". With her experience, Audrey Azoulay has the stature of a Prime Minister. She also fits the profile sought by Emmanuel Macron: the new Prime Minister will have to have a "social, environmental and productive" fiber.