Éric LOMBARD

Bio

Éric Roger Pierre Lombard, born on 16 May 1958 in Boulogne-Billancourt, is a French business leader and politician whose career reflects the continuity between finance, the public sector, and political responsibilities. After graduating from HEC Paris in 1981, he began his career at Paribas, where he successively held positions in international affairs, financial management, and mergers and acquisitions. Starting in 1989, he joined socialist ministerial cabinets: first as a technical adviser to the government spokesperson, then as an adviser to Michel Sapin at the Ministries of Justice and Economy. In 2004, he became Chief Executive Officer of BNP Paribas Cardif, the group’s insurance subsidiary, before being appointed its Chairman and CEO in 2006. Under his leadership, Cardif established itself as a global player in the insurance sector. He left the group in 2013 to take the helm of Generali France, where he continued the insurer’s strategic transformation and also chaired Europ Assistance. In December 2017, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC), a central institution of French public investment. There, he oversaw the creation of the Banque des Territoires and strengthened synergies between CNP Assurances, La Poste, and Bpifrance. On 23 December 2024, Éric Lombard assumed the role of Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty in the Bayrou government, a position he held until October 2025. This appointment crowned a career in which financial expertise and public service engagement converge.