Gérard BEKERMAN

Bio

A highly reputed academic, Gérard Bekerman began his career as an assistant to Raymond Aron at the Collège de France, a research institution. He then joined the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas where he has been the head of the Banking and Finance master’s programme since 2000. He has supervised the education of more than 700 graduates who are now a dynamic part of the worldwide financial community and with whom he remains in constant contact, thus creating a useful network of alumni. He is the author of numerous publications on the euro, monetary policy, national accounts and asset management. Gérard Bekerman is a graduate of the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris and the founder of the International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, a cultural event which he organizes every year in Paris and which attracts candidates from across the globe. He is also president of the Georges Cziffra Foundation and of the Long-Thibaud Foundation. Gérard is CEO of Afer since 2007. Your residence: a small street off Trocadéro in Paris Your children: Céline, Adrien and Florent Your qualities: probably not enough Your defects: no doubt too many Your last film: unfortunately, it must be about 10 years ago An author: Pascal A concern: lack of time A value: friendship An aim: turn bad into good Your latest purchase: a 16th century manuscript of Gregorian chants Money: it isn’t money that separates the worthy from the unworthy (Brutam quia dignam atque indignum nequeat internoscere). Unfortunately, I have expensive tastes! Your favourite town: Bayreuth in Bavaria, Germany Your magazine: Commentary Your weekends: with the family What we mustn’t do: go against the nature of things The century in which you would like toW live: 22nd, but there’s not much hope The scourge of the age: loss of a sense of propriety What you appreciate: competence and efficiency Politics: an individual knows better than the State what is best for him or her The best economist: certainly not me; maybe Hayek A good government: one that doesn’t make too many decisions And Sarkozy: when I was a child, he loved playing pétanque with me on the beaches at Pontaillac, because I was a good player, but he had better qualities, which we now know. What you like: being useful Your motto: history is not so much a question of will but of necessity A humiliation: not being free You were at the Elysée Palace on 17th December last; what did you say? That I prefer to have 1 euro in the pocket of our 730,000 Afer members rather than in the State coffers. A closing word: I would like to quote Montesquieu:”I want to have simple manners, be served as little as possible and give as much as I can”