Xavier BERTRAND

Bio

Born in 1965 in Châlons-sur-Marne, Xavier Bertrand earned a master’s degree in public law and a specialized graduate diploma in local administration from the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Reims. He worked as an insurance agent in Flavy-le-Martel, in the Aisne department, from 1992 to 2004. In 1995, he became deputy mayor of Saint-Quentin, responsible for community activities and urban development. In 1998, he was elected to the Aisne General Council, and then, in 2002, as a member of the National Assembly representing the 2nd constituency of the Aisne. Appointed Secretary of State for Health Insurance in 2004, Xavier Bertrand served as Minister of Health from 2005 to 2007, before being appointed Minister of Labor from May 2007 to January 2009, and then Minister of Labor, Employment, and Health from 2010 to May 2012. As part of his responsibilities, he spearheaded a significant series of social reforms, including the implementation of minimum service requirements in public transportation and the ban on smoking in public places. He was elected Mayor of Saint-Quentin in 2010 and re-elected as Member of Parliament for the 2nd constituency of Aisne in 2012. In December 2015, he became the first president of the Hauts-de-France Region (population 6 million). He stepped down from his positions as Member of Parliament and mayor to devote himself fully to implementing his plan for the region’s residents, “Our Region at Work”: • The Region helps those seeking employment: creation of Proch’Emploi to connect job seekers • The Region supports working people by boosting their purchasing power and removing barriers to employment: assistance with transportation and child care, a car available for 1€ per day for those returning to work, and programs for high school students, apprentices, and college students. • The Region stands alongside job creators—entrepreneurs—with tailored tools: vocational training, project financing, and solutions to balance economic growth with environmental sustainability, notably through Rev3, the Third Industrial Revolution. While the Region is now taking action to improve daily life, its role is also to prepare for and build the future. Xavier Bertrand and the elected officials of Hauts-de-France have thus secured the launch of the Seine-Nord Europe Canal, the project of the century for the economy and environment of Hauts-de-France. It will connect Compiègne to the Dunkirk-Scheldt Canal along a 107-km route and create thousands of jobs. On June 27, 2021, he was re-elected as president of the Hauts-de-France Region for a second term.