The Board
The Autorité’s Board comprises 17 members with irrevocable terms. The President and the four Vice-Presidents serve on a full-time basis, while the 12 other members are non-permanent.
The members are drawn from both the public and private sectors: consequently judges, professors, economic leaders, and representatives of professional and consumer organisations bring their different perspectives to the Board’s deliberations.
This diversity of profiles fosters rich debate and is a guarantee of the Board’s impartiality.
Permanent members
The President and the four Vice-Presidents serve on a full-time basis.
The President is appointed by decree of the French President on the advice of the competition committees at the French National Assembly and Senate. The Vice-Presidents are appointed by decree of the French President.
See their biographies below:
Benoît Cœuré
President
Benoît Cœuré
President
Career summary
- Economist at INSEE (1992-1995)
- Assistant to the Head of the Foreign Exchange Market Office at the Treasury Department (1995-1997)
- Economic advisor to the Director of the Treasury (1997-2002)
- Head of the Foreign Exchange and Economic Policy Office at the Treasury Department (1999-2001)
- Deputy Director General of Agence France Trésor (2002-2006)
- Director General of Agence France Trésor (2006-2008)
- Head of the Multilateral Affairs and Development Department at the Directorate General Treasury and Economic Policy (2008-2009)
- Deputy Director General of the Treasury (2009-2011)
- Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (2012-2019)
- Head of the Innovation Hub of the Bank for International Settlements (2020-2021)
Decree of appointment
Isabelle Fenayrou
Vice-President
Isabelle Fenayrou
Vice-President
Career summary
- Criminal judge, Lille General Court of First Instance (Tribunal de grande instance) (1999-2002)
- Head of the Legal Professions Regulation Unit, Ministry of Justice (2003-2005)
- Rapporteure, Conseil de la concurrence (2006-2008)
- Case officer (rapporteur), Conseil de la concurrence (2006-2008)
- Partner, law firms (2008-2011)
- Adviser on criminal matters, General Secretariat of the Ministries for Social Affairs (2011-2013)
- Director of the Analysis and Intelligence Department, Tracfin (2013-2015)
- Inspector General, Inspectorate General of the City of Paris (Inspection générale de la Ville de Paris – IGVP) and Inspectorate General of Justice (Inspection générale de la justice – IGJ) (2015-2023)
- President of the Economic and Financial Regulation Chamber, Paris Court of Appeal (2023-2026)
Decree of appointment
Vivien Terrien
Vice-President
Vivien Terrien
Vice-President
Career summary
- Legal clerk (référendaire) in the office of Judge Marc Jaeger (Luxembourg), General Court of the European Union (since 2009)
- Lawyer in French and European competition law (2002-2009)
- Honorary member of the European Lawyers’ Union
- Lecturer in competition law, Paris II Panthéon Assas University, the Catholic University of Paris (ICP), the University of Pau and the Adour Region (UPPA) and the University of Lorraine (UL) (since 2014)
- Non-governmental advisor to the International Competition Network (ICN) for the Luxembourg Competition Authority
- Member of the Board and of the Scientific Committee, Research Institute Advancing Competition Law and Economics in Small Market and Insular Economies (ISLE)
- Member of the “Training of national judges on EU competition law” team, DEFCOMCOURT
- Alternate member, Polynesian Competition Authority
Decree of appointment
Thibaud Vergé
Vice-President
Thibaud Vergé
Vice-President
Career summary
- Lecturer in Economics, University of Bristol (2000-2002)
- Lecturer in Economics, University of Southampton (2002-2005)
- Researcher, CREST (LEI) (2005-2010)
- Chief economist, Autorité de la concurrence (France) (2010-2013)
- Visiting professor (Professor II), Norwegian School of Economics (Bergen) (2013-2017)
- Professor (part time), Ecole Polytechnique (2017-2019)
- Senior Academic Consultant, Charles River Associates (2013-2020)
- Professor of Economics, ENSAE Paris/CREST (since 2013)
Decree of appointment
Anne Wachsmann-Guigon
Vice-President
Anne Wachsmann-Guigon
Vice-President
Career summary
- French lawyer (avocate à la cour), specialised in competition law
- Equity Partner, Linklaters (May 2001-May 2025)
- Non-Governmental Advisor (NGA) for the Autorité de la concurrence within the International Competition Network (ICN)
- Lecturer in European merger control, College of Europe (since 2017)
- Chair of the Centre européen d’actions artistiques contemporaines (CEAAC) in Strasbourg (since 2020)
- Chair of the Board of Directors of the Palais de Tokyo (since summer 2024)
- Vice-President of the Autorité de la concurrence (since June 2025)
Decree of appointment
Non-permanent members Current or former members of the French Administrative Supreme Court (Conseil d’État), the French Court of Auditors (Cour des comptes) or other administrative or judicial courts
See their biographies below:
Xavier Blanc
President of Chamber at the Paris Court of Appeal (Cour d’appel de Paris)
Xavier Blanc
President of Chamber at the Paris Court of Appeal (Cour d’appel de Paris)
Career summary
- Judge assigned to the First President of the Paris Court of Appeal (Cour d’appel de Paris) (2003-2005)
- Investigating judge, first in the General Division (2005-2007) and subsequently in the Economic and Financial Division (2007-2010), at the Paris Court of First Instance (Tribunal de grande instance de Paris)
- Vice-President assigned to the First President of the Paris Court of Appeal (2011-2013)
- Assessor (2013-2015) at the Paris Court of First Instance and subsequently President (2015-2017)
- Referendary counsellor (conseiller référendaire) in the Commercial Chamber at the French Supreme Court (Cour de cassation) (2017-2023)
- Member of the Board of the High Council of Statutory Auditing (Haut conseil du commissariat aux comptes) and Chair of the Restricted Panel (2022-2023)
- President of Chamber at the Paris Court of Appeal (10th Chamber of the 5th Division – commercial contracts and public finance) (since 2024)
Decree of appointment
Savinien Grignon-Dumoulin
Advocate-General at the French Supreme Court (Cour de cassation)
Savinien Grignon-Dumoulin
Advocate-General at the French Supreme Court (Cour de cassation)
Career summary
- Auditor at the École Nationale de la Magistrature (French National School for the Judiciary) (1985-1986)
- Magistrate at the Tribunal d’instance of Roubaix (District Court) (1986-1988)
- Writer at the Direction des Affaires Civiles et du Sceau (French Ministry of Justice, Directorate General for Civil Affairs and Justice), Nationality Office (1988-1990)
- Head of Unit at the Direction des Affaires Civiles et du Sceau, Nationality Office (1990-1997)
- Rapporteur at the Autorité de la concurrence (1997-2001)
- Legal adviser to the Second Civil Chamber of the Cour de cassation (French Supreme Court) (2001-2011)
- First Deputy Vice-President of the General court of first instance of Paris (2011-2015)
- Hearing Adviser at the Autorité de la concurrence (2014-2019)
- Advocate General at the Cour de Cassation (since 2015)
- Ethics Adviser at the Autorité de la concurrence (2017-2019)
- Member of the Autorité de la concurrence (since 2019)
Decree of appointment
Muriel Lacoue-Labarthe
Senior judge at the French Court of Auditors (Cour des comptes)
Muriel Lacoue-Labarthe
Senior judge at the French Court of Auditors (Cour des comptes)
Career summary
-
Deputy Head of Unit B3 – State Aid and Merger Control at the DGCCRF, Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry (2001-2003)
-
Financial attaché in New York (2003-2004)
-
Head of Unit B3 – State Aid and Merger Control at the DGCCRF, Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry (2004-2005)
-
Seconded national expert at the Directorate General for Competition, European Commission (2005-2007)
-
Head of Sector– Internal Market, Consumers, Competition, State Aid and Arms, General Secretariat for European Affairs (SGAE) (2007-2010)
-
Head of Unit – European Coordination and Strategy at the French Treasury, Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry (2010-2012)
-
Adviser for European and International Financial Affairs in the cabinet of the Minister of the Economy and Finance (Pierre Moscovici) (2012-2014)
-
Deputy Head of European Affairs at the French Treasury, under the joint authority of the Minister of Finance and Public Accounts and the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Digital Affairs (2014-2016)
-
Member of the Board of the European Investment Bank (EIB) (2014-2015) (2023-2024)
-
Adviser to the Director of Policy, Strategy, Coordination and Communication at the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs, European Commission (2016-2017)
-
Deputy Head of Trade Policy, Investment and the Fight against Financial Crime at the French Treasury, Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery (2017-2020)
-
Head of Bilateral Economic Relations and Export Finance at the French Treasury, Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery (2020-2021)
-
Member of the Board of Business France, representing the Ministry of the Economy (2020)
-
Deputy Director General of the French Treasury, Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery (2020) and Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty (2021-2024)
-
Senior judge at the French Court of Auditors (tour extérieur) (Cour des comptes) (since 2024)
Decree of appointment
Members with expertise in economic, competition or consumer matters
See their biographies below:
Pascal Lagrue
Confederal Secretary of the Force Ouvrière (FO) trade union and President of the Association Force Ouvrière Consommateurs (AFOC) consumer association
Pascal Lagrue
Confederal Secretary of the Force Ouvrière (FO) trade union and President of the Association Force Ouvrière Consommateurs (AFOC) consumer association
Career summary
- Trade union representative within French social security organisations (CARSAT regional retirement and occupational health fund, CPAM local health insurance offices, etc.) (since 2002)
- Assessor at the Social Security Tribunal (TASS) and employment tribunal adviser (since 2002)
- Secretary General of the Rhône branch of the Force Ouvrière (FO) trade union and Regional Coordinator for the Rhône-Alpes region (2010-2022)
- Confederal Secretary of the Force Ouvrière (FO) trade union, with responsibility for development, trade union training, housing and consumer affairs (since 2022)
- President of the Association Force Ouvrière Consommateurs (AFOC) consumer association (since 2022)
Decree of appointment
Jérôme Pouyet
Associate Professor at École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales (ESSEC)
Jérôme Pouyet
Associate Professor at École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales (ESSEC)
Career summary
- Marie Curie post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Operation Research and Econometrics – Catholic University of Louvain (2000-2003)
- Researcher at CREST- Laboratoire d’Economie Industrielle (2003-2005)
- Tenured Associate Professor at École polytechnique (2005-2008)
- Director of the Economic Analysis and Policy Master’s and PhD programme (2009-2013)
- CNRS researcher at the Paris School of Economics and senior lecturer at École Normale Supérieure (ENS) (2009-2017)
- Deputy Director of the UMR Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques (2014-2017)
- CNRS researcher at the University of Cergy-Pontoise since 2018 and associate professor at ESSEC Business School (since 2018)
- Member of the Autorité de la concurrence (since 2019)
Decree of appointment
Catherine Prieto
Professor of Competition Law at Paris I University
Catherine Prieto
Professor of Competition Law at Paris I University
Career summary
- Temporary teaching and research assistant, University of Aix-Marseille III (1992-1994)
- Senior lecturer, University of Aix-Marseille III (1994-1995)
- Lecturer, University of Toulon and Var (1995-1997)
- Lecturer, Faculty of Law (Aix-en-Provence) (1997-2007)
- Vice-President, University of Aix-Marseille (2001-2004)
- Co-director of Revue trimestrielle de droit européen (since 2005)
- Founding member of the European legal experts network, Trans Europe Experts (2007)
- Director of the Competition Section, Trans Europe Experts (2007-2016)
- Lecturer at Ecole de droit de la Sorbonne (Sorbonne Law school) (since 2008)
- Head of the double degree in French and English law, Paris 1 (2009-2011)
- Member of the scientific board of the journal Concurrences (since 2012)
- Head of the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Law and Economics, Paris 1 (2011-2017)
- Co-director, Sorbonne Public and Private Economic Law Department (IRJS) (since 2018)
- Director of the Master’s 2 in Competition, Distribution and Consumption (since 2019)
- Member of the Autorité de la concurrence (since 2019)
Decree of appointment
Members from the private sector
See their biographies below:
Valérie Bros
General Secretary of Burelle SA and Chief Executive Officer of Sofiparc SA
Valérie Bros
General Secretary of Burelle SA and Chief Executive Officer of Sofiparc SA
Career summary
- Administrator at the French Ministry of the Economy and Finance, Treasury Department (1996-2000)
- Advisor on competition and State aid at the Permanent Representation of France to the European Union in Brussels (2000-2002)
- Advisor to the French Minister of the Economy and Finance (2002-2004)
- Advisor to the Cabinet of Michel Barnier, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (2004-2005)
- Minister-Adviser for economic and financial affairs and Head of the Financial Mission at the Permanent Representation of France to the European Union in Brussels (2006-2010)
- Judge at the French Court of Auditors (Cour des comptes) (2010-2014)
- Director of the “Concessions and Territories” business unit at Enedis (2014-2017)
- Director to the General Secretary of the EDF group (2017-2019)
- General Secretary and General Counsel at the Plastic Omnium group, now OPmobility (2019-2024)
- Deputy Director of the cabinet of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier (October 2024-December 2024)
- General Secretary of Burelle SA and Chief Executive Officer of Sofiparc SA (since 2025)
- Member of the Board of Directors of EDG (since 2025)
- Member of the Autorité de la concurrence (2019-2024 and since 2025)
Decree of appointment
Terms of office and ethics
Half of the Board is renewed every two and a half years (except for its President). The other six members have a term of office of five years.
To guarantee the Autorité’s impartiality, all members must inform the President of any interests they have or acquire and the functions they perform as part of any economic activity. Similarly, members must submit a declaration of assets and a declaration of interests to the President of the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (Haute Autorité pour la transparence de la vie publique). Members also undertake to perform their duties independently, impartially and in good conscience, and to comply with the obligations stemming from these duties. No member may deliberate in a case in which he or she has an interest.
Different formations of the Board
The Autorité’s decisions are made collectively, except where the President or a Vice-President appointed by the President can rule alone. This happens in “single judge” hearings (e.g. for merger control decisions or in cases of inadmissibility, rejection or closure of proceedings started ex officio.
Plenary hearings are relatively rare; the majority of cases are reviewed in permanent committee sessions (the President and the four Vice-Presidents) or in divisions.
