This is the last straight line for the succession of the CEO of EDF. On Thursday, Elisabeth Borne said the appointment “was being finalized.” On Tuesday, the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, had assured that he would make proposals to him in “the next few days”. According to our information, a meeting was held on Tuesday between Bercy and Matignon to advance the process. Emmanuel Macron chairs, this Friday morning, a defense council dedicated to energy in which the file must advance.
Jean-Bernard Levy’s succession at EDF is difficult. For two months, the government has been studying various options to find the future head of the company that will be nationalized at the end of the year. Initially, the leaders of large companies were approached. First target: Henri Poupart-Lafarge. Alstom’s CEO was “requested at the request of Emmanuel Macron”, says a source. Tempted by the position for a time, his board of directors retained him. In full merger with Bombardier, he could not give up his position. Moreover, the salary of 450,000 euros per year did not help to convince him, especially Alstom made an economic effort, explains a source close to the group.
A Schneider executive?
Other leaders have also rejected the State’s proposals, such as Stéphane Michel, who heads the gas and renewable energy branch at TotalEnergies, or Benoit Ribadeau Dumas, former director of Zodiac and, above all, former chief of staff of Edouard Philippe. The name of Luc Rémont, who oversees Schneider’s international activities, has been making the rounds in recent days. He was adviser to Bercy in the government of Dominique de Villepin when Bruno Le Maire was his chief of staff.
The low salary level led these external candidates to reject the position. According to our information, the Government would be willing to add variable remuneration to double the salary of 450,000 euros. But little else. “In the midst of nationalization and the energy crisis, it is difficult to overdo it,” says a well-known expert on the dossier.
The Minister of the Economy also has his preference for appointing a single CEO while Matignon seemed to favor a duo. This debate “has not yet been decided” by the Elysee, according to a source familiar with the matter. The election of a single main head would rule out several candidates already identified as part of a pair.
The Nuclear Industry’s Favorite Orano Boss
First, Orano’s boss, Philippe Knoche, whose name, however, circulates insistently in EDF for the general management. He has led the uranium reprocessing specialist since 2016, following the dismantling of Areva. At the time, Emmanuel Macron, then Economy Minister, had chosen him to lead this restructuring. Philippe Knoche was also appreciated by the cabinet director Alexis Kohler, today a powerful secretary general of the Elysée. Another important asset, this polytechnic is, according to our information, supported by the Corps des Mines. Several pillars of this powerful network that reigns over the nuclear industry have come to support his candidacy for the Ministry of Economy in recent weeks.
The entourage of the general director of Orano, however, specifies that “he is not a candidate”, fearing that the disclosure of his name will eliminate him from the race. Philippe Knoche has the advantage of having led the division and Areva’s rating withdrawal. “This is exactly what will be done in EDF, first the nationalization and then the very probable separation of nuclear energy from the rest of the group”, specifies one of his relatives.
The other candidates, EDF interns, are Bruno Bensasson and Cédric Lewandowski. The former manages the group’s renewable energy activities but also has knowledge of nuclear energy. Also an engineer with the Corps des Mines, he spent five years at the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN). But he is not unanimous in EDF. For his part, Cédric Lewandowski is a network man, appreciated at EDF, but little at the Elysee. Jean-Yves Le Drian’s former chief of staff at the Ministry of the Armed Forces from 2012 to 2017, Emmanuel Macron refused to let him stay with the minister when he joined the Quai d’Orsay. Within the group the name of Bernard Fontana also circulates. He runs Framatome, the EDF subsidiary that manufactures equipment for nuclear power plants. But the setbacks of the Flamanville EPR, closely linked to Framatome’s manufacturing defects, do not support his candidacy.
Two women for the presidency
For the presidency, several sources close to EDF and the State cite two names: Laurence Parisot and Marianne Laigneau. Two very different profiles. Marianne Laigneau has the merit of coming from within since she directs the electrical distributor Enedis. According to one of her relatives, she is pushed by the powerful “Gutmann” internal network, named after a consultant who worked at EDF for several years. She has the merit of coming from within.
For her part, the former head of Medef now heads Citigroup in France but was director of EDF between 2015 and 2021. She had already been a candidate for the presidency of EDF in 2014 after the departure of CEO Henri Proglio. As a banker, she has worked on various EDF reorganization scenarios for two years. She and she is close to the Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire and has a more “political” profile. According to a source familiar with the matter, she would have let Citigroup know that she would not be taking on the role, which would strengthen the Knoche-Laigneau tandem if the separation of CEO duties were maintained.
Source: BFM TV
