François Hollande

François Hollande is the former French president and is a world-renowned politician. Hollande was the president from the 15th May 2012 to 14th May 2017, his many years as president saw France grow and develop as a country. Earlier on in Hollande’s career, he was the first secretary of the Socialist Party, he was in office for 11 years between 1997 and 2008.

His career in politics started when he became a special advisor to the then newly elected President Mitterrand. After spending many a year in politics, Hollande became the first secretary of the Socialist Party. Due to the strength of the Socialist Party, when Jospin was Prime Minister of France, many saw Hollande as the Vice Prime Minister. After many great years as the first secretary, Hollande announced that he would be a candidate in the upcoming primary election. In the first ballot, Hollande received 39% of the votes which meant he was obliged to do a second ballot against Martine Aubry. When the second ballot occurred, Hollande received a majority 56% votes which saw him become the official Socialist candidate for the presidential election.

Hollande became the first Socialist Party president since 1995, his full Council of Ministers made history as they were the first ever in France to show complete gender parity, with 17 male members and 17 female members. He became a favourite among the French people as the first enactment by the new government was to reduce the salaries of the Prime Minister, President and other members of the government by 30%.

During his time as President, Hollande legalized same-sex marriage by passing Bill no. 344. The National Assembly approved the bill in a 331-225 vote which meant same-sex marriage was legalised and just 11 days later, the first same-sex marriage took place. Under his leadership, France also became the most toured country in the world and were known as a nation of open markets, regulatory efficiency, rule of law and limited governmental intervention. Paris hosted the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference and Hollande’s efforts to attract the 2024 Summer Olympics to the city were successful.

With an extensive career in the public arena behind him, François Hollande is one of the world’s most sought-after keynote speakers. Drawing on decades of political knowledge and expertise, he is the perfect booking for your next event.