Francois Villeroy de Galhau
Governor of the Bank of France
Education
- Engineering degree - École Polytechnique
- ÉNA (École nationale d'administration) -
Overview
François Villeroy de Galhau is a French civil servant and banker serving as Governor of the Bank of France, Inc
On 8 September 2015, the President of France, François Hollande, nominated Villeroy de Galhau as next Governor of the Bank of France, succeeding Christian Noyer. As such, he presides over the General Council, the body responsible for deliberating on all matters relating to non-Eurosystem activities. He conducts the three main missions of the Banque de France: monetary strategy, financial stability and the provision of economic service to households and small businesses.
As Bank of France governor, Villeroy de Galhau also sits in the Governing Council of the European Central Bank,[4] which makes monetary policy decisions for the whole Eurozone.
Upon his arrival, Villeroy de Galhau amplified the transformation plan of his predecessor Christian Noyer, which he named "Ambition 2020". During this period, the Bank of France transferred an amount of 4.5 billion euros to the French state in 2016, then 5 billion euros in 2017 and 5.6 billion euros in 2018, and 6.5 billions in 2019 most of which stemmed from the interest income earned in the context of the asset purchases programmes (quantitative easing) conducted in the whole Eurosystem as part of the ECB's monetary policy.
In 2017, Villeroy de Galhau took part in the launch of the Network for Greening the Financial System. Under his leadership, the Banque de France announced plans to exit from coal and limit exposure to gas and oil in its investment portfolio by 2024 as part of a shift towards more environmentally friendly assets.
In June 2022, Villeroy de Galhau was assaulted on the street and heavily injured by a hammer-wielding Swiss man in Basel, Switzerland, after heading a board meeting at the Bank for International Settlements. After passersby overwhelmed the assailant, Villeroy de Galhau was hospitalized. The assault was not publicized, but court papers seen by Swiss media indicate that Swiss authorities consider a political motive possible.
Early Life
François Villeroy de Galhau born on 24 February 1959 in in Strasbourg, he descends from the family Villeroy de Galhau (co-owner of the ceramic manufacturer Villeroy & Boch, domiciled since the late 18th century in Wallerfangen (Saarland)); he speaks German fluently. After earning his French baccalaureate degree at the Lycée Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, and his engineering degree at the École Polytechnique, he studied at ÉNA (École nationale d'administration) from 1982 to 1984.
Career
- Bank of France - Governor
Other Activites
Regulatory agencies :
French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR), Ex-Officio Chaiman (since 2015)
European Central Bank (ECB), Ex-Officio Member of the Governing Council (since 2015)
European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB), Ex-Officio Member (since 2015)
Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Ex-Officio Member of the board of directors (since 2015)
International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ex-Officio Alternate Member of the Board of Governors (since 2015)
Member of the High Council for Financial Stability
Chairman of the Observatory for the Security of Payment Means
Corporate boards :
Villeroy & Boch AG, Member of the Supervisory Board
Non-profit organizations :
Gracques, Member
Paris Europlace, Member of the board of directors
