The wheelchair is less comfortable than expected

Jean-Philippe Saint-Geours willingly admits: there is a small side "missionary" in his decision to take over from Robert Baconnier at the head of the circle ENA business, despite an already busy time use. "Happens not one day without that I meet an entrepreneur looking for someone for a position with responsibility and my breath in his ear:"preferably not an enarque"", explains this professional of the "executive search", associate and member of the Executive Board of Leaders Trust International. An unjustified reluctance in the eyes of the new President who has ideas very specific on the issue. Not only because it exercises the profession of headhunting for fifteen years now, including a good half in the American Heidrick & Struggles, which he led the French subsidiary for four years before be co-opted in international network forums-, but also because the twenty and some early in his career himself drove him in socio-professional for the less diverse spheres. And he is also a senior defrocked.

Promoting former François Rabelais - that of Fabius, Longuet, Leotard, button, Ponsolle and Al - Jean-Philippe-Saint-Geours, sixty-three years, is a synonym name of Lord in the énarchie. His father John, Inspector of finance, presided over the COB; his cadet Frédéric enarque him also, has today financier of PSA Peugeot Citroën and President of the UIMM. On leaving school, elder could integrate the prestigious branch of the budget, but he prefers to enter the service of the tax legislation of the Directorate-General taxes to make private accounting and familiarize themselves with the business world that he has in his sights.

But, in 1981, the election of François Mitterrand to the Supreme magistrature change the deal. Become Rue de Rivoli a specialist of fiscal matters, Jean-Philippe Saint-Geours, who participated in the 1970s in the expert groups to feed the campaign of the Socialist leader, was invited by Jean Peyrelevade and Daniel Lebègue to join the cabinet of the new host of Matignon, Pierre Mauroy. In charge of a number of budgets including those of Culture and great work, he then tandem with Gilbert Trigano to prepare for the Universal Exposition in 1989 which will ultimately never occur. Then, the project buried, negotiates with Jack Lang branch of the Paris Opera. More than his skills as musician - he plays classical guitar and, once recorded discs of rock with a young unknown named Michel Berger! -It is his wife, then Director of the communication of the institution, which will help it succeed.

The wheelchair is less comfortable than expected. A division by nine of the number of collective agreements, denounced, adds the forerunner of the first seasons of the Bastille Opera, which will open its doors in 1989. This step, Jean-Philippe Saint-Geours will find Maurice Lévy who entrusts him the reins of its subsidiary Board press. A first experience in the private sector that will last five years, until a representative of Heidrick & Struggles calls it to talk about the direction of the hospitals... before better balance its address book and to open the doors of his own business.