DIC 2006 | Paris

Speaker Bios

Daniel Bernard
President, Provestis
Former CEO and Chairman, The Carrefour Group

Mr. Bernard is the President of the investment company, Provestis. From 1998 to 2005, he was the Chairman & CEO of the Carrefour Group. Carrefour is an international supermarket group headquartered in France with a global network of stores. It is the second largest retail group in the world in terms of revenue and sales figures after Wal-Mart.

The Honorable Craig Roberts Stapleton
Ambassador of the United States

Craig Roberts Stapleton was nominated by President Bush as Ambassador to France and took the oath of office from Secretary of State Rice on June 27, 2005. Previously, he served as Ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2001-2004. In addition to his government service, Ambassador Stapleton has had an extensive business career. He has served as President of Marsh and McLennan Real Estate Advisors of New York since 1982. He was also a partner of President Bush in the ownership of the Texas Rangers baseball team from 1989-1998. In 2005 he served on the Board of Directors of the Allegheny Properties, Metro PCS, TB Woods and Winston Partners.

John Vinocur
Columnist, International Herald Tribune

John Vinocur is a columnist for the International Herald Tribune. In the United States, his column appears on the website of the New York Times. Vinocur came from the New York Times to the International Herald Tribune where he served from 1986 to 1996 as executive editor and vice president. He had previously been the New York Times' metropolitan editor and chief of bureau in Germany and France. Until last year, he served for 14 years as a member of the supervisory board of Gruner + Jahr, the German media concern.

The Honorable Armen Sarkissian
Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia
Former Ambassador of Armenia to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and The Vatican

Dr. Sarkissian is the former Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia (1996-1997), and former Ambassador of Armenia (1991-1999) to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and The Vatican, as well as Head of Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the EU and NATO (1995-96). Since 1999, he has been Director of the Eurasia Programme at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, with expertise in state-building structures and free market transition processes in CIS countries, Eastern Europe, and China. He is Co-founder of Eurasia House International in London.

Laurent Fabius
Former Prime Minister of France
Member, Assemblée Nationale, France

Laurent Fabius served as Prime Minister of France from July 1984 to March 1986. He later served as Socialist Party's First Secretary from 1992 to 1993. In addition, Mr. Fabius was a member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1992. He has had a long career in the French Assemblée Nationale after being first elected as a member in 1978. Mr. Fabius was elected President of the Assemblée Nationale from 1988 to 1992 and again from 1997 to 2000. He was then appointed the Minister for Finance, Economy and Industry from 2000 to 2002. Since 2000, he has been a member of the French Assemblée Nationale for the fourth constituency of Seine Maritime. Within the Assemblée Nationale, Mr. Fabius is a member of the Commission on Foreign Affairs.