Pascal Lamy

Pascal Lamy has been Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since September 2005.

Pascal Lamy holds degrees from the Paris-based École des hautes études commerciales (HEC), the Institut d’études politiques (IEP) and the École nationale d’administration (ENA). He began his career in the French civil service at the Inspection générale des finances and at the Treasury. He then became an advisor to the Finance Minister Jacques Delors, and subsequently to Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy.

In Brussels from 1985 to 1994, Pascal Lamy was chief of staff for the President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, and his representative as Sherpa in the G7.

In November 1994, he joined the team in charge of rescuing French Bank, Crédit Lyonnais and later became CEO of the bank until its privatisation in 1999.

Between 1999 and 2004, Pascal Lamy was commissioner for trade at the European Commission under Romano Prodi.

After his tenure in Brussels, Pascal Lamy spent a short sabbatical period as president of “Notre Europe”, a think tank working on European integration, as associate professor at the Institut d’études politiques in Paris and as advisor to Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (President of the European Socialist Party).

Pascal Lamy was appointed Director-General of the World Trade Organization by its members in May 2005.