This would inevitably come to the surface. Already pointed out, the course – certainly brilliant – of the husband of Valérie Pécresse returns to the front of the stage with his candidacy for the presidential election. An article from The Obs highlights what Jérôme Pécresse from Alstom to General Electric has accomplished. Indeed, if in some time the leader of the LR will have to publish her heritage like the other presidential candidates, the weekly is not so much interested in the fortune of the couple as in her CV.
Ideal husband who supports his wife like no one else – even Ségolène Royal had underlined this in comparison to his relationship with his ex François Hollande during the 2007 presidential elections – Jérôme Pécresse is a discreet man who we sometimes see alongside his wife. at cultural and sporting events or in An intimate ambition, the M6 program that shows politicians from a different perspective. In its last November issue, we discovered an involved, feminist and protective man. A polytechnician, the candidate’s husband is president and CEO of the renewable energy branch of General Electric. They are married for twenty-seven years and proud parents of three children, Baptiste, Clement and Emilie.
The Alstom period
The Obs is not really interested in Jérôme Pécresse’s taste for bridge, nor in the menus he prepares in the evening for dinner like Karine Le Marchand, but in his professional career: “It was in June 2011 that Jérôme Pécresse joined Alstom to lead the multinational’s renewable energy sector. At the same time, his wife was appointed Budget Minister by François Fillon and the government granted Alstom, then associated with EDF, a very large market in offshore wind power.“
The principal concerned defends himself, before The Obs : “We have always strictly ensured that our two professional situations are not no sources of conflict of interest.“The entourage of Valérie Pécresse specifies that a circular had been published”for the attention of all directors of the ministry [quand elle était au Budget] prohibiting them from submitting to his decision, or that of his cabinet, any file related to the company Alstom“.
Questions then arose at the end of 2015, when Valérie Pécresse was at the head of the Ile-de-France region where she could place train orders with Alstom, a company that her husband had just left but with who he has many actions. Relatives of the politician assure that they have not made any added value on this operation. The Obs therefore combed through the published accounts of the company’s annual report and testimonials from senior executives who worked there: “It is that within Alstom the member of the executive committee Jérôme Pécresse earned ‘compensation (fixed plus variable) estimated at approximately 1 million euros annually‘.”
CEO of General Electric Renewable Energy
Being part of General Electric, an American company which bought the energy branch of Alstom from its CEO Patrick Kron, does not work in its favor either, a sale which had provoked anger in France, especially when 5000 jobs have been cut. “I learned sales at the same time as you“, says Jérôme Pécresse to The Obs. Today vice-president, in charge of renewable energies for the whole world, he does not reveal his salary but admits to earning a very good living.
Once again, the question of conflicts of interest in a couple where one of the people has important political functions is on the table. Because General Electric is awarded public contracts, a delicate position for the husband of Valérie Pécresse if she is ever elected to the presidency of the Republic. Usually, the opinion notices the journalists in couple with politicians, this time it is about posts less publicized but very influential in the French economic life. Jérôme Pécresse assumes and understands the questions, he will make the necessary decisions so as not to hinder the work and ethics of his beloved.