The Board also decided to recommend to the President of the Republic of France that he appoint Philippe Wahl as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Le Groupe La Poste; Philippe Wahl would therefore succeed Jean-Paul Bailly, who does not wish to fulfil his current mandate up until November 2014.  

Philippe Wahl will need to appear before the appropriate French National Assembly and Senate commissions, in accordance with the law. Following these hearings, the appointment of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Le Groupe La Poste shall be the subject of a decree at the Council of Ministers. 

Jean-Paul Bailly will continue to perform all his duties until the end of the process to appoint his successor.

Philippe Wahl’s biography

Philippe Wahl, 57, holds an MPhil in Economics, and is a graduate of the Institut d’études politiques (IEP Paris) and of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA – Louise Michel Class, 1982-1984). Philippe Wahl began his career as an auditor and counsel at the French Council of State. He was appointed as a Special Advisor to the Chairman of the French Securities Exchange Commission (COB) in 1986, and joined the Office of Prime Minister Michel Rocard as a technical advisor on economic, financial and tax affairs in 1989.

Following his appointment as an advisor to Compagnie Bancaire in 1991, Philippe Wahl became a member of the Management Committee in 1992, and then Deputy Chief Executive Officer in 1994. He was appointed as Head of Specialised Financial Services and a member of the Executive Committee at Paribas in 1997. Philippe Wahl was appointed Chief Executive of the Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Épargne (CNCE) in 1999. In this position, he acted as Chairman of Sopassure, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ecureuil Assurances IARD, and as a member of the Supervisory Board of CDC Ixis and CNP.

He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Havas Group in 2005, and Vice-Chairman of the Bolloré Group in 2006.

Philippe Wahl joined the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in 2007, as Chief Executive Officer for France. He was appointed Advisor to the RBS Global Banking and Markets Board in London in March 2008. He became RBS' Chief Executive Officer for France, Belgium and Luxembourg in December 2008.  

Philippe Wahl has been Chairman of the La Banque Postale Executive Board and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Le Groupe La Poste since January 2011.

Source: La Poste