Following the Cabinet reshuffle of 29 June 2011, Mr François Baroin has been appointed Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry, to succeed Ms Christine Lagarde.

Mr Baroin becomes the Bank's new Governor for France.

Until this appointment, he was Minister for the Budget, Public Accounts, the Civil Service and State Reform. He was also the Government's Spokesman.

Mr Baroin is a graduate of Institut Supérieur de Gestion (Paris) and holds a Diploma of Advanced Studies (DEA) in geopolitics and a post-graduate degree (DESS) in defence and information science (Panthéon-Assas University).

Since his appointment in 2005 as Secretary of State to the Prime Minister and Spokesman for the Government, Mr Baroin has held the positions of Minister for Overseas Affairs (2005-2007) and Minister of the Interior and Regional Planning (2007).

Mr Baroin has been Mayor of the city of Troyes since 1995 and is a deputy for the Aube Department. He was Vice-President of the National Assembly between 2002 and 2005.

He has been a registered lawyer at the Paris Bar since 2001.