François Perigot (12 May 1926 – 7 January 2022) was a French businessman and trade unionist. He was President of the

Conseil national du patronat français The Conseil national du patronat français (CNPF; National Council of French Employers) was an employers' organization created in December 1945 on request of the Provisional Government of the French Republic, which wanted a representative organizati ...

from 1986 to 1994 and President of the

Mouvement des Entreprises de France The Mouvement des entreprises de France (MEDEF), or the Movement of the Enterprises of France, is the largest employer federation in France. Established in 1998, it replaced the Conseil national du patronat Français ( CNPF), or the "National Cou ...

from 1997 to 2005.

Life and career

After graduating from

Sciences Po , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public university, Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , a ...

, Perigot became Président-directeur général (PDG) of Thibaud Gibbs et Compagnie, serving from 1968 to 1970. He then served as PDG of

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...

in Spain and in France. In 1988, he succeeded as President of

BusinessEurope The Confederation of European Business, shortened BusinessEurope, is a lobby group representing enterprises of all sizes in the European Union (EU) and seven non-EU European countries. Members of the confederation are 40 national industry and emplo ...

, serving until 1998 and preceding Georges Jacobs de Hagen. In 1986, he became President of the Conseil national du patronat français, succeeding

Yvon Gattaz Yvon Gattaz (born 17 June 1925) is a French businessman. He is the co-founder of Radiall, an electronics manufacturer. He was President of the Conseil national du patronat français, the main pro-business organization in France, from 1981 to 198 ...

. During his tenure, he sought to "internationalize the French economy". From 1987 to 1989, Perigot was a member of the executive board of the

International Chamber of Commerce The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC; French: ''Chambre de commerce internationale'') is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its over 45 million members in over 100 countries have interests spanning every s ...

. From 1989 to 1999, he was a member of the

French Economic, Social and Environmental Council The Economic, Social and Environmental Council ( French: ''Conseil économique, social et environnemental''), known as the Economic and Social Council before the constitutional law of 23 July 2008, is a consultative assembly in France. It does ...

. He was President of the Chambre de commerce Franco-néerlandaise from 1996 to 2002. He then served as President of the

International Organisation of Employers The International Organisation of Employers (IOE) was created in 1920 to advocate for employers and the business community in the tripartite governance structure of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Today, from its headquarters in Genev ...

from 2001 to 2006. Since 2005, he had served as President Emeritus of the Mouvement des Entreprises de France. In 2004, Perigot became a member of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, established by the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

. As a member of the board of directors of the Sodexho Alliance, he earned 36,100 euros in 2006 and 40,700 euros in 2007. In 2010, he created the "groupe Perigot" within the Entrepreneurs et dirigeants chrétiens. The group sought to understand the intent of the Church in the modern, global economy. Perigot died on 7 January 2022, at the age of 95.

Distinctions

* Commander and Grand-Officer of the

National Order of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

of France * Commander of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident ab ...

of Poland * Grand-Officer of the Order of the Republic of Tunisia * Commander of the

Royal Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of the ...

of Sweden * Commander of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

of the Netherlands * Commander of the

Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle ( es, Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honours System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners in the country. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933 ...

of Mexico * Commander of the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

of Belgium * Commander of the

Order of Ouissam Alaouite Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

of Morocco * Most Excellent Sir Grand-Cross of the

Order of Civil Merit The Order of Civil Merit ( es, Orden del Mérito Civil) was established by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926. The order recognizes "the civic virtue of officers in the service of the Nation, as well as extraordinary service by Spanish and fore ...

of Spain

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perigot, Francois 1926 births 2022 deaths French trade unionists French businesspeople Sciences Po alumni People from Lyon Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Commanders of the Order of the Polar Star Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany