Ambroise Roux

Ambroise Roux (26 June 1921 – 4 April 1999) was a French businessman and political advisor. He was the chief executive officer of Compagnie générale d'électricité (later known as Alcatel) from 1970 to 1981. He was the founding president of the French Association of Private Enterprises (AFEP). On his death, President Jacques Chirac called him "one of the great figures of French capitalism." Early life Ambroise Roux was born on 26 June 1921 in Piscop, France. His father, André Roux, was a manager in the newspaper industry. His mother, Cécile Marcilhacy, was related to the founders of Rhône-Poulenc, a pharmaceutical company now known as Sanofi. Roux graduated from the École Polytechnique. During World War II, he was a student at the École des ponts ParisTech and Supélec. Career Shortly after the war, Roux worked for his maternal family company, Rhône-Poulenc. In 1951, he began working as an advisor to the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Jean-Marie Louvel. In 1955, he was hired by the Compagnie générale d'électricité. He succeeded his former boss Louvel as its president and chief executive in 1970. During his tenure, he built a private lift for himself and he banned female employees from wearing trousers. He became the highest paid CEO in France. He resigned in 1981, when François Mitterrand became president and nationalized the Compagnie générale d'électricité, which was renamed Alcatel.