The AFP Board of Directors, meeting on Thursday April 12, has chosen Fabrice Fries to be the next chairman and chief executive officer of Agence France-Presse, for a five-year term beginning on April 15, 2018. The nomination is in terms of article 10 of the law of January 10, 1957.

The vote was the culmination of a selection process that was launched on January 31, 2018 and received applications from several candidates. Six of the candidates were heard by the Selection Committee, which includes Board members.

Fabrice Fries was elected on the third round of voting on the basis of his presentation of a strategic project for the Agency.

A “Conseiller référendaire” (senior auditor) within the Cour des Comptes, Fabrice Fries has held several operational management and commercial positions in media and communication groups, including Havas, Vivendi and Publicis, in France and internationally.

He has also served in the private office of former European Commission president Jacques Delors and is the author of several publications on the audiovisual sector and the entertainment industry.

The Board of Directors also praised outgoing chairman Emmanuel Hoog’s role at the head of Agency since 2010. https://www.afp.com