Attali is a graduate of the “École Polytechnique”, the “École des Mines”, “Sciences Po Paris”, and the “École nationale d’Administration”. He has also taught at the “École Polytechnique”, “ParisTech” and “Paris-Dauphine” University, where he received a PhD in economics.

At the age of 27 and for a period of ten years, he was special adviser to French President François Mitterrand. After leaving the Élysée, Jacques Attali founded the “European Bank for Reconstruction and Development” (EBRD), which was inaugurated in 1991. The aim of this organisation is to facilitate the transition to a market economy in Eastern European countries, in particular.

In 2007, French President Nicolas Sarkozy asked him to chair a commission to study the obstacles to economic growth in France. Today, Jacques Attali is one of the most sought-after experts and advisers when it comes to finding solutions to the world’s economic problems.

In addition to the EBRD, Jacques Attali is behind three other international institutions. The first is “Action contre la faim” (Action against Hunger), created with other intellectuals such as Marek Halter and Alfred Kastler. He was also involved in the launching of the European “Eureka” programme for the development of new technologies. Finally, with Arnaud Ventura, he founded “Positive Planet”, an organisation now present in 40 countries that advises and trains several hundred microfinance institutions and millions of microbusinesses.

His literary work covers many fields: mathematics, the history of Judaism, international geopolitics, essays, novels, memoirs, children’s stories, theatre, as well as biographies of Karl Marx and Gandhi. A visionary by nature, Jacques Attali’s actions and writings create a world inhabited by philosophers and pathfinders.