Jean Bizet, a former French senator and chairman of the European Affairs Committee, has joined APCO Worldwide as special advisor to its Paris office.

"I am delighted to welcome Mr Bizet to APCO Worldwide,” says MD Arnaud Pochebonne. “His extensive parliamentary experience and in-depth knowledge of many economic sectors will be a valuable asset and strengthen the counsel we provide for our clients.”

With nearly 25 years of experience as a member of the Senate, Bizet has a thorough knowledge of the French parliamentary institutions and ecosystem. Having served as chairman of the European Affairs Committee for nearly seven years, he is one of the French parliamentarians with the most extensive grasp of the European Union institutions and European issues. Bizet played a leading role in co-chairing the Senate's Monitoring Committee on the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union and the refoundation of the European Union.

"Throughout my time at the Senate, I developed an interest in different industries and, given the unprecedented context we are going through, I long reflected on the role I could play in supporting businesses and the economy,” says Bizet. “I now have the conviction that the best way to achieve this and to make myself useful is to support companies directly. This is the reason why I decided to support the highly recognized APCO Worldwide teams."

Throughout his career, Bizet had the opportunity to work on issues in a wide variety of sectors, including international trade, agri-food, biotechnologies and new technologies. As an elected representative of the Manche department for the past three decades, he is an outspoken defender of decentralization and territorial aspirations. He is also the author of numerous reports on competition policy, the capital market, the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and digital.

Bizet joins a group of strategic advisors at APCO, that includes Lord Stuart Polak, Ido Aharoni,  Claudia Fritsche, former UK Minister for Business and Industry Richard Harrington, Lalit Mansingh, former assistant to President George W. Bush Anita McBride, former United States congresswoman Susan Molinari, former president of IKEA US Lars Petersson, Tim Roemer, former president of the European Investment Fund Georges Ugeux and former member of the European Parliament Sir Graham Watson.

For more than 35 years, APCO has worked with private, public and nonprofit clients as they try to identify and manage new and emerging issues, challenges and opportunities around the world. Established by Margery Kraus as a single-person operation in 1984, APCO has grown to a global advisory and advocacy communications consultancy with offices in more than 30 markets and experience working in more than 80 markets globally, providing in-depth advice, perceptive guidance and creative approaches for its clients.