Session chaired by : Amos Gitaï, architect and film-maker
Laurence Engel, born in 1966, has been appointed President of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, taking up her post on April 11, 2016.
An alumnus of the École normale supérieure de Fontenay-aux-Roses, the IEP de Paris and ENA, she is a magistrate at the Cour des Comptes.
After joining Jérôme Clément, Chairman of Arte and La Cinquième, in 1998, she was appointed advisor to Catherine Tasca at the Ministry of Culture and Communication in 2000 - a position she held until 2002. From 2003 to 2008, she was Cultural Advisor to Bertrand Delanoë, Mayor of Paris, then Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of Paris until 2012.
From 2012 to 2014, she was chief of staff to Aurélie Filippetti, Minister of Culture and Communication. On joining the Cour des Comptes, she was appointed Book Mediator. During this period, Laurence Engel was also Chairwoman of the INHA Board of Directors and Chairwoman of the AFP Finance Commission.
She is the author of several books and articles, notably on cultural policy for Esprit magazine. Her latest essay entitled Que peut la Culture? was published at the end of 2017 by Editions Bartillat.
