Audrey Azoulay
France- Early Life and Education
- Political Career
- Minister of Culture and Communication
- Director-General of UNESCO
- Azoulay was re-elected to a second term on November 9, 2021.
Early Life and Education
Audrey Azoulay, born on August 4, 1972, in Paris, is the daughter of André Azoulay, advisor to King Hassan II of Morocco. Her childhood experiences included spending school holidays in Morocco's royal palace. Azoulay received a Master of Science degree from Paris-Dauphine University, an MBA from Lancaster University, and earned degrees from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris and the National School of Administration.
Political Career
After graduating from the National School of Administration in 2000, Azoulay held positions in the Regional Audit Court of Île-de-France and the Committee for Controlling the Cost and Effectiveness of Public Services. In 2006, she joined the National Center for Cinema and Animation, eventually leading its audiovisual unit.
In 2014, Azoulay became an advisor to President François Hollande, focusing on deregulating the audiovisual and film market. Her responsibilities also included protecting French cinema in the European market amidst the rise of Netflix and other video-on-demand (VoD) services.
Minister of Culture and Communication
Azoulay was appointed Minister of Culture in Manuel Valls' second government on February 12, 2016. This role was subsequently expanded to include Communications on December 6, 2016, in Bernard Cazeneuve's government.
However, her tenure as Minister ended when Françoise Nyssen took over the role in Édouard Philippe's government on May 17, 2017.
Director-General of UNESCO
In March 2017, Azoulay began campaigning to replace Irina Bokova as Director-General of UNESCO. She attended the "G7" summit in Taormina, Sicily, as part of this campaign on May 25, 2017. On October 13, 2017, the Executive Council voted to elect Azoulay as the new Director-General, with 30 votes to Qatar's Hamad Al-Kawari's 28. The General Conference of UNESCO confirmed the appointment on November 10, 2017, and Azoulay took office on November 15.
