Tidjane Thiam, whose credentials include time spent as chief executive of Aviva Europe and Prudential Plc, has his eyes set on becoming Ivory Coast’s next president.
Speaking with French newspaper Le Monde, Thiam was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying: “Yes, I will stand as a candidate at the upcoming PDCI convention to be the party’s candidate for the 2025 presidential election.”
Thiam currently leads PDCI (Democratic Party of Ivory Coast), the West African country’s main opposition party. He left Prudential in 2015 to take the helm at Credit Suisse. The McKinsey & Company alumnus and former Ivory Coast Secretary of Development and Planning had a five-year stint at Aviva, from 2002.
When his resignation from Prudential was announced, then chair Paul Manduca said: “Tidjane has been one of the most exceptional leaders in Prudential’s long and illustrious history.
“From leading the group through the financial crisis at the end of the last decade, first as CFO and then as CEO, to shaping an Asia-focussed strategy that has seen Prudential grow into an ever more successful UK-based financial services business, he has been a great servant to the company and all its stakeholders in his seven years on our board.”
In Ivory Coast, Thiam’s plan is to better spread economic gains among people and businesses.
Meanwhile, also looking to run in 2025 is Laurent Gbagbo, who served as president from 2000 to 2011.
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