Jean-Luc Chauvin elected president of Provence Promotion at the agency’s general assembly

The economic development agency for Aix-Marseille-Provence elects its new president and renews its board of directors

On Friday October 20, 2023, Provence Promotion’s annual general assembly took on an added significance. Along with the standard renewal of its board of directors, a new president was elected. Jean-Luc Chauvin, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aix-Marseille-Provence, succeeds Bernard Deflesselles, a councilor for the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, who in turn becomes vice-president of the agency. The two will help lead Provence Promotion as it continues to attract outside investment to the Aix-Marseille and Arles areas while also promoting the territory’s influence and economic advantages on the international stage.

The handover took place within the framework of the rotating presidency between the two main stakeholders in the Provence Promotion economic development agency: the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aix-Marseille-Provence. The presidency changes every three years.

Bernard Deflesselles commented: “I’ve just spent three exceptional years working alongside Philippe Stéfanini and the dynamic, multicultural, and extremely talented team at Provence Promotion. I’m delighted to be handing the reigns over to Jean-Luc Chauvin as we share a great bond as friends and professionals. We both have backgrounds in the business world, which is where I spent my time before entering politics. I’ll be at his side as vice president to help the agency succeed in all its missions over the next three years.”

Jean-Luc Chauvin, the new president of Provence Promotion, stated: “I would like to congratulate Bernard Deflesselles on his achievements as president of Provence Promotion and on his commitment to attracting talent and companies from all over the world to our territory over the past three years. Provence Promotion has continued to grow and raise the profile of our metro area, particularly with investors and business leaders from North America. I am deeply honored by the trust placed in me and by the fact that I am once again president of Provence Promotion.”

The new president went on to say, “Together with the other members of the board, it’s our job to make Provence Promotion even more effective and continue its successful role as a key actor in the local economic ecosystem that works in close collaboration with the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis. There’s no shortage of challenges ahead! Of course, we need to further strengthen Provence Promotion as the agency engages in an ever-increasing number of investment prospection missions and attracts more and more companies, including major corporations and global headquarters. To achieve this, I’m convinced that we need to cultivate our distinctive character and attract green, diverse, and inclusive companies because our territory has rare advantages to offer in this area. We also need to find economic stakeholders capable of boosting our strategic sectors, including those working in fields related to the energy transition, medical technology, and the film and creative industry, to name but a few. To succeed, we need to work as a team!”

New members elected to the Provence Promotion board of directors

Provence Promotion has 19 members on its board of directors: the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aix-Marseille Provence, the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the Departmental Council of the Bouches-du-Rhône, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Pays d’Arles, the Arles-Crau-Camargue-Montagnette agglomeration, the Communauté de Communes Vallée des Baux-Alpilles, the Terre de Provence agglomeration, Euroméditerranée, the Port of Marseille Fos, the Marseille-Provence Airport, the Pays d’Aix Développement economic development agency, the EDF public energy company, the SAFIM events agency, the Union des Industries Chimiques alliance of chemical companies, the UIMM Provence Alpes alliance of metalworking companies, the Union Maritime et Fluviale Marseile-Fos alliance of maritime companies, the UPE 13 business alliance, and the Orange telecommunications company.

Léa Loriquet, a general delegate of the Union Maritime et Fluviale de Marseille, and Philippe Bernand, chairman of the board for the Marseille Provence Airport, have been appointed treasurer and deputy treasurer of the association. Finally, two new members have joined the board of directors: Jean-Baptiste Rivoallan, a metropolitan councilor, and Gérald Cotinaut, the regional director for development and territories at EDF.

Founded 25 years ago, Provence Promotion has contributed to the development of 1500 projects that have created or preserved 37 400 jobs in Aix-Marseille-Provence. Each year, the agency attracts between 70 and 80 companies to the territory. Its mission is to bring together talent, entrepreneurs, and investors to create sustainable jobs in Provence. The agency is financed by the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aix-Marseille-Provence with support from the territory’s most important public and private economic stakeholders.

Here are just a few examples of the successful projects supported by the agency since its creation.

• Katoen Natie received support to set up a logistics warehouse in the area in 1998, which was Provence Promotion’s first international project. The Belgian company went on to make several massive investments in the Aix-Marseille-Provence territory, resulting in significant job creation.
• More recently, the agency has been involved in projects with rising stars in the tech sector, such as Eura Nova, a Belgian company specializing in machine learning and Big Data that set up its R&D center in Marseille, and the educational technology pioneer LiveMentor, which decided to relocate from Paris to Aix-en-Provence in 2020. These are just two examples of the benefits of identifying and supporting young, innovative, and growing companies.
• Provence Promotion’s activities are also illustrated by its support for the Canadian industrial company Magellan, which specializes in the production and assembly of components for civil aviation and defense. The Canadian company completed an acquisition project in Marignane outside of Marseille in 2019.

> Learn more by reading our latest annual report <