Speakers & moderators

A graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris and a former student of the ENA, François de Mazières began his career in the prefectural corps. Head of the cabinet of the Minister of Economy from 1993 to 1995, he was appointed in 1995 to the General Inspection of Finance. In 1996, he was elected deputy mayor of Versailles and created a festival, the Mois Molière, which offers theater performances throughout the city every June. In June 1999, he published "La Culture n'est pas un luxe, la fin du jacobinisme culturel", an essay on the analysis of cultural policies in France.

In 1999, he was elected president of the national federation of elected officials for culture. In April 2001, he was appointed director general of the Fondation du patrimoine. In particular, he set up a subscription system for small buildings, advocated an exceptional Loto draw for the European Heritage Days, and took the initiative of creating the "G8 for Heritage" bringing together the eight major heritage associations. In May 2002, he was appointed adviser to Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin on culture and communication. He worked on the drafting of the law on patronage and played a role in the discussions on cultural decentralization.

In July 2004, he was appointed president of the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine and launched the exhibition "Le Grand Paris" based on the international consultation "le grand Pari(s) de l'agglomération parisienne" and two exhibitions on sustainable development issues "Habiter écologique" in 2009 and "La Ville fertile" in 2011. In 2008, he was elected mayor of Versailles and president of the Versailles Grand Parc agglomeration community. In 2012, he was elected deputy. Member of the culture commission, he is involved in the discussion on the bill on freedom of creation, architecture and heritage, as rapporteur.

In 2017, he published "Le Grand Gâchis culturel" in collaboration with Olivier Le Naire. In 2019 and 2022, he is general curator of the first and second edition of the biennial of architecture and landscape of Ile-de-France in Versailles. In 2020, he was re-elected Mayor of Versailles and President of the Versailles Grand Parc agglomeration and, since September 24, 2020, he is Co-Chairman of the Culture Commission of the France Urbaine association.