International business leader Philippe Varin has been elected chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) -- the global trade platform representing over 45 million companies, according to a press release.
Mr Varin takes over from Maria Fernanda Garza, who becomes ICC's honorary chair. The appointment follows a unanimous vote by the organisation's over 90 national committees at its Paris headquarters.
Mr Varin is an operating partner of the GVP Climate Investment Fund and chair of C'Possible Association.
Prior to his new role, he held various leadership positions. He served as group executive vice president for Aluminum at Pechiney, before becoming CEO of Corus in 2003 and overseeing its acquisition by Tata in 2007.
He also chaired PSA Peugeot Citroen from 2009 to 2014, Areva and Orano until 2020, and Suez from 2020 to 2022. He has co-chaired the World Materials Forum.
Upon his election, Mr Varin said, "I am deeply conscious that the founding mission of the International Chamber of Commerce - to promote peace and prosperity through global trade - is of immense strategic importance and a challenge in a world that is increasingly characterised by conflicts and intense geoeconomic competition."
Mr Varin has set out a five-pillar strategy for his two-year tenure as the ICC chair, encompassing: international trade, the rule of law, climate action, trade digitalisation and multilateral cooperation.
The ICC World Council also elected three prominent business leaders to its leadership team: Harsh Pati Singhania (first-vice chair) from India, Shinta Kamdani (vice chair) from Indonesia and Patrick Obath (vice chair) from Kenya.
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