Arnaud Montebourg

Arnaud Montebourg ([aʁno mɔ̃t(ə)buʁ] ; born 30 October 1962) is a French politician, lawyer and entrepreneur who served as Minister of Industrial Renewal from May 2012 to April 2014, then as Minister of Economy, Industrial Renewal and Digital Affairs until August 2014. He is a former member of the Socialist Party (PS), having participated in its 2011 and 2017 presidential primary, finishing third both times. Following his 2017 primary run, he withdrew from active politics but remained a public commentator, leaving the PS in 2018.

A native of Nièvre, Montebourg grew up in neighbouring Côte-d'Or. He worked as a lawyer in Paris until his election to the National Assembly in the 6th constituency of Saône-et-Loire in 1997, a seat he retained until his appointment to the government to 2012. Locally, Montebourg was elected to the General Council of Saône-et-Loire for the canton of Montret from 2008 to 2015, holding the council's presidency from 2008 to 2012. In 2014, comments he made criticising the government's economic policy led to its resignation the day following, and the formation of a new government. Montebourg had characterised his political action as social-patriotic, criticising the government's austerity measures.

In 2015, Montebourg founded Les Équipes du Made in France, a company designed to support French businesses in agriculture and industry. In the years that followed, he helped launch a number of French businesses, including in the production of honey (Bleu Blanc Ruche) in 2018 and almonds (Compagnie des amandes) in 2023, as well as in railway transport (Ferromobile) in 2022. Ahead of the 2022 presidential election, he announced his candidacy, before withdrawing.