A recipe that it must also apply in Italy

With his physique of young man and his rimmed glasses, Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, who has been appointed head of BNL in Italy, the gift of sympathy and respect for his entourage. "An exceptional type", "lots of cool", "a broad intelligence", "team spirit"... Forty-four years, including thirteen past in BNP Paribas, this gifted past by Polytechnique and the Ecole des mines appears in any case promised a bright future. "Given his age and his route, it is difficult not to consider that, when the time comes, he can be part of those who claim to succession", considers a close.

Initially, the Albigensians, born 14 July, wanted to be scientific. But in 1993, after a dozen years in the administration, it is moving towards the private sector and services. He slips his CV to the BNP and Ervin Rosenberg, future head of the direction of large companies, which recruits is: "It is one of the few candidates whose journey has struck me." He was very young but it was open, he had already some experience, and the desire of the Bank. "After a nine month tour, it is number two of one of the departments of large enterprises of the BNP. This is the beginning of a meteoric rise.

Spotted by Michel Pébereau, he was appointed head of strategy and development in 1997. "It was a key to a young banker position: all opportunities to grow the Bank spent between his hands, and he was an integral part of the staff", says Ervin Rosenberg, now Director of the Edmond de Rothschild financial company. It is this monitoring that it participates in the battle for control of Paribas in 1999, before becoming a co-maintainer of the mission of reconciliation with Michel Clair.

Spirit of decision

"It is there that I realized the importance of internal communication and management men and teams, analysis, without ever forgetting the customers." It shows a cool head and a spirit of decision that are his trademark. "About 150 people were employed in the approximation." "At this time of great unrest and instability where the emotional predominated, he had the gift to create an atmosphere of security around him," remembers Michel Clair, now boss of Klépierre.

Building on its success, Jean-Laurent Bonnafé is powered in 2001 responsible for strategy, development, networks and channels to the Bank of detail France (FRB) before entering in June 2002 the Executive Committee of the Bank as a patron of the FRB. It is even not forty years. Supporter of labour collective and bosseur unrepentant, this amateur rugby knows motivate his teams and listen to its customers. "Under its discrete air, it is in fact quite charismatic." "It gives want to work with him by his professionalism, but also a finesse that characterizes the people a little over the lot," said one of them, Jacques Veyrat, nine Telecom boss.

Under his rule, the FRB changes of face. It adopts a structured by type of client device. Its credo "Push organizations to clients and not vice versa", explains Jean-Laurent Bonnafé. A recipe that it must also apply in Italy. "A certain way, BNL is quite close to BNP Paribas, because it has many business customers and it is already organized in centres of business and private banking." The challenge will be to take advantage of the expertise of our group and helping it build its domestic Bank project. "It is to him that he will return to carry out.