After graduating from HEC in 1966, he joined the Ecole Nationale de l’Administration, graduating in 1972 with the Charles de Gaulle promotion. Naturally, he joined the French Treasury, where he held a number of positions, including Director of the Treasury, then Cabinet Director in 1981, under Jean-Pierre Chevènement, then Minister of Research and Technology.
His skills in the industrial field led to his appointment as head of :
- SNECMA, on July 5, 1989,
- Aerospatiale, in June 1992.
- Louis Gallois earns his stripes as a negotiator at the head of SNCF.
- From July 1996 to June 2006, he was in charge of numerous reforms within the national company.
- Appointed Co-Chairman of EADS on July 2, 2006.
- Chairman of Airbus, October 9, 2006.
- He becomes Chairman of the Supervisory Board of PSA Peugeot Citroën, between 2014 and 2021.