Roch-Olivier Maistre took over the Presidency from Olivier Schrameck

Following the proposal of the French President Emmanuel Macron and the endorsement by the National Assembly and the Senate, Roch-Olivier Maistre was appointed as President of the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA), as of 4 February 2019, for a mandate of six years. He is replacing Olivier Schrameck, whose term came to an end on 23 January 2019; he was recently appointed to the French Higher Council of the judiciary (Conseil supérieur de la magistrature).

Roch-Olivier Maistre was inter alia an Adviser to the Office of the Minister of Culture and Communication, an Adviser for Education, Culture and Communication to the French President, President of the Regulatory Authority for Press Distribution (Autorité de régulation de la distribution de la presse), member of the Financial Commission for Agence France Presse, and most recently, President of Chamber and General Rapporteur at the French Court of Auditors (Cour des comptes). For more information, please consult his resume (in French).

Furthermore, two new members were appointed at the CSA, also for a 6-year mandate:

• Michèle Léridon, a journalist and former Director of information for Agence France Presse, succeeds Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette. She was designated by the National Assembly.

• Hervé Godechot, former Chief Editor in France Télévisions, is replacing Memona Hintermann-Afféjee. He was designated by the Senate.

The other current members of the French CSA are:

• Nicolas Curien, designated by the Senate in 2015;

• Carole Bienaimé Besse, designated by the Senate in 2017;

• Nathalie Sonnac, designated by the National Assembly in 2015;

• Jean-François Mary, designated by the National Assembly in 2017.

The deliberations of the Board of the CSA are prepared in the framework of six permanent thematic Working groups. Each Board member chairs a Working group and acts as Vice-Chair of a second group.

• Further information on the functionning and composition of the CSA (FR)

Source: French CSA Website

Additional background: The French CSA is governed by seven members: the President of the CSA and six members. They are appointed for a six-year term of office, which may not be revoked or renewed.

The President of the CSA is appointed by the President of the Republic. The other six members are appointed by the Presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly. The members are chosen on the basis of their skills, experience and expertise. The appointments must take into account the equal representation of women and men.

With the exception of the President, one-third of the members are renewed every two years. To guarantee their independence, their functions are incompatible with any elected office, employment or other professional activity. Furthermore, during one year following the end of their duties, members are not allowed to work for a public or private company which the CSA is supervising or regulating.