Jacques Lafitte

Jacques Lafitte is founder and co-owner of Avisa — an EU public affairs consultancy of about 45 consultants primarily active in the fields of EU competition, healthcare, energy, environment, trade, financial services, IP, aerospace/aviation, security and ICT (www.avisa.eu). Customers are mainly large companies from EU, US and Asia, with some trade associations and a few Governments.

An independent consultant since 2002 and the author of several books on Europe, Jacques was listed by the Financial Times in 2009 as one of the 30 prime influencers of policy and legislation in Brussels – there were only two consultants on the list.

Jacques also served as Microsoft’s European Director of Corporate Affairs from 2000 to 2002. From 1995 to 1999, he was in charge of the Euro dossier in the Cabinet of Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Yves-Thibault de Silguy.

Prior to coming to Brussels he served in both the French and German defense ministries and at the French Treasury. A graduate of France’s prestigious Ecole Polytechnique, Jacques also lectures or comments on EU affairs at universities and in the media. Jacques is fluent in French, English, and German, and understands Spanish and Danish.