Alexis Kohler

Alexis Kohler (born 16 November 1972), full name Arnaud Alexis Michel Kohler, is a French special adviser, senior official, and politician. Former director of the cabinet of Pierre Moscovici, then of Emmanuel Macron at the Ministry of Finance, he was appointed general secretary of the Élysée Palace on 14 May 2017.

Early life and education
Born in 1972 in Strasbourg, Alexis Kohler is the son of Charles Kohler, a senior European official, and Sola Hakim, a lawyer. He grew up in Strasbourg.

Kohler attended the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales, and the École nationale d'administration.

Career in the public sector
Kohler began his career at the Direction générale du Trésor of the French Ministry for the Economy and Finance, then he was detached to various organisations, including the International Monetary Fund, then the Agence des participations de l'État.

Following François Hollande's election, Kohler became deputy director of Pierre Moscovici's cabinet, Minister of the Economy and Finance. In August 2014, he became the director of Emmanuel Macron's cabinet at Bercy (where the Ministry of finance is located).

Career in the private sector
When Macron resigned in 2016 to establish En marche !, Kohler returned to a position in the private sector as chief financial officer of MSC Cruises. At the request of his employer, he settled in Grenoble and then Geneva, but continued to work remotely for Macron by mail and WhatsApp loops. When the 2017 présidential campaign started, he was a central figure in the headquarters of En marche !

Secretary General, 2017–present
Kohler was appointed general secretary of the Élysée on 14 May 2017 and prepared the passage of relay with the outgoing general secretary, Jean-Pierre Jouyet. He is close to Édouard Philippe, whom Emmanuel Macron didn't know much when he appointed him Prime Minister.

In 2022, anti-graft group Anticor filed a complaint accusing Kohler of breaking conflict-of-interest rules after it emerged he had family links to the Italian owners of MSC Cruises. He was subsequently indicted by the national financial crimes prosecutor PNF.