President Macron likes to surround himself with faithful. He has just called upon Catherine Pégard (71 years old) to replace Philippe Bélaval as a culture advisor. We remember that he had maintained Catherine Pégard in Versailles despite the many criticisms of the legal situation of these renewals. It is also a return to the Élysée for Catherine Pégard who has long advised Nicolas Sarkozy.
Catherine Pégard has followed studies of history and political science, after which she enters journalism. She began her career in 1977 in I informthen covers politics for The daily newspaper of Paris From 1978 to 1982. In 1982, she joined The pointwhere she climbed the levels: political reporter, editorial collaborator, editor -in -deputy chief, then editor -in -chief after the departure of Denis Jeambar. She also holds a weekly “political notebook”, and participates in radio and television programs.
In May 2007, she left journalism to enter the Élysée under the chairmanship of Nicolas Sarkozy, as a political councilor. She stayed there until October 2011, when Nicolas Sarkozy appoints her president of the public establishment of the castle, the museum and the national domain of Versailles, succeeding Jean-Jacques Aillagon. It was renewed under François Hollande then Emmanuel Macron.
In Versailles, her career was marked by several major projects and renovations: restoration of Latone basins, reopening of the Galerie des Carrosses, work on public reception areas (Dufour pavilion), improvement in signaling, modernization of visitors’ infrastructure … She left her post in March 2024, to join the AFALULA agency as director of cultural development.
Emmanuel Macron and Catherine Pégard have established special ties. The president has often used the Palace of Versailles for official ceremonies and frequently goes to the lantern, an official residence of the Presidency of the Republic located in the park of the Palace of Versailles. It was Nicolas Sarkozy who had attached the lantern to the Presidency, long residence of the Prime Ministers.
Philippe Bélaval, born in Toulouse, is a senior official in the traditional sense of the term. He holds a master’s degree in public law, a graduate of the Toulouse Political Studies Institute (Promo 1975). He entered the Council of State when he left ENA in 1979. His last mandate in a cultural institution dates from 2012, when he was appointed president of the Center des Monuments Nationaux (CMN), a function he occupied until his appointment as a culture advisor to the Élysée in January 2023.
Before Philippe Bélaval, it was Rima Abdul Malak who held the function of culture councilor of the Presidency of the Republic under Emmanuel Macron. She received this appointment in December 2019, replacing Claudia Ferrazzi. In May 2022, she became Minister of Culture, a function which she held until January 2024.
