Najat Vallaud-Belkacem


Born in 1977 in northern Morocco’s Rif region, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem moved to France aged four. She achieved academic success and left an early career as a jurist to move into politics in France’s second city, Lyon. A member of the Rhône Regional Council since 2008, she was a spokeswoman for François Hollande in 2012, becoming minister and government spokeswoman after he was elected president.