After beginning his career as manager of Postal Services and Telecommunications at the French Post Office in 1982, Martin Vial joined the Treasury Department at the French Ministry of Economy and Finance in 1986. From 1988 to 1993, he was successively technical advisor, deputy director then director of the Offices of the Minister for Postal Services, Telecommunications and Space, of the Minister of Infrastructure, Housing, Transport and Space, and of the Minister for Postal Services and Telecommunications.
In 1993, Martin Vial was appointed chairman and CEO of Aéropostale, joint-venture airline company of Air France, La Poste and TAT. In 1996, he was elected chairman of the CSTA (French air transport association) and the FNAM (National Federation of Commercial Aviation).
In late 1997, he became managing director of the La Poste Group, with the creation of three core businesses: mail, parcels and financial services.
In December 2000 he was appointed chairman and CEO of the La Poste Group and then vice chairman of the supervisory board of the Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance (CNP, French National Welfare Fund).
In September 2002, Martin Vial joined the Court of the Exchequers as Chief Counsellor.
From 2003 to 2014, he assumed the duties of CEO of the Europ Assistance Group, worldwide leader of the assistance business with 44 companies in 33 countries, and director and CEO of Europ Assistance Holding. He also chaired several boards of the Group companies.
In January 2015, he founded Premium Care, a company providing assistance to elderly people.
Martin Vial has been appointed Commissioner for Stateshareholdings as of 24 August 2015.
Martin Vial is a graduate of the ESSEC Business School and the ENSPTT (National College of Postal Services and Telecommunications).
He is a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour and has been awarded the National Order of Merit.
He is the author of “La lettre et la Toile” (The letter and the Web), devoted to the development of the internet in France (Albin Michel – 2000) and of “The Care Revolution, Man at the centre of the global service revolution” (Nouveaux Débats Publics – 2008).
He has contributed to two collective books, “Empreintes sociales, en finir avec le court terme” (Social footprint, and end to the short term approach) (Odile Jacob – 2011) which he co-wrote with nine other French CEOs and “La société des marques” (The brands society) (Parole et Silence – 2015).