en tête
Former students

Our Student Body

The students who attend our French language school come from all over the world, and are highly motivated. Some want to learn to speak French for cultural or personal reasons, others because they need to speak French in their present or future job.

They are of varied nationalities, ages and professions. The average age is 25 - 30. The minimum age is 21; there is no maximum, 75 and upward being the high end.

They are from all walks of life: engineers, secretaries, accountants, doctors, lawyers, university students, cooks, etc.

Some hold high level positions in their respective field.

Here is a list of some of the personalities who have attended the Institut de Français:

Political, International and Military Fields

Gough Whitlam Australia Former Prime Minister of Australia
Ralph Hillman Australia Australian Ambassador to OECD
David Stevenson Australia Admiral of the Fleet
Mira Bacelj Australia D.H.R,World Trade Organization
Rona Ambrose Canada Minister of Environment
Justice Allen M. Linden Canada President, Law Reform Commission
Berveley Oda Canada Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women
James Holt Canada Defence Counsellor to NATO
Changchui He China Deputy Director, UN / FAO
Michael Attalides Cyprus Cypriot Ambassador to Great Britain
Ivana Hrdlickova Czech Republic President of the special tribunal for Libanon (International Court of Justice)
Annegreten Holmsgaard Denmark Member of Danish Parliament
Mahmoud Mohieldin Egypt Senior Vice President , Worldbank
Illka Ristimäki Finland Finnish Ambassador to China
Sir Michael Beavis GB Air Chief Marshall
Lord (and Lady) Eden GB Former Minister and M.P.
Viscount Montgomery GB Member of the House of Lords, London
Robert Priddle GB Executive Director, Intl. Energy Agency, Paris
Sir Jim Spicer GB Member of European Parliament
Winfried Frank Germany Member of Parliament, Saar, Germany
Hans Mehltretter Germany Director of Recruitment, World Bank, Paris
Plutarchos Sakellaris Greece Vice-President of the European Investment Bank
Uma Lele India Director, Global Develpement. Progr., Carter Center
Yossi Gal Israel Israeli Ambassador to France
Efraim Halevy Israel Israeli Ambassador to the European Union
David Peleg Israel Permanent Representative to the U.N in Geneva
Marta Vincenzi Italy Member of European Parliament
Raychelle Omamo Kenya Kenyan Ambassador to France
Martin Mogwanja Kenya Regional Asst. Director, W. Africa, UNICEF
Tim Groser New Zealand Former New Zeland Minsiter of trade and Minsiter of Climate Change
Rosemary Banks New Zealand New Zealand’s Ambassador to France
Prof. Jibril Aminou Nigeria ex-Federal Minister of Petroleum
Gen. Joseph N. Garba Nigeria ex-President of U.N. General Assembly
Gabriel Olusanya Nigeria Nigerian Ambassador to France
Astrid Heiberg Norway President, Intl. Fed. of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies
Helga Hernes Norway State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Atle Leikvoll Norway Norwegian Ambassador to the European Union
Tore Eriksen Norway Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance
Ziad Al Dress Saudi Arabia Permanent Delegate of Saudi Arabia to UNESCO
Mohamed Al Kuwari Qatar Qatari Ambassador to France
Mary Seet Cheng Singapore Singaporean Ambassador to the European Union
Juraj Schwartz Slovak Republic Judge at the European Court of Justice
Nkosazana Zuma South Africa Minister of Foreign Affairs
Konji Sebati South Africa S. African Ambassador to France
Peter Holmgren Sweden Deputy Director, UN / FAO
Adrian Amstutz Switzerland Member of Swiss Natl. Council (Swiss Parliament)
Victoria B. Sekitoleko Uganda Minister of Agriculture of Uganda
Joseph Prokopenko Ukraine Head, R & D, International Labour Organization
Robert Cornell USA Admiral of the U.S. Fleet
Robert Buzzell USA U.S. Naval Attaché, U.S. Embassy, Paris
Cynthia Stroum USA Former U.S. Ambassador to Luxemburg
Joey M. Bimha Zimbabwe Zimbabwean Ambassador to France

Scientific, Educational and Communication Fields

Desmond Spurway Australia Director, Dept. of Agriculture and Fisheries
Maureen Wheeler Australia Founder of Lonely Planet (travel guide books)
Dr Edgar J. Korherr Austria Director of Education, Vienna University
Yin Yin Nwe Burma Monitoring/ Eval. Officer, West Central Africa, UNICEF
Rita Silvan Canada Editor-in-Chief, Elle Canada
Michèle Landsberg Canada Journalist, Globe & Mail, Canada
Carlos Martin Chili Director, N. Africa/Middle East, Intl. Potato Center
Lila Ochoa Columbia Chief Editor of Fucsia Magazine
Per Stenback Finland Secretary General, Intl. Fed. of Red Cross, Geneva
Ronald Gibbons GB Director, ICRISAT, Nigeria
Richard Grove-Hills GB Head of Delegation, Intl. Fed. of Red Cross, Geneva
Ephraim Idusogie Ghana Regional Director, FAO/WHO, Ghana
K.K. Venugopal India President, Supreme Court of India Bar Association
Miguel Osomo Mexico Director, National Research Institute, Mexico
Marc A. Okunnu, Sr Nigeria Regional Director, IPPF, Africa Region
Bente Merete Holdt Norway Director of Personnel, Norwegian Broadcasting Corp.
Goril Stromholm Norway TV Reporter, NRK (Norwegian TV)
Katherine Namuddu Uganda Senior Scientist, Rockefeller Foundation
Paul Arbor USA President, Juliard School, N.Y.
Dr Marvin Glimcher USA Orthopedic Surgeon, Boston Children’s Hospital
H. Landis Gabel USA Deputy Dean of INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France
Sam Thompson USA Deputy Director-Gl, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency
Charlayne Hunter-Gault USA Journalist, CNN, Foreign Bureau Chief

Business World

David McCann Australia Director of Marketing, Lancôme / L’Oréal
Philipe Donna Canada President, Kellogg’s, Europe
Carol Kerbel Canada President, Kerbel Communications Inc.
Richard Meech Canada Senior Partner, Borden & Elliot
Peter Warkentin Canada Director, Canadian Commercial Corporation
Esko Ollila Finland Member of the Board, Bank of Finland
Jorma Ollila Finland Chairman, Nokia and Royal Dutch Shell
Kirsti Paakkanen Finland CEO, Marimekko
Owen Bavinton GB Director, Bridge Oil Services
Michael S. Coffield GB Negotiations Rep., Amoco, Europe & W. Africa
A.J. Karren GB Corp. Regional Representative, General Electric, Ltd.
Jerry Marlar GB President, Dow Corning Health Care, Europe
Janet Palmer GB Administrator, BUPA Medical Service
Ted Sandridge GB Manager, Phillips Petroleum Co.
Hans-Georg Hubner Germany Director, Trailor Ltd.
Stephan Killinger Germany General Manager, One & Only Resorts
Erich Schwarz Germany President, Bieral Chemicals
Henry McDowell Ireland Director, Casino, Loews Hotel, Cannes
Andrew Mullei Kenya Director, Bank of Kenya
Paul Perez de Celis Mexico Director of Marketing, L’Oréal, Mexico
Olav Eikeland Norway Manag. Director, Christiana Bank, Luxembourg
Jan Froeshaug Norway CEO, Egmont Group (Media)
P. B. Lindeburg Norway President, Lindeburg Firma
Jorge Cepeda Herrera Peru Area Manager (Venezuela), Rhone-Poulenc
A. Rahman Al-Dabal Saudi Arabia President, Al-Dabal Company
Hesham A. Tashkandi Saudi Arabia Manager, Saudi-French Bank
Leela Kumaran Singapore Director, Singapore Trade Develpt. Centre
Antonio Anguita Spain Executive Vice President, Orange France
Heinz Affanni Switzerland Asst. Director, Union Bank of Switz., Zurich
Theodor Heizmann Switzerland Director, Union Bank of Switz., Zurich
Chantal Sturzenegger Switzerland Head, language training, UBS, Zurich
Alan McKerron South Africa Executive Director, Anglo- American Corporation
Gunnar Söderling Sweden Vice-President, Svenska Nestlé
Mark Chandler USA President, Amoco Gabon
John Reed USA Chairman of N.Y. Stock Exchange (2003-2005)
Blake Rider USA Resident Manager, Union Texas Petroleum, Maghreb
Bryan Seiler USA Manager Operations, Eastman Kodak, London
Rudolph Thomson USA Vice-President, Citibank
Alan Tremain USA President, Hotels of Distinction Inc.
John M. Valentine USA Managing Director, Caltex Ltd., Asia
F. J. Woodall USA Executive Director, Bellsouth Intl.

Artistic Field

Henry Winter Australia film producer
Keith Turnbull Canada stage director, Banff Music Theater
Lady Natasha Boldero GB singer
Lady Michael Cecil GB model
James Clavell GB writer (“Shogun”, “Noble House” etc.)
Jeanette Finn GB painter
Victor E. de Monteton Germany concert pianist and conductor
Boris Livschitz Israel violinist
Tone Skedsmo Norway Chief Curator, National Gallery, Oslo
Alan Duff New Zealand writer (“Once were warriors”, etc.)
Rudolph Nureyev’s niece Russia ballerina
Kyung Wa Chung South Korea violinist
Hjorids Niven Sweden David Niven’s wife
Rita Andermatt-Evans Switzerland painter on glass
Kathy Bates USA actress
Kate Capshaw USA actress (Steven Spielberg films)
Denise Curt-Morris USA painter
Brian Von Dedenroth USA PBS TV host
Eric Douglas USA Kirk Douglas’s son, actor
Hilary Henkin USA screenwriter
Robert Hopkins USA writer
Frances Horn USA writer
Hal Landers USA film producer
Blake Lively USA actress, model (Chanel USA)
William Milli USA choreographer
William Morris USA producer and impresario
Megyn Price USA actress (TV series “Rules of Engagement”, etc.)
Felicia Taylor USA CBS TV anchorwoman
Paula Williams USA Stage Director, MET Opera N.Y
Denis Wirth-Miller USA painter
Celia Zaentz USA wife of film producer (Amadeus)
Louise Sorel USA
Lane Davies USA} stars from the Santa Barbara TV series
Todd McKee USA
John Phelps Venezuela host of daily TV talk show

 

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Villefranche-sur-Mer °C
September 29, 2023