Sylvie Lemmet, the new chair of the Board of Directors of Santé publique France
By decree dated May 17, published in the Official Journal on May 20, Sylvie Lemmet has been appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of Santé publique France. A former member of the Court of Auditors, Sylvie Lemmet has served as France’s Ambassador for the Environment since 2021.
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After many years of work in the fields of public health and humanitarian aid with Doctors Without Borders, Sylvie Lemmet spent much of her career working abroad: as a Project Director in the environmental sector at the World Bank between 1996 and 1998, and subsequently at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), notably as Director General of the Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics from 2007 to 2013. Sylvie Lemmet also served as Deputy Secretary General for the Recovery Plan at the Ministry of Economy and Finance between 2020 and 2021, after having been Director of European and International Affairs at the Ministry of the Environment, Energy, and the Sea.
During her hearing before the National Assembly prior to her appointment, Sylvie Lemmet had the opportunity to speak about her ambitions and objectives for the Agency. She emphasized that her role as Chair would be to ensure, in collaboration with the Director General of Santé publique France and the Ministry of Health, that constructive dialogues are conducted within the Board of Directors to inform deliberations. Sylvie Lemmet notably announced her desire to involve the Board in preparing the Agency’s next Objectives and Performance Contract. She hopes that “Santé publique France will have the resources commensurate with its ambitions.” She also stated: “I hope that my perspective, which is somewhat external to the health ecosystem, will bring new expertise to Santé publique France and help identify the challenges of tomorrow—whether regarding the links between health and the environment, health issues in overseas territories, mental health, obesity, or the impact of health inequalities.”
The Board of Directors of Santé publique France currently consists of 32 members (including 9 members representing the State), responsible for deciding on the Agency’s major strategic directions, its program of activities, and the human and financial resources necessary for the fulfillment of its missions. The term of office for Board members is four years, renewable once.
