Bruno Rousset

Bruno Rousset General Information

Biography

Mr. Bruno Rousset served as Honorary President & Administrator at April Group. He is the Founder and serves as Chairman at Evolem. Mr. Rousset co-founded and also served as Chairman at April Group. Born in 1956, Mr. Rousset initially studied Marketing and Management. He later went on to specialize in insurance and graduated from CPA (Centre for Business Development - EM Lyon). He started working at Mutualité Française and became Head of Protection Insurance in 1979 at UPESE, a retirement and protection insurance group based in Lyon, before being offered the position of Deputy Director. At this time, Mr. Rousset already felt strongly about transforming customer care and services to give insurance a new image. From then on, this ambition led him to establish his own company, based on the firm principle of making customers the focus of his future organization. So in 1988, his entrepreneurial adventure began, with the creation of the insurance company, APRIL. This project was driven by a single conviction: 'to change the image of insurance'. For Mr. Rousset, taking a different approach to insurance means making a whole host of daring and unusual commitments whilst keeping things simple, efficient and innovative. That is why he does not hesitate to break with the industry's norms to offer customers an optimal level of service, including extremely clear and transparent policies, reimbursements of medical expenses within 48 hours as well as administrative case handling within 24 hours. A mini-revolution in the insurance world quickly bore fruit, as the group was listed on the stock exchange in 1997. Chaired by Mr. Rousset, the APRIL group today draws on the expertise of 3,800 staff members in 34 different countries and had a consolidated turnover of €766.30m in 2014. APRIL is also the leading insurance master broker in France. Mr. Rousset stands out for his entrepreneurial spirit, which has led him to support a whole host of initiatives to promote the creation and development of businesses, driven by a long-term strategic vision and a strong societal commitment. In 1996 he brought together entrepreneurs to establish the industrial holding, EVOLEM, whose mission is to support business development throughout France in order to help secure their future projects. Driven by his thirst for enterprise and intent on basing his actions on the common good, Mr. Rousset established the Entrepreneurs de la Cité Foundation in 2006. A charitable organization, this foundation offers all entrepreneurs in difficult situations access to micro-insurance. Through his company, APRIL, Mr. Rousset also established the APRIL Foundation in 2008, of which he is today Chairman, and whose mission is to promote a different approach to health' by enabling everyone to 'take charge of their own health'. One of Mr. Rousset's other hobby horses is his firm belief that our country has the necessary resources to address the issues linked to employment, training and economic development. That is why he founded EVOLEM Citoyen in 2014, an apolitical think tank that works on these topics, questioning the efficiency of our current systems and promoting hands-on initiatives and innovative solutions, whilst taking a proactive approach. He earned a degree in Marketing from the Centre de Perfectionnement des Affaires in 1978.