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Tidjane Thiam
First Black CEO of a major global bank (Credit Suisse); Ivorian political leader
The Ivorian who took the helm of a Swiss banking giant — then came home to reshape his country's politics.
The rise
Born in Abidjan, Thiam studied at the École Polytechnique and École des Mines in Paris. He rose through McKinsey and Aviva before becoming CEO of Prudential, then Credit Suisse in 2015 — the first Black African to lead a major global bank. He returned to Ivory Coast to lead the PDCI-RDA party.