Edgar Grospiron resigned as bid chief last month, saying he was not given enough money to compete with rivals Munich and Pyeongchang.

The head of the Annecy Supervisory Board, Christian Monteil, said that Beigbeder, 45, was nominated as a replacement and accepted the offer.

"It seems to me that he has he necessary qualification," said Monteil.

"He has a strong capacity to mobilise the business world, a perfect mastery of the environment, a solid management experience and a strong awareness of innovation and good expertise in sustainable development issues.

Monteil said he discussed the choice today with with France's Sports Minister, Chantal Jouanno. Jouanno still must finalise the appointment, although she has already said that she is supportive of the proposal.

As a youngster, Beigbeder dreamt of becoming an astronaut and he started his career at Matra, a French company which covered a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry.

He left there and after a stint in finance in Paris and London, he founded his first company, Selftrade, in 1997 and then, in 2002, Poweo, an independent electricity and gas supplier.

He still owns a 12 per cent stake in the company and is the chairman.

Beigbeder's younger brother, Frédéric, is a well-known French writer, commentator, literary critic and pundit.

The Annecy team is due to submit its official Candidate File next Tuesday (January 11) to the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne.

An IOC evaluation group will visit the venues in February.


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