His party confirmed that former Credit Suisse boss Tidjane Thiam will run for president in a general election held on the Ivory Coast.
Thiam, 62, is the only candidate representing the country's main opposition party, PDCI.
Thiam, who has lived abroad for the past two decades, had to give up his French citizenship to stand in the presidential election.
The former minister held senior positions in leading international businesses such as Switzerland, Prudential and Credit Suisse, although he resigned from the latter's resignation following a spy scandal.
Political scientist Geoffroy Kouao told AFP that after more than 20 years of his business career, Thiam is not “known” and therefore a strong campaign must be conducted to win the October election.
The director RHDP party has not announced its candidate yet, but the current president, Alassane Ouattara, 83, may run for a fourth term.
Three other famous figures, including former President Laurent Gbagbo, were banned from running.
Thiam has some square professional life.
After becoming the first ivory to pass the prestigious Polytechnic School of France, he returned to the Ivory Coast and accepted politics.
In 1998, at the age of 36, he became the Minister of Planning before the PDCI was removed from the coup the following year.
He then moved abroad to pursue a successful business career.
In 2009, when he was appointed CEO of Prudential Insurance, he became the first black man to lead on the FTSE 100 Stock Exchange in the UK.
However, he was later condemned by financial regulators for not opening up to the plan.
After five years as head of credit at Swiss Bank, he was forced to resign in 2020 due to a spy scandal, despite being cleared of any involvement.
He maintained a good connection in West African politics – he was the nephew of Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the first president of the Ivory Coast, while his uncle Habib Thiam, was the prime minister of Senegal, spanning nine years in total.
However, Thiam faces legal challenges for his candidacy because he has accepted French nationality.
The court is expected to rule next Thursday.
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