why is the repentant trader Jérôme Kerviel giving a conference in Gironde?

Lhe 2 Rives entrepreneurs club, in the Podensac and Cadillac sector, loves attracting big names to host its event evenings. The proof in recent years: the journalist Audrey Pulvar, the former minister Luc Ferry, the president of the UBB Laurent Marti, the columnist Philippe Croizon or the rugby player Daniel Herrero. This time, the president of the 2 Rives club Luc Heurtebize, an insurer in Cadillac, went even further by attracting Jérôme Kerviel, the former financier of Société Générale.

Let's remember, in 2008, the eyes of the international press were on the French bank after the crazy announcement of a loss of almost 5 billion euros. The banking establishment quickly attributed this fact to a young, unknown trader in his thirties: Jérôme Kerviel. The fellow was sentenced to three years in prison and two years suspended for breach of trust, forgery and use of forged documents. His sentence was reduced after five months in prison.

“The ideal fuse”

“Some members ask me why I invited such a controversial person. But you have to know its history before judging. Jérôme Kerviel was the ideal fuse in this affair,” defends the president of the 2 Rives club. A ruling from the Court of Cassation in March 2014 shared responsibilities between Jérôme Kerviel and Société Générale and removed the amount of 4.9 billion euros claimed for damages.

After years of legal guerrilla warfare, Jérôme Kerviel has rebuilt himself. He writes, gives conferences and never misses an opportunity to joke on social networks.

Resilience lesson

“I negotiated to convince him to come to Barsac. He will tell us about his life,” rejoices Luc Heurtebize. The theme of the evening is well chosen: resilience. “He will talk about his story for thirty minutes before tackling the central theme of the evening: how to get back on your feet when you have hit rock bottom,” presents the president of the 2 Rives club.

Coincidentally, Jérôme Kerviel will be on screen in a documentary series broadcast on Max Original from November 29. Jean-Luc Millan and Jean-Louis Perez, from the Gironde production company Grand Angle, offer four forty-five minute episodes on this affair which hit the headlines. This series is divided between exclusive testimonies from the protagonists, from Daniel Bouton, CEO of Société Générale, to President François Hollande, and an examination of the complex personality of the former trader. These documentaries are edited like a real suspense series, directed by Fred Garson, director and screenwriter, from fiction.