Education and early career in the Group
An engineering graduate of ESTP (École d’Ingénieurs de la Construction) and ENSPM (École Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole), Olivier Bouygues joined the Bouygues group in 1974. He began his career in the Civil Works branch, where he supervised road infrastructure projects in France before specialising in costing for international projects, including the tunnel under the Bosphorus.
Operational management positions (1983-2003)
Bouygues Offshore (1983-1988)
Olivier Bouygues was director of Boscam, the Cameroonian subsidiary of Bouygues Offshore*, and then of the France Works and Special Projects activities. He turned around Boscam’s financial situation and created the Specialised Works division in France, which conducted several major projects, including the port of Beirut, the Monaco breakwater and the piers on the Île de Ré bridge.
Maison Bouygues (1988-1992)
As Chairman and CEO of Maison Bouygues, specialised in the construction of single-family houses, he increased the company’s delivery volume to 6,000 per year. The company was sold in 1992 at a time when the market was contracting.
Utilities Management (1992-2003)
In 1992, Olivier Bouygues became Group Executive Vice President of Utilities Management, which brought together the international and French activities of Saur**. This acquisition was the Group’s first diversification outside the construction sector. Saur, France’s third-largest water treatment and distribution company, expanded its activities in the Ivory Coast, Senegal and South Africa. Olivier Bouygues managed several major energy projects, including Ciprel and the Foxtrot gas field, and developed Coved, a subsidiary specialised in waste management.
As Chairman of Saur between 1997 and 2003, he oversaw the integration of Cise, which propelled the company to the rank of third largest utilities operator in the world. Saur obtained ISO 9001 certification and signed the United Nations Global Compact. Olivier Bouygues subsequently oversaw the sale of Saur and the transfer of its African activities to Eranove, while retaining responsibility for gas activities in the Ivory Coast.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer, CSR Strategy (2002-2020)
As Deputy CEO of the Bouygues group from 2002 to August 2020, Olivier Bouygues created the Bouygues Sustainable Development department in 2005. This department integrated Corporate Social Responsibility issues (CSR) into the strategy of the Group’s businesses, with the aim of mitigating the environmental impact of activities and improving working conditions for employees.
Olivier Bouygues’ career in the Group – in figures
- First appointment to the Bouygues Board of Directors: 5 June 1984
- Expiry of current term of office: 2028
- Number of Bouygues shares held (at 31/12/2025): 1,283,021 (107,253,369 via SCDM and SCDM Participations)
*Bouygues’ oil and gas services activity, sold to Saipem in 2002.
**Bouygues’ utilities subsidiary, sold to PAI Partners in 2004.