PORTRAIT. “I dreamed of becoming a pro! ” The special journey of Cédrik Fouriscot, from the soccer fields of Occitania to the French Consulate in New York

From his office he has a bird’s eye view of Central Park. But there are other areas that Cédrik Fouriscot did not cover during his career: those in football, a sport he played for a long time in the South West.

Since June, this 47-year-old man from Tarbais has been the new French Consul in New York. A prestigious position at the forefront of French diplomacy in the United States, with a more economic and cultural side than that of Ambassador in Washington, which is more political. “It’s an important moment for me,” he admits, “It’s a great pleasure to be able to represent France abroad and even more so in New York.” “

A largely diplomatic career continued which saw him travel across Europe, from Cyprus where he was Vice-Consul (2007-2009), to Brussels as a negotiator at the Permanent Representation of France, among others with distinguished positions, from January to January. 2024 he was an adviser for European affairs in the office of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, and deputy chief of staff of the Secretary of State responsible for Europe, Laurence Boone.

While he had played in the national years 15 and 17 with Tarbes, his career took a definitive turn to diplomacy when the level of the sport rose and studies began to take a lot of time for this brilliant student who studied at Science-Po Toulouse.

“I dreamed of becoming a professional,” he admits Our Mondial. I was a versatile midfielder, but at one point I realized that to go higher, a physical and mental aspect was necessary. I remember playing against Edouard Cissé in Pau, or Nicolas Dieuze in Toulouse, and I saw very clearly that these players had something more, a different mentality. The investment was so great and he asked for things that I was definitely not able to provide.”

“The experience in football helps me in my management”

If he left the sports fields, after taking care of the teams of the IEP Toulouse then the Quai d’Orsay, sports did not leave him: Cédrik Fouriscot from his years of practices kept a special view of work- team.

“I was sometimes the captain of the teams I played in, and thanks to that I found out very quickly what to do, and not to do, when you want to pull other people up, this PSG fan believes, I especially understood how important it is. In a team of 11 players and a group of 18, you have to get to know your teammates, understand them and get the best out of them.

He continues: “This experience in football serves me very well in today’s management of an excellent management school.”

This grandson of the French rugby champion (Raoul Saurat le Lourdes), who also played a lot of tennis, intends to keep the sports ecosystem alive on the other side of the Atlantic, by organizing events bringing together the tricolor figures present in the United States.

“Ambassador of the Southwest”

And he doesn’t forget the area he came from either: in the short videos he made for social networks since he came to the Consulate to highlight French women who are succeeding in New York in the United States , it actually included Ariane Daguin, who introduced Americans to foie gras thanks to her former company D’Artagnan, and who educates them about the pleasures of the fields and the farm, with her timeless place upstate New York (All One, One All Farm).

“I try to make myself an ambassador for the Southwest, to enlighten my region by highlighting the products and the places that make it rich,” he said Southwest, if they have already been there!

But make no mistake, D’Artagnan is indeed Cédrik Fouriscot! “Everyone remembers that D’Artagnan comes from Auch, but in the novel by Alexandre Dumas, when we read The Three Musketeers, we learn that he is from Tarbes! , he explained. I like him to draw parallels with his path and mine. But my own company is the Quai d’Orsay.” A team in suits and ties rather than shorts and jumpers.