Mathilde Grammont, serving the general interest

Mathilde Grammont (ENS Paris-Saclay, class of 2000, social sciences) is currently serving as an extraordinary counselor at the Court of Auditors, following a career in French diplomacy that has taken her from Paris to Ankara, by way of Berlin, Rome, and Brussels. Over 18 years, Mathilde has developed a keen sense of the general interest which she has deployed in service of the European cause, her country, and her fellow citizens.

From the moment she arrived at ENS Paris-Saclay, Mathilde Grammont shaped her trajectory in harmony with her attachment to European history. "It's linked to my family history," she specifies. Particularly influenced by the referendum on the Maastricht Treaty, Mathilde pursued her history degree with an Erasmus exchange in Berlin, followed by a Master's in Comparative Political Areas at Sciences Po, alongside her social sciences degree at ENS Paris-Saclay. She passed the highly competitive diplomatic service exam on her first attempt and became a Foreign Affairs Advisor. Mathilde embarked on a faultless diplomatic career. Responsible for EU enlargement, she notably participated in the tumultuous negotiations for Turkey's accession, drafting instructions for France's permanent representation to the EU in Brussels, where she was ultimately posted in 2009 for three years. Later, the young diplomat focused mainly on Croatia's accession. "I followed its integration journey all the way to the conclusion of the treaty," she says with satisfaction.

From Paris to Ankara, from politics to communication

In 2012, a change of scenery and profession led Mathilde Grammont to Rome, where she directed the press and communication service at the French embassy. At the time, the rule of functional mobility was still in force to advance in the civil service career. She spoke Italian, her third language, experienced bilateral relations and public communication, launching the embassy's Twitter account. "It was exciting for me, who had only done political work until then." Back in Paris, she became Deputy Director of Mediterranean Europe at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. For four years, she and her team conducted intensive political work with all countries in the geographic area. Among them, Turkey, where she went in 2020 as the number 2 at the French embassy. "I notably coordinated the crisis unit set up after the deadly earthquakes of February 2023."

Having desired a "real mobility" for several years, Mathilde realized her project in September 2023. She became a "counselor" at the Court of Auditors, the second hierarchical level among the three existing, and "in extraordinary service," because she is on secondment from the diplomatic service. She thus joins the ranks of civil servants from other ministries who contribute their various expertise to the Court to oversee administrations and evaluate public policies.

ENS-Paris-Saclay: a foundational education

Upon her arrival at the Court of Auditors, Mathilde Grammont once again drew on the knowledge imparted by ENS Paris-Saclay, "a solid knowledge base" for all alumni. "It's no coincidence that we end up in high public service positions. Thanks to interdisciplinary studies, we have acquired the ability to analyze and distance ourselves from events, an essential quality for making sense of what is happening at the moment, which we continue to cultivate."

Commitment to women's causes

Mathilde Grammont sees herself nowhere else but in public service, "always strongly motivated to serve the general interest." She also serves that of women, being vice-president of the association "Women and Diplomacy," of which she is one of the founders. "We ensure gender equality and also the proper balance between private and professional life. It's a question that concerns men," she notes. "Without the support of my partner, we could not have started a family while working! What I'm saying may be banal, but sharing is fundamental." Equality policies also play a role; organizations must adapt as well. "The ministry's progress is real," notes Mathilde, who recalls that the Women and Diplomacy association once had a charter adopted that prohibited meetings after 5 p.m. Today, it is reviving mentoring, to "network, share good experiences among women." For Mathilde, professional commitment and personal life must be satisfactorily reconciled. "The goal is to achieve results. From this perspective, being a mother should not be an obstacle to pursuing one's passion; being able to reconcile personal and family life with professional life is actually beneficial to the employee, their administration, and society," she concludes.