Bernard Liautaud is chairman and chief strategy officer of Business Objects. As chief strategy officer, Liautaud focuses on advising CEO John Schwarz and the executive committee on business strategy.

Liautaud cofounded Business Objects in 1990 and was chief executive officer until September 2005. He took the company public on NASDAQ in September 1994, making it the first French software company listed in the United States. Since that time, Liautaud lead Business Objects through 12 successful years of growth and profitability, making the company one of the 25 largest software companies in the world and the clear leader in the business intelligence market. Liautaud's key accomplishments include:

• Time Magazine Europe's Digital Top 25 of 2002

• BusinessWeek Europe Stars of Europe of 2002

• One of the Top 10 CEOs in North America by Chief Executive Magazine in 2001

• Author of the popular business book, e-Business Intelligence: Turning Information Into Knowledge Into Profit. The book was translated into nine languages and sold more than 50,000 copies worldwide

Prior to Business Objects, Liautaud served as marketing manager for Oracle in France. Previously he was the deputy scientific attaché for the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. Liautaud has a master's degree in engineering from École Centrale (France) and a master's degree in engineering management from Stanford University. In 2007, Bernard was awarded the title of "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur" by the French government.

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