Amir Reza-Tofighi Appointed Head of French SME Federation CPME
The co-founder of Heetch and Vitalliance assumes leadership as François Asselin steps down.
Amir Reza-Tofighi, aged 40 and known for his entrepreneurial contributions to the technology and service sectors, has been elected President of the Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises (CPME) in France.
The election took place on January 21st, marking the conclusion of François Asselin's tenure, who had served in the role since 2015, according to a statement from the organization.
Reza-Tofighi, who is also the CEO of Vitalliance, was elected with 65.4% of the votes from the CPME's federations and regional organizations during a general electoral assembly.
His appointment makes him the youngest leader to helm the interprofessional employer organization, which ranks as the largest in France by the number of member companies.
However, it represents 25.54% of French employees, compared to 69.21% represented by another major employer federation, Medef.
In addition to Vitalliance, which Reza-Tofighi co-founded at the age of 21 and which now employs approximately 8,500 people, he has been involved in the creation of several tech enterprises, including the ride-sharing platform Heetch.
Born to Iranian political refugees, Reza-Tofighi was raised in Grigny, Essonne.
He holds degrees from Centrale Supélec and HEC Paris and has been actively involved in promoting entrepreneurship, leading the French Federation of Personal and Proximity Services (Fédésap) from 2016 to 2022.
During his tenure with the CPME, Reza-Tofighi has held multiple mandates, including a position with Unédic.
He chaired the commission responsible for innovation, where he led a program integrating artificial intelligence into small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
He has also served on the CPME's national executive committee since 2019.
In a statement, Reza-Tofighi expressed his commitment to upholding the values of work, effort, merit, responsibility, and risk-taking, which he identifies as core to the organization's entrepreneurial spirit.
He acknowledged François Asselin's contributions to strengthening the influence and transforming the organization over his two terms.
The CPME awaits potential future developments under Reza-Tofighi's leadership, which might continue to impact the landscape for small and medium enterprises in France.
The election took place on January 21st, marking the conclusion of François Asselin's tenure, who had served in the role since 2015, according to a statement from the organization.
Reza-Tofighi, who is also the CEO of Vitalliance, was elected with 65.4% of the votes from the CPME's federations and regional organizations during a general electoral assembly.
His appointment makes him the youngest leader to helm the interprofessional employer organization, which ranks as the largest in France by the number of member companies.
However, it represents 25.54% of French employees, compared to 69.21% represented by another major employer federation, Medef.
In addition to Vitalliance, which Reza-Tofighi co-founded at the age of 21 and which now employs approximately 8,500 people, he has been involved in the creation of several tech enterprises, including the ride-sharing platform Heetch.
Born to Iranian political refugees, Reza-Tofighi was raised in Grigny, Essonne.
He holds degrees from Centrale Supélec and HEC Paris and has been actively involved in promoting entrepreneurship, leading the French Federation of Personal and Proximity Services (Fédésap) from 2016 to 2022.
During his tenure with the CPME, Reza-Tofighi has held multiple mandates, including a position with Unédic.
He chaired the commission responsible for innovation, where he led a program integrating artificial intelligence into small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
He has also served on the CPME's national executive committee since 2019.
In a statement, Reza-Tofighi expressed his commitment to upholding the values of work, effort, merit, responsibility, and risk-taking, which he identifies as core to the organization's entrepreneurial spirit.
He acknowledged François Asselin's contributions to strengthening the influence and transforming the organization over his two terms.
The CPME awaits potential future developments under Reza-Tofighi's leadership, which might continue to impact the landscape for small and medium enterprises in France.
