Jacques Mistral's career has ranged from academia to government to the private sector. He spent many years teaching economics at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques and at Ecole Polytechnique. He has served as Economic Adviser to two French Prime Ministers: Michel Rocard and Laurent Fabius.

In his eight years with the AXA group, a world leader in insurance and financial services, he wore many hats including those of: CEO of the International risks subsidiary, EVP for Asia, EVP for Human resources and finally EVP-Finance. Since returning to public service in 2001, Jacques Mistral has been the Counselor for Financial Affairs at the French Embassy in Washington DC.

At the Kennedy School, his research is focused on three aspects: international economic and financial relations; the political economy of Europe and the US; responsible management of global companies.

His latest book "The Third American Revolution" is about the Bush presidency.