In 1991, he was appointed as technical advisor for the electronics and IT industries in the cabinet of Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the Minister for Industry and Foreign Trade. In 1992, he joined Compagnie Générale des Eaux, first as deputy to the group’s Chief Financial Officer, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer of Compagnie Immobilière Phénix in 1994.

In 1997, Stéphane Richard became Chairman of Compagnie Générale d’Immobilier et de Services (CGIS), now Nexity, which groups together all of Vivendi’s predominantly real estate subsidiaries.

In January 2003, Stéphane Richard was appointed as Executive Vice President of Veolia Environnement and Chief Executive Officer of Veolia Transport.

From May 2007 to June 2009, Stéphane Richard was Chief of Staff for the French Minister for the Economy, Industry and Employment. Until 2007, he was a board member at France Télécom SA, UGC SA and Nexity SA. Stéphane Richard has been awarded the Legion of Honour and the National Order of Merit.