Cecile Tlili has a degree in engineering from Ecole des Mines de Paris, a top French school founded in 1783. She was admitted into the Corps des Mines, a body of high-ranking civil servants attached to the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry.
Its members are given high-level positions in industrial and economics fields within the French administration. 'My first position, starting in June 2006, should be director in one of the regional institutions in charge of industrial policies and economic development of small and medium enterprises,' Ms Tlili says.
The training, which was originally designed by Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century, now includes two years with private companies, followed by a one-year programme to prepare students for their future administrative responsibilities.
Ms Tlili undertook her second year of training with a successful French computer games firm, F4-Group, which gave her the task of identifying potential in the Asian market, including possible joint ventures with Hong Kong organisations.