Bernard has had a distinguished career as a business executive. He became CEO at DATAR (Regional Planning Institution of the French Government) in 1981 and served as Chairman and CEO of organisations including GAN Insurance Group, Commercial Union France and Air France. He has held senior positions at Bankers Trust France, Deutsche Bank TPG Capital, Augus Debouzy and EQT. Bernard has been also member of large French firms, specially in the finance sector (BNP, Soc. Generale, CIC). He is Honorary Chairman of Air France Group.

Bernard is the author of two non-fiction books and a novel, “La mise en examen”. In 2015, he authored a report about the future of the École Polytechnique for the French government and became Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur on July 14, 1998.