A few weeks after the installation of the new municipal team in Saint-Étienne and the new executive of Saint-Étienne Métropole, the Board of Directors of the Public Institution
for Cultural Cooperation (EPCC) Cité du design–Ésad Saint-Étienne elected its new President on Tuesday 2 June 2026. Yannis Bekhti, Metropolitan Councillor and Deputy Mayor in charge of the city’s image, international relations, digital affairs and design in the city, has been entrusted with this mandate.
Daniel Damart, a Municipal Councillor and Vice-President of Saint-Étienne Métropole in charge of economic development, was elected Vice-President of the institution.
« Our region is facing major economic, environmental and social transformations. To address these challenges, the talent of our local designers is a key asset: they will help us develop concrete and sustainable solutions.»
An international affairs consultant, Yannis Bekhti is a graduate of the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (Castelnau class, 2014) and HEC Paris (2016). He also studied at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in New York. In 2019, he co-founded the audiovisual production company Malfamé.
The Public Institution
for Cultural Cooperation (EPCC) Cité du design–Esad Saint-Étienne is tasked with training the creators of tomorrow and engaging with all audiences to embed design at the heart of society. It brings together, on the one hand, the teaching and research activities of the École Supérieure d’Art et Design de Saint-Étienne (ranked 5th best French design school in 2026 by Le Figaro Étudiant journal), and on the other, a range of cultural programmes that make it a unique space for discovering, experimenting with and sharing design: exhibitions, publications, conferences, workshops for young audiences, and events — including the Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne.
In June 2026, the opening of the Galerie Nationale du Design, run jointly with the Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Saint-Étienne Métropole (MAMC+), marks a major milestone in the development of the cultural offer within the Cité du design quarter, through a venue dedicated to showcasing French public design collections.
Supported by the City of Saint-Étienne and Saint-Étienne Métropole, with the backing of the French State (Ministry of Culture) and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the EPCC Cité du design – Esad Saint-Étienne contributes to the national and international profile of the area, as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Design network.
