Early Life and Career
Thiam was born in Côte d'Ivoire. He is a descendant of two prominent African families. On his mother’s side, he is a direct descendant of Yamousso, after whom the capital of Côte d'Ivoire, Yamoussoukro, is named. Thiam’s mother, Marietou, was the niece of Felix Houphouët-Boigny, the founder and first President of Côte d'Ivoire.
His father, Amadou Thiam, a journalist, was born in Senegal and emigrated to Côte d'Ivoire in 1947. He supported Houphouet-Boigny in his fight for the independence of the country and served more than 10 years in the Ivorian cabinet after independence. He was a Grand Officier de la Legion d’honneur, France’s highest order of decoration. Tidjane’s uncle, Habib Thiam, was Prime Minister of Senegal for more than 10 years and also served as President of the National Assembly.
In 1982 Thiam was the first Ivorian to pass the entrance examination to the École Polytechnique in Paris. In 1984, he graduated from the École Polytechnique and in 1986 from the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris where he was top of his class.
In 1986 he was offered a scholarship to study for an MBA at INSEAD and join the 'McKinsey Fellows Programme' in Paris. He received an MBA from INSEAD in 1988 (Dean's list). In 1989 he took a one-year sabbatical from McKinsey to participate in the World Bank's Young Professionals Program in Washington, D.C. He returned to McKinsey in 1990, working first in New York City and then in Paris.
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