Pauget was born in Rumilly, Haute-Savoie in 1947.[2][3] He received an M.A. in Economics from the University of Lyon and a Ph.D. in 1975 from the University of Bordeaux.[1]
He has been Chairman of Union des Assurances Fédérales, TLJ SAS, Uni-Editions, CEDICAM, and SERVICAM.[1]
He started working for Crédit Agricole in 1973.[4] He worked both in the provinces and in Paris.[5] In 2005 he became the CEO of Crédit Agricole and LCL S.A.[1] He also became the Chairman of Calyon in 2007.[4]
In 2008 he became the Chairman of the French Banking Federation.[1] He also represents permanently Crédit Lyonnais for the Fondation de France and Crédit Agricole SA on the Supervisory Board of Fonds de Garantie des Depôts.[1] He has been decorated Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.[4]
In January 2009, he was publicly reluctant to relinquish his bonuses.[2] In December 2009, he published a book about the financial crisis, Faut-il brûler les banquiers?. He blames the crunch on the Clinton administration, banking regulators and overseers, central banks, and financial markets.[6] He will step down as CEO in February 2010.[7]
