Born in Amiens, Macron studied philosophy at Paris Nanterre University, later completing a master’s degree in public affairs at Sciences Po and graduating from the École nationale d’administration in 2004. He worked as a senior civil servant at the Inspectorate General of Finances and later became an investment banker at Rothschild & Co.

Although Macron had been a member of the Socialist Party from 2006 to 2009, he ran in the election under the banner of a centrist political movement he founded in April 2016, En Marche.