Ludovic Chaker

Ludovic Chaker (born 15 July 1979) is a French government official. A former diplomat and politician, he is chiefly known as a political advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron to the President of the Republic from 2017 to 2022.

He currently serves as Deputy Delegate General for Armaments, in charge of strategic anticipation at the French Ministry of Defence.

In 2025, he published a personal development book, Du Ninja au Yogi (From Ninja to Yogi), inspired by Asian martial traditions and Indian philosophies related to yoga .

Biography

Early life Chaker grew up in a humble family based in Saint-Jean-du-Bruel, a village in Aveyron set between the Causses and the Cévennes, in the rugged Dourbie valley.

Education After completing his final year of secondary school in Nice and a training period in a Shaolin temple, he graduated in 2002 from the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales with a degree in Mandarin Chinese and International Relations. He contributed to books focused on modern China, such as Shanghai - Histoire, promenades, anthologie et dictionnaire, directed by Nicolas Idier, in which he writes a chapter on martial arts.

He was admitted to the CELSA where he attended the intercultural management program, while studying political science at the Paris Nanterre University (2003–2004) and human resources and public affairs at Sciences Po.

To finance his studies, he worked successively as a receptionist, model, security guard, and video game tester.

Career Chaker's career has taken him to the crossroads of military intelligence, public and academic affairs, and politics.

Career in academia and public affairs Hired by the French consulate in Shanghai, he was in charge of developing cooperation between French and Chinese universities.

Upon returning to France, he became chief of staff to the mayor of Joué-lès-Tours, a city in which he was also elected.

He was then recruited by Richard Descoings as head of external relations for Asia, the Pacific region, Africa and the Middle-East of Sciences Po.

He then founded a consulting company, Ooda, named after the four phases (observe–orient–decide–act) of the military OODA loop. He campaign included meeting French people via couch surfing with them in Thailand. He received 1.99% of the votes.

First general secretary of En Marche! In 2015 he joined Emmanuel Macron's team and became the first general secretary of his party, En Marche! and its first official employee. He was often described as a senior staffer in the candidate's team and one of its closest advisors,

Advisor to the French President After the election of Macron to the presidency, Chaker was appointed to the Military Staff of the President. and compared him to the character of intelligence officer Malotru in the TV series The Bureau

Arms Officers' Corps An officer in the Arms Officers' Corps Operational Reserve since 2004, he has been promoted regularly, becoming:

Lieutenant in 2006 Captain in 2011

In 2020, along with several gendarmerie officers, he became an auditor at the Institut des hautes études de Défense nationale (IHEDN).

Distinctions

As part of his service in the reserve, he received several decorations, including:

National Defence Medal, bronze level Medal for Voluntary Military Service As well as non-public decorations awarded for external operations

Martial arts and yoga Ludovic Chaker was taught kung-fu by master Liang Chaoqun, a proponent of the Zi Ran Men or "natural style". He then joined the leadership of the French Wan Laisheng association and authored several publications devoted to the history of martial arts. Trained in India, he also taught traditional hatha yoga.

Publications and interventions In 2025, he published a personal development book, Du Ninja au Yogi (From Ninja to Yogi), inspired by both Asian martial traditions and Indian philosophies related to yoga, in which he explores themes of personal balance, discipline, and inner quest (fr) Ludovic Chaker, Jean-Baptiste Colas and Noémie Gélis, Strategic Anticipation and Innovation: Navigating Uncertainty to Build the Future of Defence, Combats Futurs, Journal of the Command for Future Combat, June 2025. (fr) Ludovic Chaker, Tsiporah Fried, DGA NG Prepares for the Future, National Defence Review, December 2024. (fr) Ludovic Chaker and Jean-Baptiste Colas, "Faced with the multiplication of threats, civilians and the military can together forge the defense of tomorrow", FigaroVox, Le Figaro, November 2024.