Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® president and CEO Gary Shapiro received the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honor) award, recognizing his service in spearheading the transition to a technology-forward society and organizing the world’s foremost technology event, CES®. In an eight-minute ceremony at the Palais d l’Élysée in Paris, France, he was conferred the rank of Chevalier, just the second American to receive this honor in 2021.
In remarks during the ceremony, President of France Emmanuel Macron highlighted Shapiro’s early recognition and support for the now-burgeoning French innovation ecosystem. Calling him a “tech pioneer who became a tech giant,” Macron lauded Shapiro’s vision, “deep understanding of what tech requires” for business, and commitment to “people, values and principles.”
Those values are lived out at CES, which has played a critical role in introducing innovative French technology on the global stage. Since French startups debuted at CES 2014, their number has grown from several dozen to over 240 at the last in-person CES in 2020, with French startups outnumbering American startups in 2019.
That same innovation will be on display at CES 2022. Through a partnership with La French Tech, French startups will return to Eureka Park for the ninth year and unveil innovative new technologies across multiple categories. Fourteen CES 2022 Innovation Award honorees from France were also announced earlier this week at CES Unveiled in Paris. Spanning technology from health-focused wearables and green-tech to eco-design and smart energy, these innovations embody President Macron’s ideal of “technology as a service of the many…[and] technology for the common good.”
Owned and produced by CTA, CES 2022 will convene the tech industry in-person and digitally, Wednesday, Jan. 5 to Saturday, Jan. 8, with Media Days taking place Monday, Jan. 3 to Tuesday, Jan. 4. Global audiences will have access to major brands and startups, as well as the world’s most-influential leaders and industry advocates.
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