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Who says politics is for life?
While some politicians cling to power as long as they can, others decide that a life of public service is not all it’s cut out to be. Sometimes, they simply retire. Other times, they find another calling.
We looked at a few former politicians who traded their careers and found new (sometimes lucrative) passions.
Doctor Botox
Olivier Véran, a former French government spokesperson and ex-minister of health, recently announced his next career venture at the Clinique des Champs-Élysées in Paris. For Véran, who was a neurologist before turning to politics, going back to medicine is not all that surprising. What was shocking — and caused some uproar in the medical community — was his decision to join a high-end clinic specializing in cosmetic medicine and surgery. Véran was quick to defend his choice, saying he won’t perform cosmetic surgery procedures, focusing instead on aesthetic medicine. “I won’t touch penises or buttocks, and I’ll be very far from breast implants,” he promised. That didn’t stop Le Point from christening him “Doctor Botox.”
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Facebook flack
Former U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has found a niche — and the big bucks — in Silicon Valley. As president of global affairs at Meta, he handles the company’s relationships with governments, a thankless task in an era when Facebook has become synonymous with political disinformation. In 2021, the Guardian dubbed him the “fall guy” for the company’s troubles. At least he’s made enough money to buy multiple luxury homes.
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Honey, honey
A former French economy minister, socialist Arnaud Montebourg got creative with his post-politics endeavors. After resigning in 2014 and trying — without success — to win the Socialist nomination for the presidential election in 2017, Montebourg turned to … honey. In 2018, he founded “Bleu, Blanc, Ruche” (“Blue, White, Beehive”), a company that produces and sells 100 percent French-made honey while focusing on bee repopulation. And he’s seemingly pretty good at it: He won the environment prize at the 2021 “Made in France” exhibition.
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A jack of all trades
Sanna Marin was the world’s youngest prime minister when she ascended to the top of Finnish politics in 2019 at age 34. After losing an election in 2023 and quitting politics, business has been booming for Marin. She joined former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Institute for Global Change, a London-based policy think tank, and recently signed with a U.S. entertainment and talent agency to explore TV and film opportunities.
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Welcome to Hollywood
Former U.S. President Barack Obama has been raking in cash thanks to lucrative speaking engagement that command fees of up to €370,000 per speech. He signed a multimillion dollar book deal for his memoir “A Promised Land,” which became an international bestseller. Together with his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, he also launched a movie production company in 2018, which has produced content for Netflix, and a podcast in an exclusive partnership with Spotify. Those ventures have allowed the Obamas to live a very comfortable lifestyle — especially considering Obama already gets a €200,000 annual pension that is allotted to former presidents. However, Obama’s exorbitant speech fees have come under fire from both political allies and opponents. To quote Senator Bernie Sanders: “It just does not look good.”
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Russian oil guru
Once lauded for refusing to join the U.S. in the Iraq war and reducing unemployment in Germany, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has since earned millions promoting Russian energy interests. He’s had a close relationship with Vladimir Putin for years, and the Russian leader even invited Schröder on a sleigh ride through Russian forests on Orthodox Christmas in 2001. So, it wasn’t much of a surprise when Schröder joined the shareholder committee of the Russian-controlled Nord Stream company, reportedly earning about €250,000 a year. From 2017, he presided over the board of the Russian oil company Rosneft until he stepped down in May 2022 after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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A lobbyist, duh
Once a rising star in conservative Europe, Sebastian Kurz became Austria’s youngest chancellor at the age of 31 in 2017. His four years in power were marked by scandals and corruption allegations, and now he is working as a lobbyist for American tech billionaire Peter Thiel — a co-founder of Paypal and onetime supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump — reportedly earning €300,000 a year. Kurz also founded a startup with Shalev Hulio, the Israeli inventor of the controversial spyware Pegasus. In February, Kurz was found guilty of perjury, damaging his chances of a return to politics — something he might not be keen on anyway, considering the negative impact it might have on his more lucrative projects.
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Mr. Indecisive
For some people, one career is not enough — they have to try them all. That seems to be the case for former U.K. Chancellor George Osborne, who since leaving politics in 2017 has beefed up his resume by working a slew of positions in various industries. Over the past seven years, he has been editor of London’s Evening Standard, an adviser to BlackRock (a post that earns him £650,000 a year), chairman of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, chairman of the British Museum and partner at the investment bank Robey Warshaw. In 2023, he launched the podcast (because why not) Political Currency with Labour’s former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls.
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A higher calling
Here’s one from the other end of the salary scale. Former British minister Jonathan Aitken’s political career came to an abrupt end when he went to prison for perjury in 1999 after his libel case against the Guardian collapsed. But during those seven months behind bars, Aitken joined a prayer group started by an Irish burglar, became a Christian and found his calling: God. After leaving prison, Aitken obtained a degree in theology at the University of Oxford. And in 2018, he was ordained as a deacon and eventually became a prison chaplain.
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