After studying at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Bordeaux and then at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (where he obtained a degree in the Hausa language), Laurent BIGOT pursued a career in the senior civil service from 1997 to 2013 as a diplomat (Human Resources Directorate 1997–2000, French Embassy in Niger 2000–2001, exchange diplomat in the Netherlands then French Embassy in the Netherlands 2001–2003 and Deputy Director for West Africa 2008–2013) and sub-prefect (2003–2008: chief of staff to the Prefect of the Dordogne, then to the Prefect of Corsica, and subsequently to the Prefect of Martinique).

In 2013, Laurent BIGOT founded his own strategic consultancy firm specialising in Africa, Gaskiya (“truth” in Hausa). From 2015 to 2018, he wrote a column on the Le Monde website (http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/).

In addition, he served for two years as a director and senior advisor to the Senegalese group Teranga Security Operations (TSO) -  until September 2024, when he was appointed special advisor to the Director of the Diplomatic and Consular Academy of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with his main tasks being the creation of the diplomatic reserve and the organisation of the summer diplomatic academy, the sixth edition of which will take place from 6 to 10 July 2026.

Laurent BIGOT is a certified coach (Dôjô Paris), trained in Carl Rogers’ person-centred approach and Alfred Korzybski’s general semantics. He has been a coach at the Institut National du Service Public (formerly ENA) since 2022.