Frédéric Bouzigues is a French business executive and mining-sector leader who has built a substantial part of his professional career in Guinea. He is best known as the General Manager of Société Minière de Boké (SMB), one of Guinea’s major bauxite mining and exporting companies, a position he has held since April 2015.
Born in Tarbes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées region of France, Bouzigues completed his school and university education in Nice, where he obtained a Master’s degree in Modern History. Although his academic background is in the humanities rather than mining or engineering, his subsequent career developed expertise in commercial management, telecommunications, logistics, project management and mining operations.
Bouzigues began his professional career in 1997 with Ricoh, an international company specializing in office equipment and reprography. He initially worked in France and subsequently served as a commercial representative in Marseille. His career took a decisive international turn in 2000, when he moved to Guinea to become Commercial Director of Xerox Guinea. The following year, he joined a mobile telecommunications operator, gaining further experience in the Guinean business environment.
His next major career step came with United Mining Supply (UMS), a company specializing in transport and logistics. Bouzigues moved into senior management and, according to SMB, became Deputy General Manager of UMS in 2010. He spent approximately ten years with the company, developing experience in logistics, services and rigorous project management—skills that subsequently became highly relevant to large-scale mining and mineral transportation.
On 7 April 2015, Bouzigues assumed leadership of SMB as General Manager. His tenure coincided with the rapid development of the SMB-Winning Consortium and the expansion of Guinea's bauxite production and export infrastructure. SMB credits him with participating in the implementation of a major integrated bauxite mining and logistics project, linking extraction with the infrastructure required to transport and export the mineral.
His professional role extends beyond mine management. Bouzigues has been involved in discussions concerning Guinea's mining development, logistics, industrial infrastructure, local development and human-capital development. He has also been associated with the SMB-Winning Foundation and initiatives supporting communities and young Guineans. For example, SMB identifies him as the initiator of its Foot for Change programme, launched in 2019 to support young Guinean girls through sport and education.
Under his leadership, SMB has grown into a major participant in Guinea's bauxite industry. The company's current profile describes SMB as a leading bauxite producer and exporter and highlights its investments in mining, transport and logistics infrastructure, as well as initiatives intended to generate broader economic and social benefits in the regions where it operates.
Bouzigues' career therefore represents a progression from commercial management and telecommunications to logistics and ultimately large-scale mining leadership. His experience combines international business exposure with more than two decades of professional involvement in Guinea, making him a prominent figure in the country's contemporary bauxite industry and mining-development landscape.