Jacques Combault
(Photo Courtesy of ASBI)

Jacques Combault Awarded France's Highest Decoration

Jacques Combault, technical director of Finley Engineering Group (FINLEY), was inducted into the National Order of the Legion of Honour, the highest decoration in France, in a recent ceremony. Napoleon Bonaparte established the National Order of the Legion of Honour in 1802 to recognize outstanding achievement.

He was presented for the honor by his friend and mentor, Jacques Mathivat. Mr. Mathivat was director of the French engineering and construction company Campenon Bernard when Combault joined the firm in 1967.

During his distinguished, award-winning career, Jacques played a major role in some of the most innovative bridge projects of the past several decades, including the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa, the Brotonne Bridge on the Seine River in France, the Rion-Antirion in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece, and the Sutong Bridge Project in China. A frequent collaborator with legendary bridge designer Jean Muller, Jacques is a two-time nominee as ENR magazine’s Man of the Year. He has a master’s degree in engineering from the Ecole Centrale de Lyon, spent many years as a professor at the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in the field of construction techniques, and has published more than 30 scientific and technical papers.

Past honorees include scientist Jacques Cousteau, sculptor Auguste Rodin and author Jules Verne. Foreign recipients include author J.K. Rowling, filmmaker Stephen Spielberg and activist Elie Wiesel.