Crédit Agricole has underlined its role as the dominant partner in its merger with Crédit Lyonnais with the appointment of Marc-Antoine Autheman as head of the executive committee, managing the banks' combined corporate and investment banking operations.

Autheman, chairman of Crédit Agricole Indosuez, is understood to have fought off stiff competition from Alain Papiasse, the head of corporate and investment banking at Crédit Lyonnais.