After suffering Napoleonic jibes during his time, Jean-Pierre Garnier , the former head of GlaxoSmithKline, the UK-based drugs group, is now expected to return to his French roots as chief executive of Pierre Fabre, a health and beauty company.

Mr Garnier, who retired in May after already extending his tenure to take GSK through a tough year, will be following in the footsteps of his father, a company doctor. His mandate is believed to be the restructuring of Fabre, a large employer in Castres in south-west France.