A graduate of Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris and École Nationale d’Administration, Alain Quinet held a variety of government positions in economics and finance beginning in 1988. In 2002 he was appointed economic adviser to the French Prime Minister, and in 2005 he joined the Prime Minister’s office as deputy chief of staff for economic affairs. In 2007, he was named inspector general for finance and became a member of the board of directors at Réseau Ferré de France (RFF). From 2008 to 2010, he served as chief financial officer at Caisse des Dépôts Group and chairman of CDC Infrastructure. In December 2010, Alain Quinet became RFF’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer. He has been a member of France’s Economic Council for Sustainable Development since 2008 and a member of the French National Economic Commission since 2010.

In June 2020, he became Chief Executive for Strategy and Corporate Affairs at SNCF Réseau. As of 1 July 2025, Mr Quinet is responsible for strategy implementation at SNCF Gares & Connexions, working closely with Raphaël Poli, Deputy CEO of SNCF Gares & Connexions and Chair of SNCF Retail & Connexions, and the members of the unit’s Executive Committee.