The National Order of Merit is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The order was established to replace the number of ministerial orders previously awarded by numerous ministries, and to create an award for French citizens as well as foreign nationals for distinguished civil or military achievements, though of a lesser level than that required for the award of the Legion of Honour.
Albania Officier Beqir Ajazi (2002) Editor-in-chief of the "Atdheu" newspaper Knight Ferit Hoxha Valter Gjoni (2002)
Argentina Officier Commodore Herberto J. Vicentini. (1987) Argentina Air Force
Armenia Ara Babloyan, politician, pediatrician, President of the National Assembly of Armenia Narek Sargsyan, architect, Minister of Urban Development of Armenia, 1 February 2010 Vigen Sargsyan, politician, Defence minister of Armenia Mher Shahgeldyan politician
Australia Grand Officer Penelope Wensley, former Australian state governor
Commander General Angus Campbell, Chief of the Defence Force Vice Admiral Russ Crane, former Chief of Navy
Knight Tina Arena Singer-songwriter, recording artist, musical theatre actress, record producer. Commodore Timothy Brown Royal Australian Navy, Director General Submarines. Professor Katherine Daniell BEng(Civil)(Hons)/BA (Adel.), PhD (ANU/AgroParisTech, France), MIEAust, Australian National University. Chris Perrin Australian Naval Veteran. Investiture 25 April 2014 Serge Thomann, Councillor and Deputy Mayor of the City of Port Phillip (2008-2016), entrepreneur, photographer. Investiture 7 March 2019 at Raheen by French Ambassador Mr Christophe Penot.
Austria Felix Ermacora Austrian politician and human rights expert. Sabine Herlitschka CEO of Infineon Technologies Austria Andreas Maislinger, Founder of the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service (Gedenkdienst). Christian H. Schierer, Austrian Trade Commissioner and Commercial Counsellor at the Austrian Embassy
Bangladesh Knight AHM Mostafizur Rahman researcher in crop production, climate change and food security.
Belgium Bruno Bernard Belgian writer and export expert
Bosnia and Herzegovina Asim Behaderović criminologist and police officer (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Brazil Prof. Nelson Maculan Filho, D.H.R., Brazilian scientist
Canada Grand Officer
Roméo LeBlanc Former Governor General.
Officier Vice-Admiral Maurice Frank Ronald "Ron Lloyd" CMM CD Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (Officer level of this medal) Awarded on 4 November 2017
Chevalier/Knight Marlène Harnois Olympic medalist. David R. Low (awarded in 1988) former Chairman of the Interdepartmental Committee on Space, Vice President of Spar Aerospace and inaugural General Manager of Radarsat International. Former Assistant Secretary to Cabinet in the Privy Council Office and Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of State for Science and Technology. Douglas T. Wright (1993) Engineer and civil servant. President, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waterloo, 1981 to 1993. Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and of the Engineering Institute of Canada. Recipient of the Gold Medal of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers and a founding member of the Prime Minister's National Advisory Board on Science and Technology.
Czech Republic Jaroslav Šedivý Michaela Šojdrová (2009) Meda Mládková (2016) Commander Petr Pavel Karel Řehka
Denmark Grand Cross King Frederik X of Denmark Queen Mary of Denmark
Dominican Republic Chevalier/Knight Ana Rosa Amalia Berges Dreyfous (2009) Juris Doctor, university professor and judge of the Supreme Court of the Dominican Republic
Finland Grand Cross Mauno Koivisto (25 November 1980) Jenni Haukio Paavo Lipponen Richard Seppälä Paavo Väyrynen
France Knight
Arthur Mensch (2025) entrepreneur, CEO and co-founder of Mistral AI
Germany Commander
Generalleutnant Franz Pöschl (11 April 1979), Commanding General of the Bundeswehr III.Korps, recipient of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross during the Second World War.
Haiti Gary Victor (2001) award-winning writer, playwrightCUNY Lehman - Gary Victor
Hong Kong T. K. Ann, industrialist, legislator and sinologist
Iceland Chevalier/Knight Einar Hermannsson (2017) Ágúst Válfells (father, born in 1934) (1965)
India Chevalier/Knight Narinder Kumar Mehra (2003) Rajiv Singhal (2014) Ilika Mann (2014) Satyajit Mayor (2019) Bharat Salhotra (2015) Sivaji Ganesan Biren Ghose (2021) Ruchira Gupta (2017) Aditya Ghosh (2023) Aditya Surpal (2023)
Officier Villoo Morawala-Patell (2008)
Indonesia Grand Cross Siti Hartinah, First Lady of Indonesia Lieutenant General Sudharmono, Vice President of Indonesia General Achmad Tahir, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to France Prof Emil Salim, Minister of the Environment of Indonesia General Umar Wirahadikusumah, Vice President of Indonesia Adam Malik, Indonesia Minister of Foreign Affairs (1972)
Grand Officer General Poniman, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army General Rudini, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army (1987) Muhammad Noer, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to France Lieutenant General Dading Kalbuadi, Chief of the General Staff of the Indonesian Army
Commander Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Speaker of Regional Representative Council of Indonesia (1987) Lieutenant General Prabowo Subianto, Commander of Army Strategic Reserve Command of Indonesia (1997) General Tyasno Sudarto, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army (1997) Vice Admiral Amarulla Octavian, Rector of the Republic of Indonesia Defense University (2022) General Andika Perkasa, Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (2022) Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning of Indonesia (2022) Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force (2023) Lieutenant General Muhammad Ismail, Governor of Central Java R. Soeprapto, Governor of Jakarta (1987)
Officer Prof. Sujudi, Rector of the University of Indonesia (1989)
Iran Grand Cross Safi Asfia, engineer and statesman
Ireland Brigadier General Barney McMahon, Irish Air Corps officer, for his work in promoting Franco-Irish co-operation in military aviation. Chevalier Professor Kathleen O'Flaherty (1972), academic, writer and Professor of French at University College Cork
Italy
Commander Maestro Goffredo Petrassi, Italian Composer and Conductor. Awarded on 12 December 1980 (awarded with Commander grade of this medal)
Jamaica
Chevalier Paulette Ramsay, Author, Researcher and Professor at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.
Japan Empress Michiko of Japan Chevalier/Knight Mari Miura Mizuho Fukushima Tomoko M. Nakanishi Yojiro Terada
Kenya Commander Dr.Njoroge Mungai Kenya Foreign Affairs Minister and Businessman
Kosovo Officer Valon Murtezaj Professor in Paris and a Kosovan politician
Lebanon Officier General Ziad Haykal Adnan Kassar General Maroun Hitti General shamel roukoz
Chevalier/Knight Professor Sanaa Sabbah Nada Sardouk Nora Joumblatt
Malaysia Chevalier / Knight Alvin Michael Hew (2004) - L'Oreal Managing Director Malaysia & Taiwan - awarded by President Jacques Chirac SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin - NAZA bizman. Jamaliyah Ambia (1996) - She served as the Head of French bank, La Societe Generale for 15 years in Malaysia (1983-1998), was President of l'Alliance Française de Kuala Lumpur (AFKL) for 10 years (1996-2006), member, treasurer and Deputy President of AFKL since 1978, former president of non profit NGO Soroptimist Malaysia, together with Tunku Dato’ Seri Utama Naquiyuddin they both were founding members of MAFRETA (Malaysia-France Economic & Trade Association) and was Director of Marketing at Airbus Group Malaysia for 14 years (2003-2017). Currently works as a consultant for various French defence companies in Malaysia and Singapore. She was awarded the Chevalier medal by Jacques Chirac in 1996 for promoting trade, investment and culture between France and Malaysia.
Commander Ambassador Mohamed bin Haron Airasia CEO Tony Fernandes
Officier Datin Chan-Low Kam Yoke (2005), Group CEO, HELP University appointed by President Jacques Chirac for her contribution to the development of educational and cultural collaboration between France and Malaysia Md Zabid Abdul Rashid, Vice Chancellor and President Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (Malaysia)
Mexico Grand Officier Lic. Víctor Manuel Villaseñor (1970), Mexican politician and industrialist. He manufactured Renault automobiles in Mexico from 1960 to 1970.'Villaseñor, Víctor M. 1976, Memorias de un Hombre de Izquierda, vol. 2', Editorial Grijalbo, México, DFCorrespondencia de la Embajada de Francia en México, Segunda Consejera - Asuntos Políticos, dated Oct, 29 2012 Officier Mr. Ángel Barraza y del Toro (1975) Commercial attaché to the Mexican embassy in France from 1974 to 1975.Registry seal Nº 40 E 76 December 20, 1975
New Zealand Officier Professor Keith Val Sinclair, New Zealand born academic and Professor of French at the James Cook University of North Queensland.
Chevalier Mr Reece Discombe (1966), New Zealand engineer and diver for re-locating Comte de la Perouse's two lost vessels in 1962. He was awarded by President Charles de Gaulle in 1966.Letter Ambassade de France en Nouvelle-Zelande, Service de Presse et d'Information, dated 5 April 2000PACIFIC OCEAN SHIPWRECKS, http://oceans1.customer.netspace.net.au/pacific-wrecks.html Mr Dermot Neill (1979). Mr Robert Kingscote (1982). Mr Lloyd Upton (1997). Ms Beverley Randell Price (2005), in recognition of her role in the development of relations and friendship between New Zealand and France by offering Randell Cottage as a writer's residence.http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/randellb.html Professor Emerita Jocelyn Harris (2006), French Honorary Consul to Dunedin. Ms Martine Marshall-Durieux (2008), High School French teacher and President of the Alliances Francaises of Christchurch. Ms Frances James (2010), French teacher and journalist in recognition of work to present a positive image of France and awaken people's interest and love for that country. Ms Judith Trotter CMNZ (2010), New Zealand's Ambassador to France from 1987 to 1992, and chair of the France-New Zealand Friendship Fund from 2002 to 2008. Ms Marie Brown (2010), teacher of French and French literature from 1977 and especially president of the Alliances Francaises of Wellington from 2002 to 2004. Mrs Stephanie Richards (2011), for contributions to the strengthening of ties between France and New Zealand, especially during her time as the head of Thales NZ.
Netherlands King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands Caroline van Eck
Niger Mariama Hima, ambassador of Niger in France between 1996 and 2003
North Macedonia Commander Radmila Šekerinska
Norway Queen Sonja of Norway. Jon Fosse
Pakistan Riaz Piracha, foreign secretary Major General Rehmat Khan Commodore Suhail Hameed SI(M) Lt. Col. Omar Jalal Qureshi (Deflog Pvt Ltd.) Shabir Ahmed, CEO of DL Nash (Pvt) Ltd Marvi Memon, politician Dr. Asad Asghar Ali, Regional Director GEC Alstom, Pakistan.
Palestine Knight Dr. Amal Daraghmeh Masri, businesswoman, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Middle East Business magazine and news, founding member of 'Palestine Accueil', President of Palestine-France Business Council. Awarded Feb 2017.
Paraguay Officer
Concepción Leyes de Chaves
Portugal Chevalier Rogerio Walter Carreira, Directeur ALSTOM au Mozambique António Rendas, medical researcher and academic
Romania Chevalier Ionela Băluță Radu Mircea Berceanu Commander Nicolae Ciucă
Samoa Officier Vaimasenu'u Zita Sefo-Martel Honorary Consul of France, Business and Sports Woman Norman Paul Former Honorary Consul of France and Businessman
Saudi Arabia Grand Officier Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Senegal Léopold Sédar Senghor Poet, politician, and cultural theorist.
Serbia