NEWSMAKER-Rural banker Chifflet to move into top Agricole job

* Moves from running business in Lyon to become CEO

* Chifflet voiced dissatisfaction at Calyon losses

* Married with two children, likes rugby and runs a vineyard

By Sudip Kar-Gupta

PARIS, Nov 10 (Reuters) - New Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) chief executive Jean-Paul Chifflet has long wielded power behind the scenes at the bank without being a high-profile figure in the French capital's financial circles.

The appointment of Chifflet, who since 2000 has run an important outpost of Agricole in Lyon, marks the culmination of a life-long career spent at the company, which is known in France as the "Green Bank" due to its historic ties with the country's important farming community. [ID:nL9477373]

Away from work, Chifflet runs his own vineyard and is an ardent fan of rugby, a game favoured by many heads of France's CAC-40 blue-chip companies.

Chifflet has spent his career up till now away from the financial headquarters in Paris and in the company's regional outlets, yet it is in these provincial posts that Agricole executives build up power bases and influence.

Agricole -- whose roots lie in the 19th century foundation of rural banks to give credit to farmers -- is structured in such a way that its provincial banks control the majority of the company's capital.

Chifflet was one of several top Agricole regional directors to voice dissatisfaction behind the scenes at losses made by Agricole's Calyon investment bank in 2008, a situation which led to the eventual ousting of then Calyon head Marc Litzler.

Bank of America-Merrill Lynch added in a research note this week that Chifflet was known as a tough cost-cutter.

"He has the reputation of being aggressive on costs and focused on profitability," it said in the note.

Chifflet, born in the Ardeches region of southeast France, began his career after studying finance in Paris with a job at Agricole's Caisse du Sud-Est.

Chifflet already has some exposure to the cut-and-thrust of financial markets through his role as a director at Calyon, and he used an internal Agricole congress last year to attack the sort of excessive risk-taking that led to the financial crisis.

"No, the irrational race for immediate profits is not part of our values!" he said. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)