WIF, an international network
Mainly based in Paris, Women Initiative Foundation has offices in New York, San Francisco, Montreal and Singapore.
Mainly based in Paris, Women Initiative Foundation has offices in New York, San Francisco, Montreal and Singapore.
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Women Initiative Foundation is an endowment fund governed by law n ° 2008-776 of August 4, 2008.
© Women Initiative Foundation – 2021
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Women Initiative Foundation is an endowment fund governed by law n ° 2008-776 of August 4, 2008.
Martine Liautaud is an entrepreneur, an investor and a philanthropist.
Since 1990, Martine has been giving innovative, strategic advice to major French companies and their leaders and investing in entrepreneurial projects in the industrial sector.
She is the founder and chairperson of Liautaud & Cie, a consultancy specializing in financial engineering as well as strategic and financial advice for large French companies.
As an entrepreneur in the industrial sector, Martine acquired majority and large minority stakes in several companies including two success stories: Meccano, world leader in metal construction toys (disposed of in 1995) and the publisher Groupe La Martinière forwhich she sold her stake to the Wertheimer family in 2000.
From 2003 to 2006, Martine Liautaud was President of the Stanford Business Club in France (the Stanford Business School Alumni Association). She has been the association’s Honorary President since 2016.
Since 2010, Martine has invested heavily in her philanthropic activities, promoting women in business in France, Europe, the USA, Canada and now Singapore.
With several Stanford graduates, she founded WBMI (Women Business Mentoring Initiative) in 2010, a volunteer program for women CEOs/Founders with more than 3 years’ experience. She succeeded in gaining support for the program from a number of sponsors including Engie and BNP Paribas. At the end of 2015, she set up the Women Initiative Foundation to promote women in the economy and in business in France. Martine went on to create the US Women Initiative Foundation in California with Bank of the West in July 2016. The Foundation has now representatives in Paris, New York, San Francisco,Montreal and Singapore and organizes at least 25 events every year.
The Foundation has 3 goals:
To build research programs in Europe in collaboration with French and international business schools and higher education institutes (ESSEC, Centrale-Supélec, Stanford and Concordia);
To initiate university programs such as the Women Entrepreneur Program developed with BNP Paribas at Stanford, for women entrepreneurs from Europe, the USA, Canada and Asia or with McGill for women leaders.
To offer voluntary programs (i) to support women entrepreneurs developing their businesses in France or across the Atlantic, between France and the USA or Canada, and vice versa and (ii) to support Women executives with a European intercompany mentoring program and a US intercompany mentoring program.
Martine has published four books, drawing on her experience as an entrepreneur and a mentor:
In 2014, with Marie-Claire Capobianco, executive committee member at BNP Paribas, she co-authored The Guide to Entrepreneurship for Women, published in French by Eyrolles.
In 2015, she wrote a book on her experience in mentoring, Culture Mentoring, published in French by Eyrolles.
In mid-2016, Martine published a book for the American market with Wiley & Sons: “Breaking Through: Stories and Best Practices from Companies to Help Women Succeed”. The book supports the Foundation’s work in the USA.
At the end of last year, in 2019,she published an international book on the story of the Women Initiative Foundation.
Martine Liautaud is a member of the entrepreneurship commission at the MEDEF, France’s largest employer federation. She is a member of the board of the strategic committee at Centrale-Supélec. At Groupe Savencia, she is a member of the board of directors and member of the audit and risks committee. At last she is a member of the board of the strategic guidance committee at Paris-Saclay University.
Martine has been decorated Knight of the Legion of Honor, she is married and has two children.
Jean-Louis DUQUESNOY started his career as a commercial banker. He held various positions within the Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) Group such as branch manager, auditor and finally head of the Inspection Générale.
In 1986, he joined Banexi, the investment bank of the Group. There, he was in charge of managing and developing a large portfolio of industrial holdings. He then turned to M&A, financial engineering and advisory services. Since 1989, he has been successively a Partner of Saint Honoré Finance et Conseil (Compagnie Financière Edmond de Rothschild) and General Manager of Compagnie Industrielle et Financière Concorde. In September 2000, he assisted Martine Liautaud in the foundation of Liautaud & Cie, of which he has been General Manager ever since.
In the same time, he was assistant in financial analysis at the University of Paris II and lectured in two business schools : ESLSCA (Paris) and ISEFI (Marseilles).
He is Treasurer of WBMI (Women Business Mentoring Initiative).
Jean-Louis DUQUESNOY graduated in Law from the University of Paris (Panthéon-Assas). He also holds a degree in Political Sciences (Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris) as well as an Executive MBA degree from the French business school HEC.
2020-on-going:
Compliance Officer – CU FBAT (France, BeLux, Algeria, Tunisia) & GCU Orange – Ericsson, France
2017-on-going:
Area Compliance Officer – Middle East Africa – LafargeHolcim, Zürich
2014 – on-going:
Regular Guest Lecturer at Queen Mary University of Londonfor Master degree law students (lectures on International Investment Arbitration and on Compliance)
2011 – 2017:
Counsel (named in 2015), Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, Paris, International Arbitration
2009 – 2011:
Associate, Bredin Prat, Paris, Corporate and Litigation/Arbitration
2006 – 2008:
Associate, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, New York, Litigation Department
Securities Class action, drafting of briefs and motions, Pro Bono work for the State of Mali
General Secretary and member of the Board: Women Initiative Foundation (WIF)(main donators: Engie and BNP Paribas) (www.women-initiative-foundation.com) – the mission of the Foundation (with offices in Paris, Singapore, Montreal, New York and San Francisco) is to promote the advancement of women in the workplace and in the economy (through mentoring programs, education programs, research…)
Summer of 2017:
Stanford Graduate School of Business – The Stanford Executive Program – Be a Leader who Matters (6-week postgraduate intensive business degree for senior level leaders and executives)
Summer of 2015:
Women Entrepreneur Executive Program at Stanford – set up by WIF and BNP Paribas (Leadership classes during one week)
April 1st, 2009:
Admitted to the Paris Bar
February 27th, 2006:
Admitted to the New York Bar
2004 – 2005:
LL.M., Cornell Law School
2003 – 2004
D.E.S.S. de droit du Commerce Extérieur – Mention Assez Bien Paris I – Panthéon Sorbonne – Postgraduate Diploma in International Trade Law with Honors
2002 – 2003:
Maîtrise de Droit International Droit des Affaires – Mention Assez Bien Paris I – Panthéon Sorbonne – Master in International Business Law with Honors
1999 – 2002:
Licence de droit International Paris I – Panthéon Sorbonne
Bachelor in International Law (3 years)
Haitian music, Travelling (treks in Thailand, Nepal, Tajikistan, Réunion…
Sibylle de Villeneuve is the founder of the Raoul agency, a PR agency which is working for the most innovative Start-ups and ETIs.
Created in 2013, the agency supports VCs (Balderton, OneRagtime, Hardware Club, GP Bullhound …), as B2B nuggets (Owkin, Euratechnologies, 55, Octo Technology, Everoad, Adyen, Muzeek ..) and B2C companies (Mister-auto, Bankin ‘, Cosmo connected, OnePark, Virtuo, StaffMe ..).
Sibylle is specialized since the beginning of her career in computer science and new technologies. In 2004, with the LeWeb conference, she felt the wind of Silicon Valley blow on the Hexagon. Her passion for entrepreneurship, innovation, disruption and start-ups has never left her. Before founding Raoul, Sibylle has directed during 6 years the PR & e-Influence department of CRM company group.
Sibylle is graduated from EFAP and has benefited from WIF’s entrepreneurial program at Stanford in 2017.
Claire Simier is the Founder and Managing Principal of Simier Partners, a strategic advisory firm partnering with organizations, C-suite executives and boards to develop global talent and achieve success.
Claire has served as a principal advisor and thought partner to senior leaders in the financial, legal, technology, healthcare, government, consumer goods, and real estate industries. She has designed, developed and implemented strategies for organizations facing international competition and assisted executives achieving dynamic change. Her areas of expertise are assisting clients facing cross-cultural challenges, and in building and managing effective boards.
Prior to founding Simier Partners, Claire was the Managing Director to the Global Chairman and Corporate Secretary of the Global Board of the law firm DLA Piper, where she was deeply involved in organizational growth, talent management, crisis management, business development, corporate governance, executive communications, and partner recruiting and performance. Prior to joining DLA Piper, Claire worked as a Marketing Leader at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. Claire also served as Deputy Director of Communications to the NYC Housing Commissioner and Press Attaché to the French Consul General and Ambassador in NY.
Claire is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, an invitation-only community for leading business coaches. Claire has served on the boards of directors of for-profit and nonprofit organizations. She is a former president council member of the American Chamber of Commerce in France. In addition to serving as Strategic Advisor for the Women Initiative Foundation (WIF), Claire serves as an executive mentor for WIF’s Transatlantic Mentoring Program. She regularly speaks on women’s executive leadership panels, including for the Stanford Women Entrepreneurs Program and American Chamber of Commerce, France.
Claire graduated from the External Coach Intensive Program at Columbia University. She graduated from the Ecole Française des Attachés de Presse, attended the University of Bordeaux, School of Law, and received her B.A. from Marymount College. She is a native French speaker.
Julie Drapier is the Group Manager of the Computational Data Science team at the US Air Liquide Innovation Campus. In that capacity, Julie is leading a team of ~15 data scientists in the US and Canada charged with developing novel data-driven research projects using machine learning, artificial intelligence and predictive modeling to improve business return.
Prior to that Julie was the founder of ImpFin a boutique advisory firm that partners with investors and blue-chip corporates to help them spur innovation while achieving superior financial, social, environmental and strategic returns. In that capacity, Julie was a Venture Advisor for Springboard Growth Capital (SGC) an investment partnership supporting women-led startups at the Series C stage and beyond. In particularly, Julie supported SGC in their investments in the RealReal (IPO in June 2019), ClassPass (Unicorn since January 2020), Hint Water and Aquis. She also led the origination efforts and investments for Air Liquide Venture Capital on the East Coast. She represented Air Liquide Venture on the Board of Proxem (AI-Big Data) until its acquisition by Dassault System in July 2020.
Julie is a Venture Partner at NextGen VP and a mentor for a number of start-ups either directly or via public (NETVA) and not-for-profit (UMD, Insead Launch Pad, WIF or GW I-Corps) organizations. Julie is also an angel investor in EverlyWell.
Prior to that, Julie managed Air Liquide Corporate Venture’s investments in the cleantech, healthcare, and digital sectors in Europe and North America from origination to closing, portfolio management and exit. In this capacity, Julie sourced or assessed more than 200 start-ups and led investments in more than 15 of them at stages ranging from seed to IPO.
For almost 20 years, Julie has been helping companies raise capital, innovate and structure complex projects globally, including public private partnerships, transportation projects and carbon reduction initiatives. Julie piloted the Air Liquide Group’s first carbon reduction projects (CDM and JI), she has also structured global infrastructure projects with Meridiam Infrastructure Fund and DexiaAstris Finance.
Julie is based out of Washington, DC and is a graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce of Paris (ESCP). Julie holds an MBA from Insead and is fluent in English, Spanish, and French.
Nolwenn Godard is a FinTech executive with extensive experience in building products and platforms in global, fast-paced, collaborative environments. She is passionate about harnessing technology for value creation and social impact.
She currently serves as the Director of Product for Risk, Analytics and Data at Galileo Financial Technologies, a Sofi company. During her previous roles at PayPal, she led 6 market entries in extremely complex regulatory environments, expanded payment methods internationally, grew their usage domestically, and transformed the Pricing and Foreign Exchange systems into scalable world-class platforms (generating over $17 billion in revenue in 2019).
She works directly with customers and partner financial institutions (from Plaid to Wells), builds and mentors great international teams, and defines the strategic vision for the products she owns.
Her early-career experience includes international gaming company Ubisoft and a Middle East microfinance nonprofit.
Nolwenn earned her MBA from ESSEC business School in France. She was named one of Silicon Valley’s Top 100 Women of Influence in 2018.
Anne-Marie Hubert, Québec Managing Partner, is known for promoting growth in people and organizations she is involved with.
Focused on opportunities and results, she leverages the knowledge, experience and talent of key individuals from client teams and the global Firm to drive change. She has a track record of helping clients successfully re-think business models to create more solid foundations for growth and long-term competitive advantage, while managing underperformance risk.
Anne-Marie is well known for her positive outlook and ability to bring people from diverse backgrounds together to achieve common goals. For over 30 years, her primary objective has been attracting, developing and helping the best people achieve their full potential.
As a member of the EY Global Advisory Council from 2007 to 2009 and member of EY Canada’s Executive Committee from 2009 to 2015, Anne-Marie has a reputation for disrupting the status quo to make it easier for our people to provide quality services and positively impact our economy and communities. She is Chair of the Public Policy Forum and serves on the Board of Directors of Montréal International, the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute (MILA), the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal, the Institute of Corporate Directors – Québec Chapter and the Society for the Celebration of Montreal’s 375th Anniversary.
From 2002 to 2006, she led Ernst & Young Canada’s gender equity initiatives and served as the Canadian representative on the Americas Gender Equity Task Force. In December 2006, she received the Rosemary Meschi award, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the advancement of women in the Americas. She was recognized in 2009, 2010 and 2011 as one of Canada’s Top Most Powerful Women and has joined the WXN Hall of Fame in 2012. In June 2012, she was selected as one of the three Champions of Women in Business leaders chosen by Catalyst Canada. She is also a member of the Order of Canada.
A graduate of McGill University (B.Com with distinction Finance/Entrepreneurship) and of the Advanced Management Program of the Wharton School of Business (Philadelphia), she has completed the ICD Directors Education program and is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
Named as Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada, Christiane is an accomplished senior executive with a track record in finance, transformational leadership and governance with leading organizations, Christiane is a savvy trilingual communicator, recognized for her strategic investment advisory expertise and her business and institutional relationships across Canada and internationally.
Prior to starting her consulting firm, she successively served as President of SNC-Lavalin Capital, where she built a highly-regarded international investment advisory business, and as Executive Vice President Strategic Partnerships and Business Development for Desjardins Group accountable for Canadian and international corporate development.
For the last two years, she has been advising Toronto-based Hydro One, Canada’s largest electricity transmission and distribution service provider and other clients.
All in all, Christiane advised or arranged over $10 B in innovative infrastructure and M&A transactions,
Christiane is deeply familiar with public policy, stakeholder management and the global competitive landscape. Through her C-suite roles, she brings firsthand experience in growing business and understands the risks and sustainabilitychallenges to drive innovation and grow profitable market share for small firms and multinationals alike.
In 2017, Christiane became the fourth woman to Chair the Board of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. She serves on the Supervisory Board of RATP Dev, the Paris-based mass transit operator moving 14M passengers daily in 15 countries. She is also a Director of Yamana Gold and chairs the Audit Committee of AGF Group.
She is co-president of the Montreal Chapter of the Women Initiative Foundation inspiring women entrepreneurs to grow internationally
Laurence Onfroy is a serial entrepreneur and globetrotter. She has lived, worked, and travelled the world for many years. Expert in brand creation, international development and strategy, she is determined and committed.
Laurence Onfroy started her career in 1998 as manager in marketing and communications for international luxury hotel brands, then LVMH. Having led the international marketing strategy for Robert Half International, and external relations and public affairs of the French subsidiary of Egg Banking Plc. (Prudential’ Online bank), Laurence co-founded two startups in eCommerce and Wellness, which she successfully sold.
Passionate about hospitality, she launched TemptingPlaces in 2010, the first collection of boutique hotels in the world. Choosing an international scope, staffing-up a multicultural team, and capitalizing on a savoir-faire “made in France”, allowed the company to enlist 140 hotels in 34 countries. (The company was sold in 2018 to a worldwide hospitality group). An entrepreneur with a mission, Laurence Onfroy represents France as member of the official delegation to the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Summit in Mexico (2012), Moscow (2013), and Sidney (2014). She is a regular participant to the French Travel delegations of the French minister of foreign affairs. An active member of entrepreneur networks, business angel, she also coaches start-up founders.
Mentee of WBMI in 2014, Laurence Onfroy participated to the Stanford Women Entrepreneur Program created by the WIF and BNP Paribas Wealth Management.
Since 2018, she actively contributes to the WIF foundation and develops new programs promoting women entrepreneurship and business and economic development more generally. She contributes the implementation of the foundation’s programs in Asia.
Laurence holds a Masters in Marketing Management& Communications (ICHEC – Brussel & EFAP communications – Paris), is married, and has a child.
For nearly 10 years, Elisabeth has been in charge of the role of women, with SUEZ and later with ENGIE, working with Valérie Bernis, Executive Vice President, ENGIE. Moreover, Elisabeth heads the Group Internal Motivation team in the Group Communications Division. She also serves as a member of the Board of the Women Initiative Foundation, member of the board of Capital Filles, a European NGO and Co-Chair of the Global Summit of Women France.
Within the framework of her mission on gender equality, Elisabeth developed and implemented an ambitious policy in that field, which genuinely positioned the Group as a benchmark player on the topic.
A knight in the French National Order of Merit, Elisabeth Richard has a master’s degree in journalism. She joined ENGIE in 1994, firstly as Deputy Head and then as Head of Communications with SUEZ Environnement.
Elisabeth is married and has two young children.
Nadine Jaudet started her career in an auditing and accounting office that she managed later.
In 2003, she entered the Finance department of Gaz de France’s headquarters to work on the implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards.
Then she joined GRTgaz as Deputy CFO. In 2011, Nadine Jaudet became CFO of the ENGIE France BtoC business unit and in 2014 she was appointed Deputy CEO of ENGIE Home Services, the French leader in maintenance and repairing of heating and air conditioning systems in the retail market in France.
Since 2017, Nadine Jaudet has become CEO of ENGIE Global Business Support business unit.
