Québec's Delegate General in Paris

Henri-Paul Rousseau

Holding a PhD and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, Mr. Rousseau began his teaching career at UQAM and Université Laval. He subsequently held several senior management positions in financial institutions, including the National Bank of Canada, the Laurentian General Insurance Company and the Laurentian Bank, where he was President and Chief Executive Officer from 1994 to 2002. He then moved to the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, which he headed until May 2008, before becoming Vice Chairman of the Board at Power Corporation of Canada. He has been providing his academic expertise since 2018 and was also a visiting professor at the Paris School of Economics for four years. In addition to his current role at HEC Montréal, he is a senior fellow at C.D. Howe Institute and visiting fellow at CIRANO. His numerous accolades include his induction into the Order of Canada as a member in December 2018.

Chair, GEFI Global Steering Group

Dame Susan Rice

With a career that spans medical research, leadership roles in higher education and then banking, Dame Susan chairs the Global Steering Group of GEFI (Global Ethical Finance Initiative). She also chairs the boards of Scottish Water, Business Stream, North American Income Trust.

The first woman to head a UK or European clearing bank as Chief Executive of Lloyds TSB Scotland plc, she was also a director of the Bank of England, Senior Independent Director of both J Sainsbury’s plc and SSE plc and lay member of Court at Edinburgh University. She was founding chair of Scotland’s Fiscal Commission, the country’s official, independent economic and fiscal forecaster and recently became a non-executive director on the board of the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility.

Focused on the creation of long-term value in business and enterprise, she works with the UK’s Place-based Climate Action Network and previously led a business-focused collaboration on carbon reduction and a sustainable Scottish economy. A leading voice on ethics in finance, she chaired the Financial Services Culture Board and supported the Chartered Banker Institute by leading her industry to support the creation of professional standards for bankers. Susan also helped develop numerous social finance and impact investing entities in the US and the UK.

Alongside several honorary degrees and professional fellowships, Dame Susan is a Freeman of the City of London.

President, GEOS Group

General (Ret) Grégoire de Saint Quentin

Grégoire de Saint Quentin is 64 years old. Graduated of the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr in1983, he completed a full career at the military institution, which he left in September 2020 with the rank of Army General.

His military career has been marked by special forces and joint operations. During the early part of his career, he was involved in numerous operational engagements, most often in a joint command position. He then commanded the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment (special forces) from 2004 to 2006.

An auditor at the Institute for Higher National Defense Studies in 2009, he was appointed general in 2011 and successively commanded French forces in Senegal (2011-13), Operation Serval (January to August 2013), special operations (2013-2016) and finally all joint operations from 2016 to 2020 as chief of joint operations.

As retired general, he has put his operational experience to work in developing the future command capabilities of the Armed Forces, in particular as Senior Vice President of Preligens, now SAFRAN AI, which specializes in artificial intelligence solutions for intelligence and defense.

On September 1, 2024, he take over as president of the GEOS group (ADIT), a company offering risk management solutions to numerous clients (states, international organizations, companies, NGOs) operating internationally.

Chief Executive, Federated Hermes Limited

Saker Nusseibeh CBE

Saker is Chief Executive of Federated Hermes Limited and is also a member of the Federated Hermes, Inc. Executive team. He was appointed CEO in November 2011 having joined the firm in June 2009 as CIO. Prior to this, Saker was Global Head of Equities at Fortis Investments, having initially been appointed to the firm as CIO Global Equities in 2005. Before this, he was CIO of Global Equities and Head of Marketing for SGAM UK. He started his career at Mercury Asset Management in 1987.

In 2015, Saker was named CEO of the Year at the Global Investor Investment Excellence Awards and, in 2018, was named CEO of the Year at the Financial News Asset Management Europe Awards. More recently, Saker was named as European Personality of the Year for 2020 at the Funds Europe Awards. He has a BA and PhD in Medieval History from King’s College, University of London.

Saker was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s 2020 New Year’s Honours list for services to Responsible Business and Finance.

Global Head Heavy Industry Decarbonisation | Group Sustainability COE, HSBC Holdings Plc

Sophie Lu

Sophie has 15 years of experience in sector research and sustainability strategy for industrials and finance, previously at BHP and Bloomberg. At HSBC, she develops new propositions in sustainable finance for clients in metals and mining, building materials, chemicals, power and carbon markets, and critical materials supply chains. She is also an expert on trade policies, including CBAM and US supply chain restrictions, China’s energy, climate, and industry policies with over a decade of experience in the Asia Pacific.

Senior Advisor to the General Management of Amundi

Stanislas Pottier

Senior Advisor to the General Management, Amundi

Stanislas Pottier has been Senior Advisor to the General Management of Amundi since June 2020, after two years as Chief Responsible Investment Officer and Member of the Executive Committee of Amundi. He was previously Global Head of Sustainable Development at Crédit Agricole SA, between September 2011 and June 2018, and member of the Group Management Committee since 2017. Before that, Stanislas Pottier held several appointments in the public sector in France and abroad.

He was Special advisor to Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister and Ambassador of France to International Negotiations on the Arctic and the Antarctic, between 2009 and 2011.

Stanislas Pottier worked several years for Christine Lagarde:  first as her Deputy Chief of Staff (2005-2006) and Chief of Staff (2006-2007) while she was Trade Minister, and Special Advisor (2007-2009) when she became Minister for Economy, Finance, Industry and Employment.

Before taking on these appointments, Stanislas Pottier held several positions in the French Ministry of Finance, Trade and Treasury Department, in charge of public aid to developing countries from 2000 to 2002, and subsequently in charge of export credits from 2002 to 2005, Chairman of the National Export Credit and Guarantee Commission.

Between 1998 and 2000, he was an Economist at the World Bank in Washington DC. He directed several studies on intergovernmental fiscal transfers in Europe and on the economic transition of the new European Members States.

Earlier in his career, Stanislas Pottier worked for the French Ministry of Finance on the enlargement of the European Union, from 1994 to 1996, and participated in WTO and OECD negotiations on trade and financial services, from 1996 to 1998.

Stanislas Pottier graduated from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in 1994 and the ESCP Business School in 1989. He also attended a university exchange program with the Indian Institute of Management of Ahmadabad (IIMA), in India, in 1988. He is certified by the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF).

Stanislas Pottier is also active in several NGOs and think tanks. He has been member of the Board and of the Executive Committee of the French Sustainable Finance Institute (IFD) since it was created in 2022. He has been Chairman of FXB France since 2016 and FXB Global since 2025 (FXB – François Xavier Bagnoud is a 35 yo NGO dedicated to fighting deep poverty, restore dignity, access to fundamental rights and foster climate resilience in more than 10 countries worldwide). He has also been chairing BBCA – advocating for low carbon buildings and cities in France and Europe since inception in 2015.

Founder & CEO of the Institute for Quality

Dr Hayat Sindi

Hayat Sindi, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for STEM and she has been working to help develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Middle East that would. She was one of the first 30 women to be appointed to Saudi Arabia’s highest consultative body, the Shura Council, and was one of the 25 global experts selected to be a member of the UN Scientific Advisory Board. The former Senior Advisor to the President of the Islamic Development Bank for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Sindi was voted one of the BBC’s top 100 Women 2018, a list of inspiring and influential women from around the world. 

Dr. Sindi is also an Honorary fellow at Newnham College, University of Cambridge. 

Climate and Circularity Director, LVMH

Arnaud Lajoinie

Arnaud Lajoinie is Climate & Circularity Director at LVMH, where he coordinates the Group’s climate strategy and circularity programmes across its portfolio of Maisons. He also leads the development of sustainable finance initiatives, working at the intersection of environmental and financial performance to help accelerate LVMH’s environmental transition.

Prior to joining the Group’s environment team, Arnaud spent nearly 15 years in finance at LVMH, focusing on finance transformation and post-closing integration projects. He later founded Nona Source, a pioneering startup dedicated to giving a second life to fashion materials, advancing circularity within the luxury industry. This entrepreneurial venture marked a turning point in his career and strengthened his commitment to sustainable innovation.

A graduate of École Centrale Paris, he combines expertise in finance, business transformation, and sustainability. He is a regular speaker at industry forums, where he champions the vision of sustainable luxury, a circular industry, environmental innovation, and the ecological transition.

Head of Inward Investment, UK Government Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

Pauline Wood

Pauline Wood is Head of Inward Investment at the British Embassy in Paris, where she leads the UK Government’s efforts to attract French investment into the UK. Working with leading French corporations, investors and business leaders, she helps secure investment that supports UK growth, innovation and industrial priorities.

Since April 2024, Pauline has led BIST France’s inward investment strategy and engagement with some of France’s most significant investors in the UK. Previously, she headed the Embassy’s Defence and Advanced Manufacturing team. Before joining the Embassy in 2021, Pauline worked as a management consultant in Paris and, from 2015 to 2018, served with the Department for International Trade at the British Consulate-General in Los Angeles.

Head of ESG, LBO France

Stanislas de Kertanguy

Head of ESG, LBO France

Head of Policy and Engagement, Carbon Tracker Initiative

Richard Folland

Richard Folland has been Carbon Tracker’s policy and government affairs adviser since 2014 and in 2023 joined as the Head of Policy and Engagement. Richard has over 30 years’ experience as a diplomat and advocate, operating at the highest level, based in Europe and elsewhere. He has worked on the climate and energy agenda, as a policymaker and as a private sector advisor, for 15 years. A former head of international energy policy at the UK Foreign Office, Richard has also been JPMorgan’s European Advisor on Energy and Climate Change, the Executive Director of the Climate Markets and Investment Association (CMIA), and the Head of Energy and Environment at Inline Policy. He was Co-Founder of the strategic advisory firm, Sustineri, working with institutional investors on climate and sustainability issues.

Senior Advisor, GEFI

Amanda Young

Amanda was the Chief Sustainability Officer for the Investments business at abrdn, where she led the sustainable investment strategy for the firm and the Investment Sustainability Group.  She has over two decades of experience in responsible investment. Previously, Amanda held positions at Newton Investment Management, CCLA Investment Management and Rabobank International. Amanda graduated from Lancaster University with a BSc in Psychology and has completed the University of Edinburgh Business School’s Executive Women’s Leadership Programme. She is the Chair of the Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee of the Investment Association, a board director for Social Investment Scotland’s SIS Ventures fund and represented abrdn on the Scottish Taskforce for Green and Sustainable Financial Services. Previous appointments include Chair, workstream for the UK Government’s Taskforce on social impact investment, co-Chair of the Scottish Purposeful Business Commission, Board Director of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) and Chair of the FTSE Russell ESG Advisory Committee.  Amanda has appeared on the Financial News top 100 most influential women in European Finance for 6 years.  She was the inaugural winner of Women in Investment Awards Sustainable & ESG Investment Woman of the Year in 2021 and was on Financial News’ inaugural Fifty Most Influential in Sustainable Finance list in 2022.

Partner, Accuracy

Sophie Chassat

Sophie Chassat is a senior VP at Accuracy. Sophie has 15 years’ professional experience in strategic consulting and sits on several boards (LVMH Group, Le Coq Sportif), making her a seasoned expert in issues linked to purpose, impact and ESG challenges.

She has carried out numerous projects in this field, from the definition of corporate purpose to the strategic and operational translation of these visions. Her expertise enables her to master the technical issues linked to the most recent ESG regulations and to support the resulting evolution of strategies and business models.

Sophie speaks French and English.

Senior AI Advisor, Accuracy

Raphaël Doan

Raphaël Doan, a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) and the École Nationale d’Administration (ENA), and an agrégé in Classical Literature, is an essayist and a specialist in strategy and technology issues at Accuracy. He is the author of several books and is a regular contributor to public policy debates. In particular, he published in Le Grand Continent a paper entitled “Operation Prometheus: France Can Win the AI Race”, which sets out a sovereignty strategy for France in the age of artificial intelligence.

Director, Accuracy

Julie Malzac

Julie Malzac is a director at Accuracy and has over ten years of professional experience. Prior to joining the firm in 2013, she worked as an equity research analyst at Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking in London.

Julie has developed a strong expertise in driving sustainability-related engagements on behalf of large companies and investment funds. She supports companies’ top executives in taking critical strategic decisions based on financial and extra-financial criteria.

She gained specific knowledge on sustainable financing through a one-year experience as an Investment officer at Proparco (Groupe AFD) supporting low income and conflict-affected countries.

Julie also has extensive experience in providing transaction advisory services, such as financial due diligences, business plan assessment or ad-hoc vendor assistance.

Julie speaks French and English.

Director of International Communication, Accuracy

Julia Carré

With 20 years of international experience in the public and private sectors across Europe and the Middle East, Julia is a senior professional in marketing, communications and business development. Passionate about connecting ideas and people, Julia collaborates with future-focused leaders to propel their industries forward.

Appointed Director of International Communication at Accuracy, she leads international strategies, managing multi-cultural teams, and elevating corporate reputation across global markets. She is also a member of the company’s Global ESG Committee. With her background, she brings her vision and expertise to support Accuracy’s efforts to engage employees, clients, and partners in building a more sustainable and inclusive world.

Senior Associate, Accuracy

Noemie Lewertowski

Noemie is a Senior Associate at Accuracy.

Associate, Accuracy

Cyrielle El Fehik

Cyrielle is an Associate at Accuracy.