| Biography |
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I entered the Ecole Normale Supérieure (a leading French higher education school) in 1964 as a physics student. I passed the highest competitive examination level (agregation) for teachers in France in this field in 1968. I graduated as Doctor in Physics (PhD) in March 1973 and published my thesis on Abnormal Hall effect in semiconductors. I joined Electricité de France (EDF) in November 1979 as Secretary General to the utility's Research and Development Executive Vice President. In 1982, I moved to the Fuel Procurement Department, where I was responsible first for fuel oil and then the uranium and enrichment purchases for EDF's plants. I was nominated Assistant Director of this department in 1986, becoming Director in 1987. I created the Development and Commercial Strategy Division on February 15, 1989, becoming Electicité de France's first woman Executive Vice President. I defined EDF's commercial policy and its portfolio of new activities; negotiated the sale of electricity to EDF's leading industrial customers; and also headed the team in charge of local development of EDF's industrial wasteland. I joined the Cogema Group (today Areva group) in 1992 becoming Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, of SGN Eurisys Group on March 23, 1992. SGN Eurisys Group, the world leader in nuclear fuel cycle engineering has since 1992 diversified significantly in other fields as Chemistry, Oil and Environment while increasing its Industrial Service activities. The Eurisys group was the foremost supplier of engineering and services to industry, with a total turnover of about 1 billion dollars and 9,000 employees including 3,000 engineers and professionals. It was operating in 50 countries, mainly in Europe, Japan and United States and had increased its international activities. In 1998, I joined Cap Gemini as General Manager of Utilities Global Market Unit (electricity, water, gas). I was in charge of developing Cap Gemini's group presence in the Utilities Market that was undergoing important changes linked to the deregulation, new technologies and Internet. Since May 2000 and the merger of Capgemini with Enst&Young, I was nominated Executive Vice President and Global Leader of the Sector Energy, Utilities and Chemicals (Oil, Gas, Utilities and Chemicals). This sector represents 13% of the Capgemini's total revenue in 2007, spans over North America, Europe and Asia Pacific and includes 10,000 consultants, compared to 4% in 1998. The Energy, Utilities and Chemicals Global sector's ambition is to serve both global and regional clients to their satisfaction, to increase the group's market presence and to ensure a sustainable development in this important sector. In 2004, I created the global marketing unit at Capgemini, that I developed and lead until 2008. I am also the former president of the European Nuclear Society. The European Nuclear Society is an association of 26 companies gathering more than 20,000 professionals working on nuclear energy. The goal of this association is to promote and contribute to the advancement of science in all forms of pacific utilisation of nuclear energy. I am the former president of NucNet. NucNet was the first international communication agency on nuclear topics. It is unique in that all the news were given and checked by nuclear professionals. Since it was launched in 1991, NucNet's main goal was to communicate on nuclear topics clearly and concisely, becoming though the first information source for nuclear top executives and public instances. While I was president of the European Nuclear Society, I created the WIN association (Women in Nuclear). This association had two main objectives. First to create a platform to enable women from within the nuclear industry to communicate to women in other sectors, highlighting the industry's contribution to the energy mix and the health and natural environments. Secondly, to motivate women to pursue a professional careers in the nuclear industry who whist still in the minority possess the skills and competencies to succeed in this invigorating environment. On Septembre 12th, 2002, I was elected member of the French Academy of Technologies (Read more). In 2004 I was nominated by the French Prime Minister as a CSTI member (a think tank on communication and information technologies). I am also a membre of Le Siècle. I am a non Executive Director of Nexans (a infrastructure company, traded on the Paris stock exchange), of La Poste (French postal office) and of TGS-Nopec (an oil service company providing seismic data, traded on the Oslo stock exchange). From December 2007 to April 2008, following a request of the French energy regulator (CRE), I have chaired a high-level working group on LNG (liquified natural gas) terminal's regulation. I am married and I have three children. |