ESSEC Appointments: SNCF, Club Med, Pernod Ricard, Choiseul Africa and More

Major group leaders, a Knight of the National Order of Arts & Letters, and 4 Choiseul Africa winners! We take a look at some of the recent appointments in the ESSEC network.

4 alumni feature in the 2023 Choiseul Africa ranking, which rewards 200 leaders under 40 set to play a key role in the development of the African continent. Congratulations to Elhadji Mamadou Seck (EXEC M19), Managing Director Mali for the Vicat Group, a French cement manufacturer operating in 11 countries with more than 7,000 employees; Kenza Lahlou (M12), co-founder of Outlierz Ventures, a risk capital investment fund based in Morocco and geared towards African start-ups at the Seed and Pre-Series A stage; Seynabou Dieng (EXEC M18), who became a food and agricultural advisor to the United Nations following the creation of Maya, a sauce brand and social company which supports female farmers and women’s employment in Mali; and lastly,  Mohamed Touré (M12) Managing Director West Africa of Sqorus, an Ivory Coast consultancy specialised in digital services.

Alain Ribat (E87) has been appointed Managing Director of the Paris regional rail network at SNCF Voyageurs. He began his career with supervisory roles in management, finance and performance development with Valeo and Carrefour. He has been with the SNCF group for around 10 years, notably in the role of Financial Director of International Operations with Geodis, and Financial & Legal Director of rail and multimodal goods transport, now known as Rail Logistics Europe. A member of the SNCF Freight executive committee, he also sat on the administration board of several sector subsidiaries in France and Europe. He was then made CEO of the Captrain France, the 3rd largest national rail freight operator and employer of 1,000 people. 

Agop Ashjian (E10) has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Shipup, the leader in online post-purchase customer experience. He began his career in the financial modelling and strategic planning sector, managing large-scale transformation projects for the Orange group in particular. He then joined the financial department of Global Blue, the leader in tourist duty-free, where he held several managerial positions and rose to the management of the group’s holdings in the RetailTech world.

Stéphanie Rozan-Thiard (E97) has been appointed Client Managing Director at Alain Afflelou. She began her career in marketing, CRM and retail with Sephora, before becoming Marketing & Retail Director of Fnac Éveil & Jeux, followed by Marketing & Media Director, then Communication, CRM and Media Director of Clarins France. She then moved to L’Oréal Luxe France, where she rose to the position of Engagement Marketing Director. 

Hélène de Tissot (E92) has been appointed Executive Vice-President for Finance & IT at Pernod Ricard. She began her career as a tax lawyer with Arthur Andersen. She then moved to Pernod Ricard, where she has spent 20 years in various financial management roles for the Asian division and the Group. 

Marine Jannot (E10) has been appointed Vice-President of Development for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Club Med. She began her career at Advention Business Partners and was subsequently hired by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, where she rose to the position of Senior Asset Manager.   

Anne-Hélène Andersen (E02) has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of Renault. She began her career with Arthur Andersen, then moved to the financial departments of Danone and Unibail-Rodamco. Her next position was M&A Director at EssilorLuxottica, followed by Financial and Executive Director at Nikon-Essilor.

Elisabeth Gaillarde (EXCE M17) has been appointed Chief Sustainable Officer of the real estate group GSE. Also an engineer in agronomy and doctor of socioeconomics, she began her career at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), where, as project manager for climate change and sustainable development, she developed the first carbon assessment tool. She then brought environmental transition to the table of major groups; Veolia firstly, where she rose to the position of Deputy Director for new sustainable services, followed by Colas (Bouygues Group) initially in the role of Strategic Marketing & Innovation Director, prior to guiding various key accounts in the development and roll-out of their CSR policy.  

Solenne Blanc (E95) has been made a Knight of the National Order of Arts and Letters, for her various contributions to the media and culture sector over 25 years. She began her career with Arthur Andersen, prior to developing TheatreOnline, the pioneer of online ticketing. She then decided to specialise in media and entertainment consulting, with Greenwich Consulting and EY successively. Her next role was Managing Director of both the Beaux Arts & Cie group, which tripled in size under her leadership, and the ArtNova fund, specialised in cultural and creative industry investments. She also sits on the administration board of the Public Establishment of Mont Saint Michel. 

Cécilia Gabizon (E92) features among the 2023 100 Women in Culture, a ranking published by the non-profit group of the same name in partnership with the sector’s key institutions. She began her career as a journalist with Libération, France Télévisions and France Culture, prior to becoming editor-in-chief of the digital version of Madame Figaro. She then co-founded the Media Maker incubator in partnership with the ESSEC Media and Digital Chair and took over the management of School Media Maker (ex-Street School). At the same time, she is Vice-President and Editorial Director of ETX Studio, a media group working with AFP, which notably launched La Tribune du Dimanche and acquired the Majelan podcast platform. 

Did you spot other ESSEC appointments in the news recently? Let us know! 
Do you want more quality content about the ESSEC community? Join us now!

Image : © AdobeStock