Nominations ESSEC : LBO France, Carrefour, EDF, Vestiaire Collective, UGC, Heetch, Hyundai, Petit Bateau, BFM…

From finance, retail and energy, to tech, fashion and the media... Here is a selection of recent appointments in the ESSEC network.

Stéphanie Casciola (E00) has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of LBO France, an investment fund worth €6.6 billion for 57 assets (244 since its creation in 1985) and with 60 employees. She began her career in the real estate department of Morgan Stanley in London in 1999, before moving to the MSREF investment fund in Paris. Stéphanie Casciola then joined the corporate finance division of the investment bank, before joining KPMG in Marseille in 2002. She has also served on the ESSEC Alumni Board. 

Stéphane Peyrin (E90) has been appointed Deputy Director of Mergers and Acquisitions at EDF. After starting his career as an internal auditor at Bouygues, he moved up to financial management positions at Veolia Water in Berlin and then Dalkia. He has been working for EDF for almost 7 years. 

Laurent Vallée (E93) has been appointed Executive Director of the Carrefour Group's Northern Europe zone – a position that he has taken on in addition to his responsibilities as Secretary General. Having also graduated from ENA and Sciences Po, he began his career at the French Council of State, occupying a post as government commissioner and constitutional adviser to the secretary general of the government. Laurent Vallée then worked as a lawyer for the Clifford Chance law firm before being appointed as Director of Civil Affairs and Law Reform at the Ministry of Justice. He then moved on to successive posts as Secretary General of the Canal + broadcasting group and Secretary General of the French Constitutional Council.

Véronique Fontaine-Heim (M88) has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Vivescia, the French cooperative group specialising in the production and processing of cereals and ranked France's leading collector of cereals with 10,500 farming members and 7,000 employees. Present in 24 countries on three continents, Vivescia produced 3.5 million tonnes of value-added products and posted revenue exceeding €1 billion in 2020. She is also a graduate of AgroParisTech and has spent her entire career in the food sector: 25 years with Nestlé in France, alternating posts at headquarters and in various subsidiaries, followed by 10 years in functional and general management positions for the Sodiaal cooperative group, Sysco France and the Agromousquetaires group.

Frank Chmitelin (EXEC MBA 00) has been appointed Executive Vice-President for Strategy, Sustainable Development and Safety at Adisseo, the world's third-largest animal nutrition company, with nearly 2,350 employees and revenue of €1.69 billion in 2021. He has spent his entire career in this industry, first with Sanders and then Alltech, before joining Rhône-Poulenc – now Adisseo – where he has held various positions in marketing and international sales management. In addition, Franck Chmitelin was President of FEFANA from 2009 to 2012. He is also a graduate of the National Veterinary School in Lyon and of Agro Paris Tech.

Antoine Vandromme (BBA 03) has been appointed Deputy Managing Director of Hexaôm, a French builder and renovator of single-family homes with 46 brands and subsidiaries, boasting 14,000 customers per year, more than 2,200 employees and revenue of €997 million in 2021. He started out in public relations positions in the automotive sector, first with Fiat in France and then with Shanghai General Motors in China, where he held public relations positions, while also participating in the creation and development of Luc Alphand Aventures, a leading motor racing team. Antoine Vandromme then launched his own communications agency – Nyoma – specialising in sports. After six years, he switched to real estate and joined the Maisons France Confort Group, later renamed Hexaôm, where he quickly rose to senior management positions, including chairmanship of the subsidiary Maisons Évolution. 

Laurent Salanié (E95) has been appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gandi, one of the world's largest domain name vendors, with over 2.3 million names under active management in 2019, a presence on three continents and annual revenues of €50 million. He started out in communications and marketing at Michelin, before joining the consulting firm McKinsey. Laurent Salanié then returned to the automotive sector, this time at Avis, where he was promoted to the position of Director of Marketing, B2C Sales and Customer Service. In 2010, he moved to Barcelona to become Chairman and CEO of the tourism operator Weekendesk, where he remained for almost 10 years, before returning to France as Director of Strategy and International Development at the Aramis Group. 

François-Xavier Apostolo (E95) has been appointed Managing Director of Harris-Briochin, a Brittany-based group specialising in French-made natural cleaning and cosmetic products, with nearly 100 employees and revenue of €36 million. After starting his career at Unilever, where he rose through the ranks to occupy senior posts in European marketing and sales, François-Xavier Apostolo then became head of the French Home & Personal Care division before successive appointments as Vice-President for Home & Personal Care and Vice-President in charge of the retail and food-service sales department.

Julien Zakoian (E98) has been appointed CEO of Indy, a Lyon-based start-up that automates book-keeping operations and declarations for professionals and independent entrepreneurs, and which recently raised €35 million to recruit 100 employees and reach the 100,000 user milestone. His previous roles include spells as Director of Marketing and Communications for Veepee, Global Head of Marketing & Sales for Airbnb's Luxury Business Unit, and most recently, CMO and General Manager of the North America region at Meero. 

Nicolas Beckers (E00) has been appointed Managing Director at Rémy Cointreau for the Americas region. He started out in auditing and consulting at Arthur Andersen before joining the Carrefour Group, where he worked in Thailand and Russia before becoming International Director of Financial Analysis and planning. Nicolas Beckers then joined Rémy Cointreau, where he has held senior management positions in Hong Kong and Shanghai. 

Gihane Bouassria (E98) has been appointed Chief Transformation & Operating Officer for the Risk Department at BNP Paribas. She started her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining BNP Paribas, where she moved from management auditing to strategy and financial services before becoming Head of BNP Paribas Consulting. She is also a member of the Board of Directors at Cardif Assurance Vie and Cardif Assurance Risques Divers. 

Arnaud de Ligniville (E07) has been appointed Chief Financial Officer for the Les Mousquetaires Group. He started out in management auditing at Aéroports de Paris, followed by Thalys International and Bouygues Immobilier, before taking over as Head of the Cash Management department for the Axereal group. Arnaud de Ligniville has been with Les Mousquetaires for three years. 

Samuel Loiseau (E98) has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of UGC's French and Belgian cinema operations. In addition to his most recent post as Director of Customer, Marketing and Business Development for FNAC-Darty, this retail specialist has held multiple posts in the food sector (Kraft Foods), followed by mass retailing (Casino) and telecommunications (SFR), in addition to working for the French betting company PMU.

Bruno de Laigue (EXEC PROG 18) has been appointed Finance Director at Cofrex (Compagnie Française des Expositions) and for the French pavilion at the Osaka World Expo 2025. He previously served as Deputy Director of Accounting at the cosmetics company Sisley, followed by a spell as Chief Financial Officer of the Business Partners SAS group, which specialises in computer and robotic equipment rentals. Bruno de Laigue is a former President of the National Network of Financial Managers (DFCG), and trained as an auditor at the Institut des Hautes Etudes de Défense Nationale (Gustave Eiffel class). 

Barbara Sohier (M06) has been appointed Global E-Commerce Director of Petit Bateau, part of the Rocher Group. She began her career in marketing management posts for Pixmania, Franprix and DakotaBox, before launching the premium Evenby community – a meeting place and source of inspiration for leaders and executives – while also serving as Vice-President of the Internet Managers Club. She then became an external consultant for the innovation and economic development agency Paris&Co, and subsequently for Red Pimiento Consulting, before being appointed Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Director for the equestrian brand Padd. In 2019, she was appointed E-Commerce Director for the EME Zone at Sephora. 

Alexandre Prénaud (E14) has been appointed Vice-President for the Marketplace at the unicorn start-up Vestiaire Collective, which recently attained a total valuation of €1.45 billion, illustrating the meteoric rise of this former consultant who was based in the Paris and New York offices of the Boston Consulting Group before joining the start-up less than two years ago. 

Laure Rudelle Arnaud (E07) has been appointed Chief People & Impact Officer of SendinBlue, a French mass emailing platform that raised €140 million in 2020. Her mission is to structure talent management and develop the employer brand while promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the company. She has over 15 years of experience in human resources, public affairs and strategy consulting, including the design and implementation of a leadership development programme for high-potential employees and senior managers at Sodexo, and the establishment of a DEI programme for all Sodexo employees. More recently, she served as HR Director at LaCollection, a start-up specialising in NFTs and art. She also holds a Master of Philosophy degree from Université Paris Nanterre and a Master of Public Administration degree from Sciences Po.

Valérie Pivert-Diallo (EXEC M11) has been appointed Head of Human Resources at Volkswagen Group France. She started at SCA-Essity before taking up a post as Research and Social Relations officer at Bpifrance. She was then successively appointed Human Resources Director of Ikea, BASF, Danone Waters and Fives. 

Nicolas Pécourt (E92) has been appointed Director of Communications for the Korian Group, a management company specialising in nursing homes (EHPADs), follow-up and rehabilitation care clinics, assisted living facilities, home care and hospitalisation, with 57,000 employees, 1,000 facilities providing 90,000 beds in seven European countries, and revenue of €4.3 billion. Nicolas Pécourt started out at Renault before moving to Crédit Lyonnais and then to Crédit Agricole in 2004, where he led a combined communication, institutional relations and forward planning department. He was then successively appointed Head of Communications and CSR for Crédit Foncier (BPCE group), and Director of Group Communications for Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale. 

Clémentine Antunes (BBA 06) has been appointed Marketing and Communication Director at Hyundai Motor France. She began her career at General Motors France as an Area Manager for Saab before becoming the Opel Accessories Product Manager. She was subsequently appointed Head of Marketing for Goodyear Dunlop France. Clémentine Antunes then joined Hyundai Motor France, where she has spent seven years in brand development, first as Advertising and Media Purchasing Manager, and then as Head of Marketing and Communication Strategy. 

Renaud Berthe (BBA 09) has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer of Heetch, the French chauffeur-driven-passenger-vehicle application. He has spent most of his career in advertising, first with the Publicis Group, and then with the independent agencies Buzzman and La Chose, where he became Deputy Chief Executive Officer. Renaud Berthe was then appointed Director of Strategic Planning at TBWA Paris and promoted to Chief Executive Officer, before joining Dare. Win as Head of Strategic Planning and Development.

Anne Charlotte Neau-Juillard (E14) has been appointed Director of External Relations, Communications and CSR at Showroomprivé. She began her career as Chief of Staff for the French Consul General in Los Angeles before joining the French General Secretariat for European Affairs (SGAE). Anne-Charlotte Neau-Juillard then joined the Communications Department at LVMH Group, before being recruited for corporate communications and executive coaching assignments by the consulting firm Tilder. She then joined the consulting firm Taddeo as Consultancy Director. She is also a lecturer on the Master 2 Legal Communication, Sociology of Law and Justice programme at Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas.

Antoine Robin (E94) has been appointed Co-Director of Transat Jacques Vabre, the famous yacht race, which will celebrate its 30^th anniversary in 2023 with a record fleet of more than 80 yachts and 160 competitors. After starting out at LMG, now Havas Sports, he then became Marketing Director of the French Motor Sports Federation before launching Reality-Game, an online sports video game platform. Antoine Robin was then successively appointed Director of Communications for the French Golf Federation, President of FFGolf Production, and Director of Communications and Partnerships for the Vendée Globe yacht race. After a spell as a consultant for the organisation of various sporting events at 49ème Parallèle, he co-founded the communication and marketing agency C-Together, with Pierre Couzinou (E96).  

Christophe Jakubyszyn (E90) has been appointed Editorial Director at BFM Business. Apart from a stint at the European Commission, he has worked in the media sector throughout his career. After working for the editorial teams at La Tribune newspaper and the Europe 1 radio station, Christophe Jakubyszyn spent fifteen years at Le Monde newspaper where he rose to the position of Deputy Editor of the economic section and Vice-President of the Société des rédacteurs du Monde. He then became Editorial Director of RMC radio station, before joining the TF1 broadcasting group as Deputy Director in charge of the TF1-LCI political department. In 2017, Christophe Jakubyszyn and Nathalie Saint-Cricq hosted the televised debate during the second round of the French presidential election between Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. Since 2019, he has been in charge of the morning show at BFM Business. (And click here to read the ESSEC Alumni interview with Christophe Jakubyszyn.) 

Rémi Seners (E07) has been appointed Managing Director & Partner at BCG's Paris office. He started out in New York with the Danone Group before moving into consulting, first with Oliver Wyman where he rose to the position of Principal, and then joined BCG, where he has been working for nearly five years. 

Julia Néel Biz (E12), co-founder of Teale, a holistic mental health platform, and winner of the ESSEC Founders Day Competition 2021, has been elected to the board of France Digitale, the association of French tech stakeholders, which is committed to promoting "Tech for Good", inclusion and diversity – especially within the "Women in Tech" ecosystem – in addition to talent recruitment and mental health. She joins Audrey Soussan (E11), who is continuing her term in the investor college. 

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