The Foundation

Valérie Bernis is an independent director on the boards of Atos, France Télévision, Lagardère, and L’Occitane. She has served on the Foundation’s supervisory board since 20 June 2012.

Ms. Bernis studied at ISG business school and the Université de sciences économiques de Limoges. She worked for the Office of the Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Privatisation (1986-1988) and was communications and press officer for the Prime Minister’s office (1993-1995). Later, she was a member of Suez’s Executive Committee in charge of communication, financial communication, and sustainable development. As such, she was tasked with studying the role of women in the workplace and submitting an action plan to the president of GDF Suez. From 2011 to 2016, she was a member of the Executive Committee and executive vice president for Engie (GDF Suez) in charge of communications and marketing; then vice president of the Engie Foundation until 2019.

Michel Bettan is executive vice president of Havas Paris. He has been a member of the Foundation’s supervisory board since 24 June 2020.

After receiving a degree in real estate law from Université Paris-XII, Mr. Bettan began his career working for Gilles Carrez, as general rapporteur for the French National Assembly’s finance commission. He served as Xavier Bertrand’s chief of staff, then in the state secretariat for health insurance, followed by a position at the ministry of Labour, Employment, and Solidarities before running Xavier Bertrand’s office when he was the president of the UMP political party.

Aldo Cardoso is chairman of the board at Bureau Veritas and Smeg (Monaco); as well as a member of the board of directors of several firms, including Wordline, Imerys, Ontex (Brussels), and DWS (Frankfurt). He has been a member of the Foundation’s supervisory board since 27 May 2004.

Mr. Cardoso has an MBA from ESCP business school and a master’s degree in law from Université Paris-I. He worked for Andersen Group occupying different operational roles before serving as CEO of Andersen Worldwide 2002-2003. He has since worked for several publicly traded companies in France and Europe.

Sophie Chassat is a philosopher. Founding partner of the consulting firm WEMEAN since 2019, Sophie Chassat accompanies executives on strategy and governance issues related to the meaning and new responsibilities of companies.

Sophie Chassat is a member of the Supervisory Board of the Fondation pour l’innovation politique since 22 June 2022.

She is a member of Boards of Directors (LVMH Group since 2018, Le Coq Sportif since 2017) and a Mission Committee (Groupe Rocher, since 2021). She is also a member of the MEDEF Corporate Governance Committee since 2022.

Previously, she was President of Intikka (2017-2019), a consulting structure dedicated to corporate philosophies and Director of the Verbal Identities Department of the Angie agency (2015-2017).

She graduated from the ENS-Ulm and holds an agrégation in philosophy. She taught for seven years (2003-2010), including four years at the University (Paris-X Nanterre). She is now a visiting professor at Sciences Po where she created in 2020 a course on the new roles of the company.

She has published several books, the latest of which is Élan Vital (Ed. Calmann-Lévy, 2021). Previous ones: Pourquoi penser comme tout le monde ? (Ed. Marabout, 2015); Normes et Jugement (Ed. Institut Messine, 2015); La Barbe ne fait pas le philosophe (Ed. Plon, 2014).

Geneviève Férone-Creuzet is president of Casabee, a consultancy specialised in urban ecology. She has been a member of the Foundation’s supervisory board since 14 June 2006.

Ms Férone-Creuzet has worked for several international organisations and was the founding president of Arese, the first French corporate social and environmental ratings agency. She was director of sustainable development for Eiffage and then Veolia Environnement. She has written or co-authored several books, including: 2030, le krach écologique (Grasset, 2008), Crépuscule fossile (Stock, 2015), Bienvenue en Transhumanie, and Sur l’homme de demain (with Jean-Didier Vincent, Grasset, 2011).

Pierre Giacometti cofounded No Com, an opinion analysis and communication strategy consulting firm in 2008. Today, he advises companies and their leaders on their transformation strategies. Mr. Giacometti has been a member of the Foundation’s supervisory board since 18 June 2008.

Pierre Giacometti started his career at BVA in 1985 after graduating from Sciences Po. In 1986, he became director of political studies, then was appointed executive director in 1990 in charge of the Opinion-Organizations-Media department.

In 1995, Pierre Giacometti joined Ipsos group as managing director and international director in charge of the development of opinion studies at Ipsos Opinion. He was general co-director of Ipsos France, 2000-January 2008.

Hugues Hourdin is an Honorary Councillor of State and a member of the Paris bar. He has been a partner at Boken law firm since April 2014 and a member of the Foundation’s Ethics Committee since 4 November 2020. He wrote La Révision constitutionnelle de 2008 : un premier bilan (October 2018), a study for Fondapol. He has been a member of the Supervisory Board of the Fondation pour l’innovation politique since 22 June 2022.

Mr. Hourdin holds a degree in history and geography (from the Sorbonne Paris-IV) and a diploma from Sciences-Po in Paris (1977). He attended the National School of Administration (ENA), graduating with the Human Rights cohort, 1979-1981. Mr. Hourdin was a counsel for the Paris Administrative Court and the Administrative Appeals Court, as well as an advisor for social affairs under Prime Minister Édouard Balladur and master of requests for the Council of State. He was a member of the French energy regulatory commission 2008-2010 and President of Autoroutes et Tunnel du Mont-Blanc 2010-2013. In 2007, he was general rapporteur for the French constitutional reform committee and in 2009 for the municipal reform committee. Hugues Hourdin was a director for the public establishment of the museum and estate of Versailles 2007-2015.

Olivier Labesse is associate and managing director of DGM Conseil; and became a member of the Foundation’s supervisory board on 21 March 2012.

Olivier Labesse graduated from Sciences Po Paris and ESCP Business School.

Anne Levade is professor of common law at Université Paris-I Panthéon-Sorbonne, where she is co-head of prép’ENA Paris-I ENS, a preparatory program for students applying to high-level public service schools and positions. She has chaired the AFDC (French Association of Constitutional Law) since 2014 and has been a member of the Foundation’s supervisory board since 27 June 2018.

Ms Levade has participated in several committees and task forces tasked with drafting strategies for the criminal status of the President of France (2002); the modernisation and overhaul of institutions of France’s fifth republic (2007); the French presidency of the Council of the European Union (2007-2008); and the Conseil d’analyse de la société (2008-2012).

Francis Mer has been a member of the Foundation’s supervisory board since its inception on 14 April 2004, and served as president from October 2004 to June 2005. He wrote A New Vision of Enterprise and Human Value (April 2015), published by the Fondation pour l’innovation politique.

He is an alumnus of Polytechnique and is a member of the Corps des Mines. Mr. Mer was minister of the Economy, Finances, and Industry 2002-2004. He started his career with Saint-Gobain group in 1970, and served as managing director of Saint-Gobain Industries (1974-1978) and deputy managing director of Saint-Gobain group in charge of industrial policy (1978). In 1995, he was appointed chairman of the board of Usinor-Sacilor steelworks. He was chairman of ANRT, the European Steel Association (Eurofer) (1990-1997), and the International Iron and Steel Institute (1997-1998). Francis Mer is honorary chairman of Safran group.

Julia Minkowski has been a member of the Paris Bar since 2006, when she joined Hervé TEMIME, before becoming a partner of the firm. She mainly advises on business criminal law, general criminal law, business litigation, but also on press law, film law and art market law. She has developed an in-depth knowledge of international cases, particularly in the Anglo-Saxon area.

Julia Minkowski has been a member of the Supervisory Board of the Fondation pour l’innovation politique since 22 June 2022.

Julia Minkowski holds a Master’s degree in business law and a postgraduate degree in general private law from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas. She is also a graduate of the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) and spent part of her studies on exchange with Columbia University in New York.

Jean-Claude Paye has been a member of the Foundation’s supervisory board since 12 October 2005 and honorary member since 24 June 2020. He also served as the Chairman from October 2005 to January 2009.

Mr. Paye studied at the National School of Administration (ENA), graduating with the Lazare-Carnot cohort (1959-1961). He was secretary of the embassy in Algiers, then held a position within the policy directorate of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was chief of staff for Raymond Barre, vice-president of the Commission of the European Communities (1967-1973), then served as Barre’s diplomatic advisor when Barre was Prime Minister (1976-1979). At the same time, Mr. Paye was general secretary of the Interministerial Committee for European Economic Cooperation. He was director of economic and financial affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (

1979-1984), before serving as Secretary-General of the OECD (1984-1996), then special state advisor (1996-2000) and practicing barrister.

Sébastien Proto has been deputy general manager at Société Générale, head of the Société Générale France and Crédit du Nord networks, and of the innovation, technology and IT departments since September 2020. He joined Société Générale as head of group strategy in September 2018. Mr. Proto has been a member of the Foundation’s supervisory board since

27 June 2018.

He started his career at the General Inspectorate of Finances in 2004 before becoming deputy chief of staff, then chief of staff to the minister of budget, public accounts, and civil service (2007-2009; 2011-2012). In 2010, he was chief of staff for the minister of labour, solidarity, and public service.

Mr. Proto was managing partner at Rothschild & Co. 2013-2018. He studied at the National School of Administration (ENA), graduating with the Léopold-Sédar-Senghor cohort (2003-2005) and is also an alumnus of Sciences-Po and ESSEC business school.

Alain Sussfeld is the Executive Director of UGC, a cinema operator in France and Belgium.

Guillaume Bazot is an economist, lecturer at the University of Paris 8 and author of “L’épouvantail néolibéral, un mal français” (Éd. PUF).

Guillaume Bazot is a member of the Scientific and Evaluation Council since 22 June 2022.

Bruno Bensasson is chairman and chief executive officer of EDF Renewables and EDF Group senior vice-president of renewable energies. He has been a member of the Foundation’s Scientific and Evaluation Council since 8 October 2008.

Born in Paris in 1972, Bruno Bensasson studied engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole des Mines in Paris. He began his professional career in 1998 at the Autorité de sûreté nucléaire (the French Nuclear Safety Authority) as regional manager (Lower and Upper Normandy) then as the CEO’s chief of staff. Between 2004 and 2006, he held the position of technical advisor responsible for the environment, new energies and nuclear energy at the Ministry of Industry, and then technical advisor to the president of France responsible for industry, the environment, and transport.

He joined SUEZ in 2007 as Director of economic studies in the development and strategy department. In 2011, he joined GDF SUEZ’s executive committee as director of strategy and sustainable development; then became CEO of GDF SUEZ Energie France at the beginning of 2013 before taking the role of executive vice president in charge of the development and production of renewable energy at GDF SUEZ Energie Europe in July 2014. In 2016, he was appointed CEO of Engie Africa.

Since April 2018, Bruno Bensasson has been EDF Group senior executive vice president of renewable energies and chairman & CEO of EDF Renewables. He is a member of EDF’s executive committee and of the boards of directors of Luminus and EDF Trading.

Élisabeth de Castex joined the Scientific and Evaluation Council on 19 March 2014 and leads the “Anthropotechnie” working group.

Ms de Castex earned a Phd in political science from Sciences Po Paris and a degree in common law from Université Paris-II. She has held several communication positions within different ministerial cabinets, and works with private firms as a consultant.

Stéphane Courtois is honorary Director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research (Sophiapol-Paris-X) and has been a member of the Scientific and Evaluation Council since 23 January 2009. Professor Courtois has written several studies for Fondapol, such as: 1939, l’alliance soviéto-nazie: aux origines de la fracture européenne (September 2019) and Retour sur l’alliance soviéto-nazie, 70 ans après (July 2009). In 2009, he organised a symposium for Fondapol and Fondation Robert PUF Schuman. The summary of this symposium was published by PUF in 2011.

Professor Courtois is a historian, specialised in the French and international communist movements and totalitarianism. He teaches graduate students courses on communism at the Institut catholique d’études supérieures in La Roche-sur-Yon. Since 1982, he has been the director of Communisme (110 issues published 1982-2017). He also established the “Démocratie ou totalitarisme” collection (Rocher), which includes 20 works. After devoting 20 years to studying the French communist party (Titles include: Le PCF dans la guerre. De Gaulle, la Résistance, Staline (Ramsay, 1980), Histoire du Parti communiste français with Marc Lazar (2^nd ed. PUF, 2000), Eugen Fried. Le grand secret du PCF with Annie Kriegel (Seuil, 1997), Communisme en France. De la révolution documentaire au renouveau historiographique (as editor, Cujas, 2007), Le Bolchevisme à la française (Fayard, 2010)), he coordinated the publication of the Black Book of Communism (Robert Laffont, 1997) and since then has focused his research on the issue of totalitarianism (Les Logiques totalitaires en Europe (as editor, Éditions du Rocher, 2006), Communisme et totalitarisme (Perrin, 2009); Lénine, l’inventeur du totalitarisme (Perrin, 2017).

Julien Damon is an Associate Professor at Sciences Po, scientific advisor at the École nationale supérieure de sécurité sociale (National School for Social Security), contributor to Les Échos newspaper and Point magazine, and leads Éclairs, a think tank and consultancy. He joined the Scientific and Evaluation Council on 19 June 2013 and has contributed several studies for Fondapol, including: Campements de migrants sans abri : comparaisons européennes et recommandations (September 2019), France : combattre la pauvreté des enfants (May 2018), Improving Co-determination through Financial Independence (April 2017), Measurements of Poverty, Measures against Poverty (December 2016), A Disintegrating American Middle Class, (December 2014), An End to Begging with Children (March 2014), Minimising Travel: A Different Way of Working and Living (June 2013), The Middle Classes in Emerging Countries, (April 2013), Les Chiffres de la pauvreté : le sens de la mesure (May 2012), and Les Classes moyennes et le logement (December 2011).

Mr. Damon graduated from ESCP Business School. He has a PhD and is a thesis advisor for social science research projects. Among other positions, he has been responsible for SNCF’s solidarity project, director of studies at the French National Fund for Family Allowances (CNAF), and head of the social issues department at the Centre d’analyse stratégique, an institutional think tank under the prime minister. He has published 25 papers on social and urban issues, including: Questions sociales : analyses anglo-saxonnes. Socialement incorrect ? (PUF, 2009), Questions sociales et questions urbaines (PUF, 2010), Intérêt général. Que peut l’entreprise ? (as editor, Manioba/Les Belles Lettres, 2013), Les Classes moyennes (PUF, part of the “Que sais-je ?” collection, 2013), Un monde de bidonvilles. Migrations et urbanisme informel (Seuil, 2017), Quelle bonne idée ! 100 propositions plus ou moins saugrenues dans l’espoir fou de refaire le monde (Le Point/PUF, 2018), La Sécurité sociale (PUF, part of the “Que sais-je ?” collection, 2018) and La Question SDF (PUF, 2021).

Laurence Daziano joined SNCF in 2000. She was director of regulation and is now director of strategy and legal affairs for Voyages SNCF. She has been a member of the Scientific and Evaluation Council since 19 June 2013 and has written several studies for Fondapol. Among them: Hongkong : la seconde rétrocession, with Jean-Pierre Cabestan (July 2020), Reviewing Our Trade Policy (January 2017),Global Urbanisation. An Opportunity for France (July 2014), and The New Emerging Countries: The “BENIVM” Countries (July 2013).

Laurence Daziano is an alumna of Sciences Po Paris, Freie Universität in Berlin, and ESSEC Business School. She has been an economics lecturer at Sciences Po Paris since 2008, and is a recognised authority on emerging countries.

Marc Fornacciari has been an associate for Salans, now Denons law firm since 2004 and has written several legal papers. Mr. Fornacciari joined the Scientific and Evaluation Council on 27 May 2004.

Mr. Fornacciari is an alumnus of the National School of Administration (ENA), and holds an agrégation in German. He was an auditor and then master of requests for the Conseil d’État 1982-1991. While working for Suez-Lyonnaise, he was director of planning, forecasting, and economic studies; director of Southern Europe, Africa, and executive manager for Europe before joining the German firm RWE in 2002.

Emmanuel Goldstein has been a member of the Foundation’s Scientific and Evaluation Council since 23 January 2009.

Erwan Le Noan is a partner with Altermind consultancy, and a specialist in competition and regulation. He has been a member of the Foundation’s Scientific and Evaluation Council since 22 October 2014 and has co-written several studies for the Foundation, including Governing to Reform: Methodological Aspects with Matthieu Montjotin (May 2016) and The Case for Supplemental Education Insurance: Middle Class Education with Dominique Reynié (November 2014).

Mr. Le Noan teaches at Sciences Po Université Paris-II Assas. He is a columnist for L’Opinion and Les Échos newspapers. He has been a rapporteur for several working groups and commissions dealing with economic (eg: Attali commission and Bébéar committee) and social issues (eg. education, secularism, and discrimination). Erwan Le Noan was the president of a non-profit organization that provides tutoring for underprivileged students who wish to prepare for post-secondary studies.

Pascal Perrineau is Professor Emeritus at Sciences Po and President of Sciences Po alumni. He has been a member of the Foundation’s Scientific and Evaluation Council since 8 October  2008 and has written several studies for the Foundation, including: Régionales 2010 : ce que les électeurs devenus ? (May 2010), Élections européennes 2009 : analyse des résultats en Europe et en France, with Dominique Reynié and Corinne Deloy (September 2009), as well as a joint Fondapol-France Info study titled #Et après Le sentiment du tragique : une voie de réassurance pour nos sociétés”.

Professor Perrineau taught political life in Europe, analysis of political moods, analysis of the evolution of political forces, and voting analysis at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Together with Janine Mossuz-Lavau, he was in charge of the political events branch of Presses de Sciences Po publishing house and oversaw the Cevipof collection at Autrement publishers with Anne Muxel. Most of Professor Perrineau’s research focuses on electoral sociology, populism, understanding right-wing extremism in France and Europe, as well as new divisions emerging in European societies.

He was one of the five moderators of Emmanuel Macron’s “Great National Debate” (January-April 2019) and has provided his expertise for the Council of Europe, the Swiss National Science Foundation, and Radio France. He also managed CEVIPOF.

Xavier Quérat-Hément is a business leader and social economy activist. He joined the Foundation’s Scientific and Evaluation Council on 27 June 2018 and cowrote Cutting red tape through trust to promote growth for Fondapol (with Pierre Pezziardi and Serge Soudoplatoff,

November 2013).

Mr. Quérat-Hément is an alumnus of Sciences Po, former ministerial advisor and former member of the economic, social, and environmental council for the Île-de-France region (Ceser). He is a board member, senior advisor, and author of two books about service as a tool for fostering change within organisations in managerial innovation: L’Esprit de service. Manager la transformation ou disparaître (Eyrolles, 2016) and Esprit de service. Passer du marketing au management de l’expérience client (Lexitis, 2014). He shares his ideas about the challenges and characteristics of a service-based economy via his blog (xavierquerathement.fr) and on social media (@xavierquerat).

Robin Rivaton, a renowned smart city expert, manages a venture capital fund focusing on mobility, energy and construction. In 2016, he founded Real Estech, the number one community for innovation in real estate in France that includes 250 start-ups. Mr. Rivaton joined the Foundation’s Scientific and Evaluation Council on 19 June 2013 and has written several studies about political innovation for Fondapol, including: Tax Better to Earn More (April 2014), Kapital. Rebuilding Industry, with Christian Saint-Étienne (April 2013), Reviving Our Industry with Robots (1): Challenges, Reviving Our Industry with Robots (2): Strategies (December 2012), and Releasing Finance from the Economy (April 2012).

Mr. Rivaton began his career with Boston Consulting Group in 2012 before becoming an advisor for the CEO of Aéroports de Paris. From 2016- 2018, he served as CEO of the agency in charge of attracting foreign investors and financial groups to the greater Paris region. He sits on the boards of Sogeprom (a top real estate developer in France) and Manuloc (a French leader in lifting and handling equipment); and is a member of Id&al’s strategic committee.

Mr. Rivaton is very involved in public debate as a columnist for L’Express weekly magazine and author of 7 books, including: L’Immobilier demain (Dunod, 2nd edition., 2020) and La Ville pour tous (Éditions de l’Observatoire, 2019).

Robin Rivaton served as economic advisor for the minister of the economy Bruno Le Maire, and Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France region. Julien Denormandie, minister of housing placed him in charge of a digital transformation in construction and real estate project in April 2020.

Laetitia Strauch-Bonart is a former student of the École normale supérieure (Ulm) and Sciences Po Paris. She is an essayist and journalist, editor-in-chief of the magazine L’Express, where she heads the Ideas/Debates pages. She is the author of Vous avez dit conservateur? (Cerf, 2016), Les hommes sont-ils obsolètes? (Fayard, 2018) and De la France (Perrin/Presses de la cité, 2022). She is interested in politics, social issues and cognitive sciences. Laetitia Strauch-Bonart is a member of the scientific and evaluation council of the Foundation for Political Innovation since January 2nd, 2023.