Our Board of Directors

Aldo Cardoso, non-voting observer of the Company between June 2005 and June 2009, was appointed Director on June 3, 2009 when the Company’s governance and management structure changed. He has been Chairman of the Board of Directors since March 8, 2017. From 1979 to 2003, he held various positions at Arthur Andersen: Consultant Partner (1989), Country Managing Partner for France (1994), member of the Board of Directors of Andersen Worldwide (1998), Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Andersen Worldwide (2000) and Chief Executive Officer of Andersen Worldwide (2002-2003). Aldo Cardoso is a graduate of the École supérieure de commerce de Paris, has a Master’s degree in business law and is a certified public accountant.

Laurent Mignon has been Chairman of the Executive Board of Wendel since December 2, 2022. He also sits on the Board of Directors of Arkema and is a non-voting member of the Board of Oddo BHF. Previously, Laurent Mignon held positions with Groupe BPCE from 2009 to 2022. He was Chief Executive Officer of Natixis and a member of the General Management Committee of BPCE (including a member of the Executive Board from 2013) from 2009 to May 2018 and Chairman of the Executive Board of Groupe BPCE from May 2018 to December 2022. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Natixis and as a director of CNP Assurances and as a non-voting member of the Board of Fimalac.

After graduating from HEC in 1986 and completing the Stanford Executive Program, Laurent Mignon worked for more than 10 years for Banque lndosuez, first in capital markets and then in corporate and investment banking. In 1996, he joined Schroders Bank in London, before joining AGF (Assurances Générales de France) in 1997 as Chief Financial Officer. He was appointed to the Executive Committee of AGF in 1998, becoming Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Banque AGF, AGF Asset Management and AGF lmmobilier in 2002, then in charge of life insurance and financial services and credit insurance in 2003. In 2006, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Executive Committee. From 2007 to 2009, he was Managing Partner at Oddo & Cie.

Christine Anglade Pirzadeh was appointed as Director of the Company on April 22, 2021. Christine Anglade Pirzadeh has been Director of Sustainable Development and Communication at Wendel since October 2011. She is a member of Wendel's Management Committee and Advisor to the Executive Board. She was previously Director of Communication at the French Financial Market Authority (‘Autorité des Marchés Financiers’), which she joined in 2000. From 1998 to 2000, she was Policy Officer in the Media Department of the French Prime Minister's Office. She started her career on the editorial staff of the ‘Correspondance de la Presse.’ Christine Anglade Pirzadeh holds a master's degree in European and International law (Paris I University) and a postgraduate degree in communications law (Paris II University).

Julie Avrane-Chopard was appointed as Director of the Company on June 25, 2021. Julie Avrane-Chopard is a former Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company in France, specializing in high technology, advanced industries and talent/the workplace of the future. Having worked with major clients across Europe in the fields of high technology, aerospace and defense, transportation and mobility, Julie Avrane-Chopard has 25 years of experience in management consulting, with expertise in digital, corporate strategy, growth, organization, transformation and mergers, as well as change culture and management. She has advised on projects ranging from large-scale transformations and turnarounds to growth strategies and Industry 4.0. Before joining McKinsey, Julie Avrane-Chopard worked for two years as a business analyst at McKinsey’s London office from 1995 to 1997 and as a researcher at Bull Honeywell in Boston in 1993 and Cogema (Areva) in 1994. A graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications de Paris and the Collège des Ingénieurs, she also holds an MBA from INSEAD. She is a member of Valeo’s Board of Directors, representing FSP, and a member of the Groupe Monnoyeur Board of Directors.

Claude Ehlinger was appointed as Director of the Company on October 18, 2016. He joined Wendel on October 1, 2016 as Chief Executive Officer of Oranje-Nassau, Associate Director and member of the Investment Committee. He previously served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Louis Dreyfus Company, which he joined in July 2007 as Group Chief Financial Officer. From June 2014 to October 2015, he was acting Chief Executive Officer of Louis Dreyfus Company. Claude Ehlinger began his career at the Thomson group in 1985, before joining Finacor as Associate Director in 1987. From 1999 to 2003, he served as Chief Financial Officer at CCMX, and later Regional Financial Controller at Capgemini. He joined Eutelsat as Group Chief Financial Officer in June 2004, a position he held until July 2007. Claude Ehlinger is a graduate of the École des hautes études commerciales (HEC).

Ana Giros Calpe was appointed as Director of the Company on May 16, 2017. She is the CEO of the Europe and Latin America business unit and a member of the Executive Committee of Suez. She is an engineer and graduate of the Polytechnic University of Barcelona and Insead Graduate Business School. She has held various positions at Alstom Transport including that of Managing Director of its Transport France division.

Siân Herbert-Jones was appointed as Director of the Company on May 17, 2016 and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee since February 24, 2021. She began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers’ London office where she served as Corporate Finance Director from 1983 to 1993. In 1993, she joined the firm’s Paris office as Director in the Merger & Acquisitions department. In 1995 she joined the Sodexo group, where she headed up international development between 1995 and 1998, Group treasury from 1998 to 2000 and Deputy Chief Financial Officer in 2000. She served as Chief Financial Officer of the Sodexo group from 2001 to March 2016. Siân Herbert-Jones holds an MA in history from Oxford University and is a Chartered Accountant in the United Kingdom.

Pascal Lebard was co-opted as a Director of the Company by the Board of Directors on December 13, 2013. He began his career as Business Manager at Crédit Commercial de France (1986-1989), before joining 3i SA as Associate Director (1989-1991). In 1991, he became Director of Ifint, now Exor group (the Agnelli group). In 2003, he joined Worms & Cie (which became Sequana in 2005) as a member of the Supervisory Board (2003-2004) and as a member and then Chairman of the Management Board (2004-2005). He became Deputy Managing Director of Sequana in 2005 then Chief Executive Officer in 2007. He was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in June 2013. Pascal Lebard is a graduate of EDHEC business school.

Executive Vice-President, Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer, Director of Operational Resources at Wendel Group. Director of Stahl.
Cybersecurity Sponsor for Bureau Veritas.

Jérôme Michiels was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Wendel Group on October 1, 2015. He is also the Director of Operational Resources. Jérôme is a member of Wendel's Management Committee and a voting member of the Investment Committee. Jérôme Michiels joined Wendel at the end of 2006 as Investment Director, and was promoted to Director in January 2010. He was appointed Managing Director on January 1, 2012, and joined the Investment Committee. From 2002 to 2006, he was a chargé d’affaires with the investment fund BC Partners. Prior to that, he worked as a consultant for Boston Consulting Group from 1999 to 2002, carrying out strategy projects across Europe, particularly in the fields of distribution, transportation, telecommunications and financial services. He is a graduate of HEC.

Jean-François Palus was appointed as Director of the Company on June 24, 2022. He began his career in 1985 with Arthur Andersen as an Auditor and Financial Advisor in 1985. He joined the Pinault Group (which became PPR, then Kering) in 1991 where he successively held several executive management positions in various subsidiaries of the Group. In 2001, he joined Artémis as an executive and Director. After being responsible for mergers and acquisitions at Kering, Jean-François Palus was appointed as the Group’s Chief Financial Officer in 2005 and Managing Director in 2008. In this capacity, he contributed to the development of the Group’s strategy, managed its implementation and focused on enhancing the Group’s operational efficiency. Jean-François Palus also headed Kering’s Sport & Lifestyle activities until the exceptional stock dividend was paid out in the form of PUMA SE shares in May 2018. He continues to serve as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of PUMA SE. Jean-François Palus has been a Director of Kering since 2009. He is also a member of the Sustainability Committee. A French citizen, Jean-François Palus is a graduate of the École des hautes études commerciales (HEC) business school.

Frédéric Sanchez was appointed as Director of the Company on May 14, 2019. He has been Chairman of the Executive Board of Fives since 2002. He began his career in 1985, working at Renault in Mexico and subsequently the United States, before joining Ernst & Young in 1987 as a mission manager. In 1990, he joined the Fives-Lille group (renamed Fives in 2007) where he held various roles before being appointed as Chief Financial Officer in 1994, followed by Chief Executive Officer in 1997. Frédéric Sanchez is a graduate of the École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) (1983) and the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences-Po) (1985). He also has a post-graduate qualification in economics (DEA) from Paris‑Dauphine University (1984).

Lucia Sinapi was appointed as Director of the Company on May 22, 2013. She graduated from ESSEC business school (1986) and Paris Law University (1988), was admitted to the Paris bar (1989), and has a financial analyst degree (SFAF 1997). She started her career as a tax and business lawyer in 1986, before joining Capgemini in 1992. She has more than 20 years of experience within Capgemini group, successively as Group Tax Advisor (1992), Head of Corporate Finance, Treasury and Investor Relations (1999), extended to Risk Management and Insurance (2005), and member of the Group Engagement Board. Lucia Sinapi-Thomas was Deputy Chief Financial Officer from 2013 until December 31, 2015. She is currently Executive Director Business Platforms at Capgemini group. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Dassault Aviation since May 15, 2014, and is also a member of the company’s Audit Committee. She joined the Board of Directors of Cap Gemini SA on May 24, 2012 and has been a member of the group’s Compensation Committee since June 20, 2012.