ESSEC Appointments: Lancôme, Colas, Crédit Agricole, the Order of Merit, and More

Major company leaders, and an Order of Merit medal! Our round-up of recent appointments within the ESSEC network. 

Vania Lacascade (E02) has been appointed Global Brand President of Lancôme. Also a Doctor of Pharmacy, she began her career as product and then group manager of Givenchy Perfumes at LVMH, prior to being appointed Marketing and R&D Director at France Lab. She then spent 15 years with L'Oréal, notably as Director of the Garnier marketing hub in China, Deputy Director of The Body Shop in London, CEO of Vichy Laboratoires International and Director of Innovation for the same group. 

Alexis Kohler (E95) has been appointed Executive Vice President at Société Générale, in charge of the General Secretariat, Human Resources, Communication and transformation programme coordination. Also a graduate of ENA and Sciences Po, he held various managerial positions with the Ministry for the Economy & Finance in Paris, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington, and with the Financial Department of MSC, before acting as Secretary General to the French Presidency for around 10 years.  

William Bouygues (EXEC M14) has been appointed Managing Director of Industries at Colas. He began his career with the sales department of Bouygues Construction, prior to becoming Director of Development at LinkCity. He then moved to Bouygues Immobilier as Deputy Director in charge of strategic projects. 

Philippe Teisseire (E03) has been appointed Administrative & Financial Director of Sodiaal, France’s leading dairy cooperative, and the third largest in Europe, with more than 16,000 producers across 9,000 farms. He began his career in auditing with Alcan, Placoplatre and Safran successively, prior to joining BIC, where he rose to the positions of Chief Financial Officer Europe and later India. He then held various general management roles at Fleury Michon, including Group Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer Catering. 

Jean-Baptiste Thouvenin (E04) has been appointed Managing Director of Prêt à Manger France. He began his career by alternating positions in auditing and finance with Renault in Brazil and Europe, with the Paris branch of Fnac, and HSBC. He then joined Delsey, where he rose to the position of Director of the Indian subsidiary. He next became a freelance consultant, before joining Prêt à Manger France, where he has spent the last 5 years.  

Amandine Montac (EXEC M23) has been appointed Managing Director of the online bank, Monabanq. She began her career in a holding of the Cofidis group, followed by marketing roles in Belgium and France. She then moved successively to Mobivia and Norauto France, where she was made Director of Marketing and Customer Relations. She has been with Monabanq for 7 years, and was Director of Marketing & Sales Development prior to this most recent appointment. 

Marjorie Pouzadoux Bokobza (EXEC M10) has been appointed Deputy Director of the Centre for Innovation and Uses in Health (CIUS), which supports initiatives in the field of wellness and healthy ageing. Her career began in the media sector, initially in marketing with Mondadori (France’s 3rd largest magazine publishing group with 30 titles), followed by Prisma, where she spent 15 years and rose to the position of Innovation Director. She founded Les Intrapreneuses, an influence and pooling community in the field of intrapreneurship and open innovation, while simultaneously working as Deputy Director of Schoolab. She then co-presided La Boussole des Entrepreneurs.  

Valérie Wanquet (E88) has been appointed Group Chief Risk Officer at Crédit Agricole SA. She began her career in auditing with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, before joining the accounting and finance division of Crédit Lyonnais (now LCL), where she was Chief Financial Officer of its Singapore branch. From there, she moved on to Hong Kong, where she served first as Chief Financial Officer at Calyon, and then as Chief Operating Officer of Crédit Agricole CIB. Since then, she has held a number of finance and management positions within the Group’s subsidiaries, and Crédit Agricole Immobilier most recently.  

Pacôme Rupin (E08) has been appointed Managing Director of Têtu, the emblematic magazine of the LGBTQI+ community in France for more than 30 years. He combines his experience in consulting, with a stint at Deloitte; social entrepreneurship, initially with the SOS Group and then at the helm of a communication agency for the charity sector; and lastly in politics, as a parliamentary deputy. He is currently Managing Director of the Le Refuge Foundation, which works to prevent isolation and suicide in the 14-25 age group of the LGBTQI+ community. 

Romain Lachens (EXEC M06) has been awarded the National Order of Merit medal, presented to him by fellow athlete Tony Estanguet (EXEC M07), whom he worked alongside for 10 years as Director of Engagement for Paris 2024. He began his career at ISP Tennis Academy prior to taking over the management of Carrière Plus, a consultancy specialised in the career transition of high-level athletes. He was next appointed Marketing Director of Lagardère Unlimited and Lagardère Paris Racing. He then became responsible for mobilising the sports movement and athletes around the French bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

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