France 2025
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
SVP General Counsel/ I&C Officer France & Northen Europe | The Adecco Group
Group general counsel, vice president legal, risks and compliance, company secretary | Colas Group
Group general secretary and general counsel | Expleo Group
Executive Vice-President, General Counsel & Compliance Officer | Mérieux NutriSciences
Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary | Forvia
General counsel and corporate secretary, member of the Airbus executive committee, chairman of Airbus UK | Airbus
Executive vice president and group general counsel | Capgemini
General counsel for EMEA, for IP/IT and global vendors | Ipsos
Chief Legal Officer of Renewables Global Business Unit of ENGIE and VP Excom member of Global Energy management and Supply (in charge of Legal, Ethics and Compliance) | ENGIE GREEN
Directrice juridique Eni gas & power France SA | Eni Plenitude France
Group corporate social responsibility director and general counsel | VERALLIA
General Counsel, Senior Vice Predident Legal, Contracts and Compliance | Thales
Legal Director – Cross-Functional Projects (Directeur Juridique - Projets Transverses) | Carrefour
Senior Legal Manager - Real Estate & Infrastructure, EMEA | EQUINIX
General Counsel / Directeur Juridique Groupe | Tokheim
Group General Counsel and Secretary of the Board of Directors | Dassault Aviation
Gerenral Secretary and Execurive General Counsel | Pluxee
Executive vice president, legal affairs and internal audit | Bureau Veritas Group
Directeur Exécutif,  Société du Grand Paris | Société des Grands Projets
Associate Group General Counsel - Head of Telecom Media Technology & Southern Europe | Atos
Groupe General Counsel & Secretary of the Board | Tarkett
Group general counsel and general secretary | Valeo
Group General Counsel and Member of the Management Board | Vivendi
Group General Counsel and Secretary of the Board of Directors | Eramet
Director of legal affairs and privacy data protection officer | Radio France
Group General Counsel & Corporate Secretary | Séché Environnement
Secretary General and General Counsel | Safran Electronics and Defense
Directeur des Affaires Juridiques de l'Audit et du Contrôle | Atalian
Vice president, group general counsel and company secretary | Dassault Systèmes
Group General Counsel and member of the Executive Committee | VallourecÂ
Vice-président exécutif pour les affaires juridiques et Directeur juridique | Tetra Pak
Vice President and General Counsel France | Schneider Electric
Group General Counsel and General Director for Continental Europe | Greycoat
Directeur des affaires juridiques holding Total SA | Total Exploration & Production
Legal Director M&A, Corporate and IP, Equans France | EQUANS
Executive director legal and compliance, audits and risks, professional interaction excellence | Roche
Secrétaire générale et directrice juridique (secretary general and general counsel) | La Banque Postale
On behalf of Legal 500, I am delighted to introduce the GC Powerlist: France 2025.
This edition recognises the general counsel and in-house legal teams who play a pivotal role in shaping France’s corporate and legal landscape. Through our research, we met with professionals who not only provide expert legal guidance but also influence strategy, drive transformation, and support business growth.
Across France, general counsel are stepping well beyond traditional roles. They are central to navigating complex regulations, enabling innovation, advancing sustainability and governance priorities, and guiding their organisations through periods of rapid change. The GC Powerlist: France 2025 celebrates those who combine deep legal expertise with leadership, vision, and purpose.
As Julie Duvivier, Head of Legal at Klépierre, explains: ‘The legal team is not only there to manage risks but to enable performance and support the company’s ambition with pragmatic, business-oriented advice.’
Her words capture a wider sentiment shared by many of this year’s GCs, that legal excellence is no longer limited to protecting the business, but to helping it move forward responsibly and effectively.
This mindset also defines how French legal leaders approach uncertainty. As Nathalie Dubois, Legal and CSR Director, puts it ‘Periods of instability are the right time to circle back to our essential values: from a technical perspective, rigorous risk analysis and from a team perspective, solidarity, collaboration, transparency and respect.’
Her emphasis on values and collective strength reflects a defining quality of France’s in-house community: resilience built on shared principles and trust.
Transformation, meanwhile, is not just technological but human. Benoît Ternon, General Counsel at Coloplast, reminds us that innovation must serve purpose ‘For us, AI is less about disruption than about maturity: it challenges us to rethink our ways of working, to enhance analytical depth, and to focus human expertise where it matters most; judgment, strategy, and impact.’
Finally, resilience in practice depends on preparation and proximity. As Malak Tazi, Group General Counsel at Club Med, observes ‘Frequent and regular contacts with teams on the ground; making sure the right processes are in place before the crisis happens.’
These insights reflect a broader shift within France’s legal community: from risk management to value creation, from technical advice to strategic influence, and from individual expertise to collective impact.
We are proud to present this year’s GC Powerlist: France, a celebration of legal professionals who are redefining the future of corporate law and connecting local insight with global impact.
On 26 March, Legal 500 partnered with Portuguese law firm PLMJ to bring its renewed sustainability‑focused conference series to Lisbon with the ESG Forum: Portugal 2026. The half‑day event gathered senior leaders from the legal, financial, energy and sustainability spheres for a concentrated programme hosted at PLMJ’s offices. Throughout the sessions, speakers explored the regulatory, governance and enforcement forces reshaping ESG strategy in Portugal, offering a clear cross‑sector perspective on how organisations are adapting to an increasingly complex and fast‑moving landscape.
The event opened with some welcome remarks from Legal 500 editor Francisco Castro, who emphasised the value of events that bring the in‑house community together to learn, exchange experiences and build meaningful professional networks. In his welcome address, he highlighted the growing complexity of ESG obligations across Europe and the increasing pressure on organisations to adopt integrated, business‑wide approaches to compliance, risk management and strategic planning. By underscoring the need for practical, grounded discussion rather than abstract theory, he set the tone for a programme designed to deliver actionable insight and foster collaboration among practitioners navigating a rapidly evolving ESG landscape.
Followed an opening brief delivered by PLMJ’s Managing Partner, Bruno Ferreira, who provided a concise yet comprehensive overview of the ESG priorities defining Portugal in 2026. He outlined the expanding influence of EU regulatory frameworks on corporate reporting, due diligence and governance, noting how these requirements are reshaping expectations around data quality, transparency and accountability. His remarks positioned ESG not as a peripheral concern but as a central driver of corporate behaviour, capital flows and long‑term competitiveness in the Portuguese market.
The first panel, moderated by João Marques Mendes, Partner at PLMJ and joined by Cláudia Teixeira de Almeida of Banco BPI, Nuno Moraes Bastos of GALP and Diogo Graça of REN, explored how corporate governance and sustainable finance are shaping Portugal’s energy transition. The discussion examined how boards and executive teams are adapting oversight structures to manage transition‑related risks and how legal, compliance, sustainability and procurement functions are increasingly intertwined in project governance. Panellists described the growing influence of financing structures on project execution, noting that lenders’ expectations around ESG metrics, contractor performance and transparency now shape governance decisions from the earliest stages. They also addressed the operational constraints that continue to challenge Portugal’s transition ambitions, including permitting timelines, grid capacity limitations and delivery risk. While acknowledging the complexity of EU‑level frameworks, speakers emphasised that these standards also present strategic opportunities to harmonise practices, unlock investment and strengthen Portugal’s competitive position in the energy transition.
Following a short break, the second panel turned to litigation, liability and the emerging enforcement era surrounding sustainability claims. Moderated by Raquel Azevedo, Partner at PLMJ and featuring contributions from Carla Góis Coelho of PLMJ, Carlos Martins Ferreira of Jerónimo Martins, Filipa Rodrigues Carmona of Caixa Geral de Depósitos and Céline da Graça Pires of NOVA, the session examined the rapid rise of ESG‑driven disputes, investigations and regulatory actions. Panellists discussed the typical trigger points for scrutiny, ranging from sustainability reports and corporate websites to marketing materials and investor presentations, and highlighted how these touchpoints are increasingly tested by regulators, competitors, consumers and NGOs. They analysed recent case law developments and their implications for Portuguese organisations, noting the emergence of more stringent evidentiary standards around disclosures and due‑diligence obligations. The panel concluded that sustainability claims can no longer be treated as aspirational messaging; they now carry the weight of binding legal obligations, requiring more rigorous internal validation and cross‑functional coordination.
The forum concluded with closing remarks from Francisco Castro, after which attendees were invited to continue their conversations over a light lunch, providing a relaxed setting to deepen connections and reflect on the themes explored throughout the morning.
Legal 500 extends its thanks to PLMJ for its collaboration in bringing this conference format to Portugal’s in‑house legal community. The team looks forward to returning soon for the launch event of this year’s GC Powerlist: Portugal.
