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 Secretary of the Board of Directors | Eramet
Director of legal affairs and privacy data protection officer | Radio France
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 | Vallourec
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 9 June, Legal 500 hosted the launch of the GC Powerlist: Brazil 2026 at the Grand Hyatt in São Paulo, once again in exclusive partnership with Cescon Barrieu – marking the fourth consecutive year of collaboration with our longstanding key partner in the country. This flagship publication celebrates the most accomplished and influential in-house lawyers in Brazil, bringing together leading corporate legal professionals to recognise their outstanding achievements.
The evening opened with remarks from Francisco Castro, Research Editor at Legal 500 and editorial lead behind the publication. He highlighted the exceptional accomplishments of this year’s honourees and shared key insights drawn from the research and submissions process, including the prominence of certain industries, the continued expansion of in-house roles into executive and strategic functions, and the growing diversity, particularly the increasing presence of women in legal leadership positions.
This was followed by remarks from Alexandre Barreto, Managing Partner at Cescon Barrieu, who congratulated the featured general counsel and reflected on the ongoing evolution of Brazil’s legal and business sectors. He underscored the importance of recognising the in-house legal community and noted how the firm continues to adapt to the shifting demands of both clients and the wider business landscape.
With over 100 guests in attendance, including many of Brazil’s leading corporate legal professionals, the event once again demonstrated Legal 500 and Cescon Barrieu’s shared commitment to championing the country’s in-house legal talent.
Legal 500 extends its sincere thanks to Cescon Barrieu for their continued partnership, now in its fourth consecutive year. We are also pleased to announce our return to Brazil later this year with the GC Summit Premier, our new flagship platform for in-house counsel to exchange ideas, strengthen networks, and explore the key legal challenges shaping today’s business environment.
