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 Tuesday, Legal 500 had the pleasure of welcoming this year’s cohort to the GC Powerlist Spain 2026 launch event in Madrid: an evening celebrating the country’s in-house excellence shaping the legal landscape of today and tomorrow.
The evening, hosted in partnership with DLA Piper, brought together at Club Matador some of the most renowned names in the Spanish in-house legal market. This year’s reception welcomed senior in-house professionals from across industries, representing some of the most prominent companies in the country.
Carmen Godoy, lead editor of this edition of the GC Powerlist: Spain at The Legal 500, opened the evening by addressing more than 100 corporate legal professionals in attendance. In her remarks, Godoy highlighted how the research revealed Spain’s in-house legal community to be increasingly strategic and forward-looking. General counsel are evolving into key business partners, embracing innovation with pragmatism while providing resilience and stability in uncertain environments. With a strong focus on governance, compliance, sustainability, and leadership, these findings reflect a community that is strategic, innovative, and deeply human.
Following Godoy, Francisco Cerezo and César Herrero, managing partners of DLA Piper and hosts of the evening, addressed the audience, highlighting the importance of promoting spaces for exchange and recognition within the in-house legal community shaping modern business.
After their remarks, Carmen Godoy and David Freeman, on behalf of The Legal 500, proceeded with the certificate ceremony, during which each Powerlister was invited to the stage to collect their certificate.
This year’s GC Powerlist event in Madrid served as an excellent opportunity for awardees to connect and exchange reflections with their professional peers and the Legal 500 team.
On behalf of the entire team at The Legal 500, we extend our warmest congratulations to all those included in this edition of the GC Powerlist: Spain. You stand as an example of the talent, leadership, and vision driving the evolution of the general counsel role in the country.
We would also like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to DLA Piper, our sponsor, for joining us in recognising the exceptional talent driving progress across Spain’s legal profession. And, of course, to each of the honourees who shared their time and insights with us. It has been a privilege to share your stories and celebrate the enduring impact you make every day.
