Florence Verzelen
Director of Procurement Performance Plan GDF SUEZ
Florence Verzelen is in charge of the Performance Procurement Plan of GDF SUEZ. Formerly, as Chief Executive Officer of GDF SUEZ, she was the first female CEO in Qatar’s energy sector. Before joining GDF SUEZ, she held a number of positions in the European Commission, including leading trade negotiations with China and being involved in the anti-trust case against Microsoft. She has also worked as an Advisor to the French Minister of European Affairs.
Laetitia Puyfaucher
Founder and CEO of Pelham Media
Laetitia Puyfaucher is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pelham Media, a global stakeholder engagement agency with offices in Paris, London, and San Francisco. The group works with 23 CAC40 companies through its four subsidiaries: WordAppeal, L’Eclaireur, Neuvième Page, and Pelham Media France, accruing €10 million in revenue in 2013. Laetitia won the Nico Colchester Prize in 1999, an award sponsored by the Financial Times and The Economist, as well as the “Trajectoires HEC au Féminin Prize” in 2011. In addition, she is a Supervisory Board Member of Steria (RIA).
Mélanie Marcel
Co-Founder of SoScience!
Mélanie Marcel is the Co-Founder of SoScience!, a start-up focusing on responsible research and innovation. She is one of the pioneers of a modern way to approach scientific research and development by including social and environmental impact. SoScience! works with social enterprises, high-level scientific universities, and innovative major companies around the world. She is also part of several innovation commissions, including serving as a Jury member of the GSVC (Global Social Venture Company).
Mudau Nhlalala, Techno-girl Competition Winner
High school students Mudau Nhlalala and her classmates won the Techno-Girl Entrepreneurship competition hosted by South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry (the dti). Their business concept was a 5-in-1 multi-purpose pen that consisted of a flexible ruler, a refill ink system, a pencil with stencils, a digital clock and a warning system to prevent loss of the unit. As part of their prize, the girls accompanied South African Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe to the 2014 Global Summit of Women in Paris, France.