Sophie L’Hélias

Sophie L’Helias is an international corporate governance and ESG expert with extensive activist stewardship and deep knowledge of financial markets and investor sentiment. She is President of LeaderXXchange, a trusted advisory firm that develops value-creating solutions through the integration of sustainability and diversity in strategy, leadership, and investment.

Ms. L’Helias serves on the board of several non-profit organizations, including ECGI (European Corporate Governance Institute), a nonprofit organization that supports high quality academic research; board member of HCGE (Haut Comité de Gouvernement d’Entreprise), the self-regulating body that oversees the implementation of the AFEP-Medef code; and serves as non-executive director on the Board of Africa50, a development impact fund dedicated to improving infrastructure in Africa, Agence France-Locale, a community lending financial institution, and Echiquier Positive Impact and Climate Impact Europe funds. She is a Fellow at The Conference Board ESG Center in New York and serves on the Advisory Board of the Hawkamah Governance Institute in Dubai. Ms. L’Helias is also the former lead independent director of Kering, a global luxury group.

Ms. L’Helias is the recipient of the 2019 International Corporate Governance Network Lifetime Achievement Award in Corporate Governance; the 2019 New York Women in Asset Management Award – ESG; the 2018 Global Proxy Watch GPW 10 Award that designates the ten most salutary corporate governance influences in the world each year and was featured in Forbes 40 French Women Leaders list in 2019.