{"id":1813035,"date":"2015-01-07T12:19:44","date_gmt":"2015-01-07T11:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/ils-mettent-du-francais-dans-leur-c-a\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T09:52:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T08:52:32","slug":"ils-mettent-du-francais-dans-leur-c-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/ils-mettent-du-francais-dans-leur-c-a\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing a French touch to their Board of Directors"},"content":{"rendered":"

European companies have a strong preference for recruiting our fellow citizens to serve as independent directors on their Board of Directors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The demand is growing, and it shows no signs of slowing down. There is a hunger for French talent\u2014products that are quintessentially French, yet with a global flair. This was confirmed by a recent study from the executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, which surveyed 11 European countries: French professionals are highly sought after as independent directors outside their borders. With 14% of foreign directors\u2014representing 115 individuals\u2014France ranks first, followed by the UK and Germany, which trail at 12%.<\/p>\n

\"They<\/p>\n

Let’s be honest: in these times of rediscovered nationalism, it is primarily two or three “friendly” countries that are pulling us upward. Italy is our closest ally, where 48% of foreign independent directors are French. Then comes Belgium at 40%. Along with two other partners, Portugal and Spain, at 29% and 27% respectively, they form our core group. In contrast, the Austrians are superbly ignoring France, and France is returning the favor.<\/p>\n

Financially advantageous<\/h2>\n

Expanding abroad can be advantageous for one of our directors, as they are least compensated in France: a modest \u20ac43,529 compared to a substantial \u20ac139,752 in Switzerland. Among French professionals serving on foreign Boards of Directors, we find Jean-Paul Fitoussi, President of the OFCE, at Telecom Italia; Jean-Louis Beffa, CEO of Saint-Gobain, at GBL (the Belgian Groupe Bruxelles Lambert); and Laurent Dassault, President of Immobili\u00e8re Dassault, at Generali Trieste SPA.<\/p>\n

For their part, French companies have opened their Boards of Directors to outsiders, without becoming true melting pots. They sit just above the European average, with 20% of foreign independent directors compared to 18%. The Swiss are by far the most cosmopolitan at 45%, ahead of the Dutch at 36%. The most “nationalistic” are the Germans, with only 7%.<\/p>\n

Dense industrial landscape and efficient transport network<\/h2>\n

“There is a genuine need for influential foreign figures in Southern Europe. France remains a key player in the Mediterranean region, having established very strong historical, cultural, and economic ties with Italy. French directors are primarily found in banking, industry, and insurance,” analyzes Pascal Gibert, Associate Director at Heidrick & Struggles. Furthermore, France still maintains a robust industrial landscape and several major international corporations, whereas Italy is characterized more by small and medium-sized enterprises and service-based businesses. Additionally, France is the second-largest investor on the other side of the Alps, following the United States. “There are approximately 700 French companies operating in Italy. Under a recent regulation, companies are required to have a management board. However, this reform has seen limited success,” notes Jacques Fayette, Professor Emeritus of Italian at Lyon 3.<\/p>\n

Geography is often the best explanation. France’s central location has fostered close regional ties and allows business professionals to reach a major European capital with ease. Matteo Rossi, an attorney admitted to the Paris and Milan bars, nonetheless recognizes an intrinsic quality in the French: “They have an excellent capacity for organization.” Expert opinion!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

European companies have a strong preference for recruiting our compatriots to serve as independent directors on their Boards of Directors. The demand is high and continues to grow. There is a desire for French talent\u2014a product that is quintessentially French, yet with an international flair. This was confirmed by a recent study from the executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, covering 11 European states: French professionals are highly sought after as independent directors outside their borders. With 14% of foreign directors, totaling 115 people, they rank first, followed\u2014though not closely\u2014by the British and Germans at 12%. To be honest, in this era of renewed national pride, it is primarily two or three “friendly” countries that are driving this trend. Italy is our greatest ally, where 48% of foreign independent directors are French. Belgium follows at 40%. Two other partners, Portugal and Spain, at 29% and 27% respectively, complete our “cartel.” Conversely, the Austrians largely ignore the Hexagon, a sentiment that is reciprocated.<\/p>\n

Financially Advantageous
\nFor a director from our country, expanding abroad can be financially beneficial, as they are least well-compensated in France: a modest \u20ac43,529 compared to a substantial \u20ac139,752 in Switzerland. Among French nationals serving on foreign Boards of Directors, we find Jean-Paul Fitoussi, President of the OFCE, at Telecom Italia; Jean-Louis Beffa, CEO of Saint-Gobain, at GBL (the Belgian Groupe Bruxelles Lambert); and Laurent Dassault, President of Immobili\u00e8re Dassault, at Generali Trieste SPA. For their part, French companies have opened their Boards of Directors to others, without becoming true melting pots. They sit just above the European average, with 20% foreign independent directors compared to 18%. The Swiss are by far the most cosmopolitan at 45%, leading the Netherlands at 36%. The most “nationalistic” are the Germans, with only 7%.<\/p>\n

Dense Industrial Fabric and Efficient Transport Network
\n“There is a real need for influential foreign personalities in Southern Europe. France remains a key player in the Mediterranean zone. Furthermore, it has established very strong historical, cultural, and economic ties with Italy. French directors are primarily found in banking, industry, and insurance,” analyzes Pascal Gibert, Associate Director at Heidrick & Struggles. Additionally, France still possesses a robust industrial fabric and several very large international corporations, whereas Italy is more characterized by artisanal SMEs and service-oriented businesses. It is also worth noting that France is the second-largest investor on the other side of the Alps, trailing only the United States. “There are approximately 700 French companies established in Italy. Under a recent regulation, companies must have a management board. However, this reform has seen limited success,” notes Jacques Fayette, Professor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1813037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[230],"tags":[317,342],"class_list":["post-1813035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance","tag-finance","tag-tissu-industriel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1813035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1813035"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1813035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1814127,"href":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1813035\/revisions\/1814127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1813037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1813035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1813035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newzyexecutive.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1813035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}