Imane and Pierre: Two perspectives, one shared momentum

Imane Afifi El Madani (left), Pierre Troussel (right)

Imane Afifi El Madani, is the Chief Information Officer of Markets Equity & Equity Derivatives (GBTO) and a member of the Women in Tech ERG*. She is deeply committed to promoting women in technology. Similarly, Pierre Troussel, Head of Equity Capital Markets France (GLBA) and a GLBA Gender Alliance ERG member, is dedicated to promoting gender diversity in market-related professions.

For International Women’s Day, they share a common conviction: equality is not optional. Equality is a driver of performance, innovation, and transformation.

Creating one’s own space to transform tech: Imane’s perspective

After spending more than twenty years in technology and financial markets, Imane has noticed that certain stereotypes persist. One such stereotype is the idea that women are “less technical and less legitimate in tech.” Her response is clear: "Skills have no gender." She proves this point by overseeing an international IT team of over 1,000 people and leading major strategic programs in cybersecurity, cloud technology, and data management. Her key strengths are clarifying complexity and rallying people around a shared vision.

To her, diversity is not just a branding issue, but a necessity for building tech that is more resilient and more equitable. "A homogeneous tech sector reproduces bias, but a diverse tech sector corrects it."

She emphasizes the importance of visible role models and early educational initiatives that demonstrate to young girls that technology is a field of impact and creativity. "Let’s give young girls—and those around them—the tools to envision themselves in this field."

In her own journey, one factor made a difference: Sponsoring. "A mentor advises, but a sponsor opens doors." She advocates for concrete initiatives such as high-visibility assignments, confidence-building workshops, transparent promotions, and new resources like networks of committed allies, targeted mobility opportunities, and accelerated training for strategic roles.

Her motto is, "Don’t just take the space you’re given—it limits ambition. Create your own space to change the rules of the game." Measure diversity in leadership because “what gets measured, improves”.

Being an everyday ally: Pierre’s conviction

Pierre challenges the idea that men are naturally better leaders. He firmly disagrees. "At Societe Generale, I was trained by women who exemplified true leadership for me: vision, courage, discernment, and talent development."

His engagement began with awareness: "We all have biases. What matters is recognizing them so we don’t reproduce them." As a manager, he considers equity a nonnegotiable principle: the same rules, the same opportunities, and full transparency. To him, gender balance is not an HR topic; It’s an operational lever that strengthens cohesion, engagement, idea quality, and performance.

Being an ally means taking concrete action such as recommending women for high visibility projects, supporting promotions, and highlighting achievements. He emphasizes the impact of GLBA Gender Alliance initiatives, where he serves on the steering committee. These initiatives include mentoring, sponsoring, training programs, and greater visibility for female talent. "It’s the combination of actions," he says, "that changes trajectories and creates lasting impact."

His message to men is direct: "You have a key role in accelerating gender balance. Act on opportunities, visibility, and legitimacy. Be sponsors, allies, and role models."

Two voices, one shared ambition

In tech and market professions, they agree that gender balance improves decision making, strengthens engagement, and boosts collective performance. It paves the way for all career paths, without exception.

On this International Women’s Day, they are calling for collective action: creating safe environments, making talent visible, and opening doors wide. As Imane says, "Alone we go fast; together we go far."

* Employee Resource Groups, or ERGs, are internal networks of engaged employees.