The Board of Directors
The Board of Directors represents all shareholders. As of 21 May 2025, it had fifteen members: thirteen Directors appointed by the Shareholders’ Annual General Meeting, including one representing employee shareholders, and two representing employees in general, directly elected by their peers. A non-voting Director has also been appointed to assist the Board with all matters relating to social and environmental responsibility.
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Lorenzo Bini Smaghi- Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Independent Director
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Ingrid-Helen Arnold- Chief Executive Officer of KAKO GmbH (Germany)
- Independent Director
- Company Director
- Member of the Risk Committee
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William Connelly- Independent Director
- Company Director
- Chairman of the Risk Committee and member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee
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Jérôme Contamine- Independent Director
- Company Director
- Chairman of the Audit and Internal Control Committee and member of the Compensation Committee
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Diane Côté- Independent Director
- Company Director
- Member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee, of the Risk Committee and of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee
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Ulrika Ekman- Independent Director
- Member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee and of the Risk Committee
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France Houssaye- Director Elected by Employees
- Head of External Business Opportunities, Regional Commercial Department, Rouen (Normandy)
- Member of the Compensation Committee
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Olivier Klein- Chief Executive Officer of Lazard Frères Banque
- Independent Director
- Member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee and of the Risk Committee
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Annette Messemer- Independent Director
- Company Director
- Chairwoman of the Compensation Committee and Member of the Risk Committee
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Henri Poupart-Lafarge- Chief Executive Officer of Alstom
- Independent Director
- Chairman of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee
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Benoît de Ruffray- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Eiffage
- Independent Director
- Company Director
- Member of the Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee and of the Compensation Committee
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Sébastien Wetter- Director Elected by Employee Shareholders
- Global Chief Operating Officer for the Financial Institutions coverage teams
- Member of the Audit and Internal Control Committee
- Member of the Supervisory Board of Fonds Commun de Placement d'Entreprise (FCPE)
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14
Directors
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42 %
of Directors are women*
*In accordance with legislation and the AFEP-Medef Code, the three Directors representing the employees are excluded from the calculation. This figure corresponds to the position of the Board of Directors on the date of the Annual General Meeting on 20 May 2025.
Architect of strategic orientations
The Board of Directors studies and approves the Group’s strategic orientations and ensures that they are aligned with Societe Generale’s values and corporate purpose. It notably validates the strategy with regard to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and in particular its carbon trajectory, on the recommendation of General Management and once they have been examined by the non-voting Director and specialised committees.
The Board of Directors is also responsible for ensuring the Group meets the highest standards in terms of ethics and risk management.
The appointment of Board members is based on their experience, expertise and independence. Its composition targets gender parity and diversity of profiles. The Board thus has members of nine different nationalities, of which 45% are women.
For its supervisory and oversight duties, the Board of Directors is assisted by four specialised committees:
- the Audit and Internal Control Committee, which ensures the quality of the Group’s accounting and financial information;
- the Risk Committee, at the forefront of new risks, which ensures the quality of the risk management system;
- the Compensation Committee, which – to ensure fair compensation – takes into account regulatory standards, objectives, risks and the requirements of the Group’s Code of Conduct;
- the Appointments and Corporate Governance Committee, which selects those with the best expertise for the Company’s supervision and management.
Societe Generale applies the most stringent standards with regard to corporate governance, notably the Afep-MEDEF code, and complies with all regulations applicable to the banking and financial sectors. The Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring compliance with these rules.